I watched the Twin Towers collapse
on a TV in the Operations (G-3)section of First Armored Division, 1AD Old
Ironsides, in Wiesbaden, Germany. Like everyone else, the sight of the towering
office buildings collapsing in dust and rubble horrified me. I knew that my
world would never be the same…and it wasn’t. A few days later, I was among
those invited to the German Army headquarters for a briefing by their division
commander (please note that the German Army has restructured greatly since 2001
and I’m not sure if the Panzer Division headquarters is still near Wiesbaden.).
The German Commanding General gave
the opening remarks. Here is a summary of what he said, “For years, you stood
between us and aggression by the Soviet Union. Your presence secured our
safety. We owe you a significant debt. Now, we can in some small way repay a
portion of that debt. We consider the recent attack on New York an attack on
us. We understand that you will need help orchestrating your response. You have
all my resources available to help in the upcoming operations. Please know that
I am the only one who can say “no.” No one on my staff has the authority to say
“no.” If they do, all you have to do is pick up your phone and call me. My
phone number is…”
While my work did not require much
from the German Army. Some of my peers reported great support and assistance
when they asked. What I did see was German soldiers replacing our MPs at
checkpoints, base entry gates, and on patrol in on our bases and housing areas.
I also witnessed the Bundesbhan (German Railroad), rearranging schedules to
allow us the ability to quickly move material to the ports. If you’ve ever
lived or traveled in Germany, you know what a sacrifice it is to disrupt train
schedules. At the ports our ships were given priority. Our allies, the Germans,
sacrificed greatly in support of our operations. This is something we should
never forget.
When I deployed to Iraq in the
Spring of 2003, I fought alongside our NATO partners and several other nations
who joined in the fray, supporting us with their lives and treasure. Later
after 1AD redeployed to Germany, I served in Combined Joint Task Force 7,
CJTF-7. I well remember the day when our Italian contingent suffered a
significant attack, losing a significant number of men. We all mourned the loss
together. I went outside the wire with Australian and British armies. I never
felt like I was serving with second-rate soldiers. In a later deployment to
Iraq, I served in Multi-National Corps Iraq, MNC-I. Again, I served alongside
Canadians, Australians, British, and Samoans. All allies dedicated to
supporting us with their lives and their treasure. I learned to depend upon
them for their support and professionalism. This is something we should never
forget.
In a later assignment, I served in
United States Army South, USARSO. In this assignment I served alongside our
partners in South America. I went on counter-drug operations with various
allies including, Panamanians, Nicaraguans, Hondurans, Colombians, Bolivians,
Brazilians, and the French. Again, united to stem the flow of narcotics into
our nation, all these allies sacrificed to help us. I remember standing in a
forward base in Bolivia training their soldiers on anti-mine procedures. These
men risked life and limb daily for almost no pay. Their uniforms were
threadbare and their equipment ancient…but well maintained. They were our
allies in the ongoing war on drugs. This is something we should never forget.
Again in a later assignment, I
served in United States Army North ARNORTH, a component of NORAD-NORTHCOM. I
was privileged to serve alongside Canadians, protecting our nations against a
possible aggression from across the North Pole. These professional men and
women helped us guard our freedom. This is something we should never forget.
Recently I’ve seen many postings denigrating
our allies. They usually focus on two things: one a lack of commitment in the
form of time, effort, and particularly money and two a lack of cultural
commonality. I’d like to address both issues.
While it is true that for years most
NATO member nations did not reach the desired military spending level of 2% of
Gross Domestic Product (GDP), in recent years their spending has increased.
Currently all nations spend the desired 2% with six spending over 3%. The
changing world situation and President Trump’s efforts have generated this
increase. As a point of comparison, the U.S. spent about 3.2% of GDP in 2025.
While our total expenditure dwarfs the rest in raw dollars, in percentage of
GDP we’re not that far ahead of our fellow NATO allies. As the global situation
increased in volatility, our allies have responded appropriately. We must
remember that national interests, as perceived in the country, govern such
decisions. Their culture may or may not be as willing to devote precious
resources to military efforts.
Many people seem suddenly concerned
about cultural differences. Here, I’d like to share the Marrium-Webster
definition of ally as a noun:
1. a sovereign or state associated with
another by treaty or league
2. one that is associated with another as
a helper : a person or group that provides assistance and support in an ongoing
effort, activity, or struggle
You
will note that neither definition includes discussion of shared cultural
values. I can attest to the fact that when the bullets snapped past my ears, I never
checked on the cultural mores of my allies. All I really cared about was did
they have my flank and were they putting rounds downrange in earnest. Yes, it
is easier to work with someone who shares my cultural ideas, but it is not
required. One of the great lessons all soldiers learn is that mission focus is
paramount and at the end of the day, you can successfully work with someone who
views the world quite differently than you do. Once while working with the
Canadians, I found that their field rations included a small bottle of wine! Serving
with the Brits and Aussies, I had to make the difficult cultural adjustment to
the daily beer ration. Some cultural sacrifices are greater than others. I have
worked with people from all over the globe with quite divergent backgrounds and
beliefs. Some even became my friends. I needed them and they needed me.
Our world is vastly more complex and
interconnected than most of us think. We cannot, and should not, seek to either
go it alone or bully others into submitting to our desires. We need one another.
Cooperation requires listening and sometimes sacrifice. We need to stop feeding
our isolationist tendencies and instead broaden our view and roll up our
sleeves and work with others toward our shared goals and missions.
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