»I gave all I had for the US. All of my dreams. My whole life. My future. My body and my soul.
I was always the guy who stood up against the schoolyard bullies because people have the right to live in freedom and safety.
Someone has to protect that right, someone like me.
My whole world changed on 9/11 when the World Trade Center collapsed. I was a teenager, and I remember the adults being paralysed. I remember the images of people falling from the building and that I could no longer leave my bag outside my local grocery store.
I felt compelled to do something.
From that day on, my life pointed towards a career as a soldier. I practised maths to become good at ballistics calculations in order to become a good marksman. I went on long hikes with a backpack to grow stronger, and in 2009 I was deployed to Afghanistan in the war against the Taliban.
I was willing to die.
In Afghanistan, Danish soldiers had a good reputation because we showed leadership in the most intense operations.
»You are so tough,« American special forces told me. »You are a real viking.«
If the Americans got hold of one of our flags, they would sew it onto the inside of their fragmentation vests, believing that it would protect them from harm. They called it Danish luck. If they were out at the front line in a difficult situation, the sight of [the Danish flag] Dannebrog fluttering in the desert wind on our vehicles could boost morale.
Let me tell you, President Trump, that the world does not revolve around your feelings.
It revolves around cooperation, and the Danes have a very long tradition of helping you.
Without us, you would not be where you are today. During World War II, we provided intelligence. Niels Bohr was involved in paving the way for the nuclear bomb and shared crucial knowledge with the Manhattan project, which created your first bomb.
We may be a small country, and we may only be able to contribute a little, but what we have contributed over the years has always been on the most significant fronts.«
