From L to R: Lt.-Col. Robin Steel, Lt. Mike Young, Lt.-Col Ken Jyrkkanen and Sgt. Gord Sands at the Kamloops cenotaph on Battle Street on Jan. 29, 2025. (Image Credit: Kent Simmonds/ CFJC Today)

By Michael Reeve

Canadian Soldiers

‘An absolute affront’: Kamloops veterans call out Trump’s claims about Canada’s military participation

Jan 29, 2026 | 4:44 PM

KAMLOOPS — The Canada-United States relationship is on shaky ground, as politicians on both sides of the border prepare for a review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico free trade agreement (CUSMA) this year. And whether used as political posturing or truthful intent, President Donald Trump has made public comments on the sovereignty of Canada and questioned our country’s role with NATO, saying he’s unsure anybody would come to the aid of America.

Trump is no stranger to controversial statements, his latest on the role of NATO forces angering veterans and their families in Kamloops.

“We took over from American troops in Kandahar Region, so that they could go into Iraq,” said Sgt. Gord Sands, a retired member of the Canadian Armed Forces. “For him to say that we didn’t share the same dirt, the same soil. We had more than 150 killed, more than 1,000 wounded, more than 40,000 served.”

Master Corporal Erin Doyle of Kamloops was killed in action near Kandahar in August of 2008. He’s one of 158 Canadians who lost their lives fighting alongside our American allies in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. His mother Kathy told CFJC News she was afraid of what might come out of her mouth if we were to interview her. Saying of Trump, “This man has no idea what serving your country means, nor does he know what it feels like as a family.”

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“What their families had to manage and endure and deal with while their loved ones were overseas. They carry a burden as well,” said Lt.-Col Ken Jyrkkanen, the retired commander of the Rocky Mountain Rangers during the height of the War on Terror (2004-2009). 

Those in Kamloops who proudly served, refusing to let Doyle’s memory be tarnished or forgotten, for his death to have been without meaning.

“He just doesn’t understand, never having been a soldier himself, never having picked up a weapon, stood a watch himself. I don’t think he understands what it means to be soldier,” said Lt. Mike Young, retired member of the Canadian Armed Forces.

Canadian’s weren’t alone in answering the call, with NATO forces from around globe joining the fight, including the British, who saw 457 casualties.

“We should not forgot that Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty Association (NATO) was invoked for the first and only time by the Americans after the atrocities that took place on 9/11,” said retired Lt.-Col. Robin Steel of the Royal Green Jackets, British Army. “We stood there then, and for him to suggest somehow we aren’t there for them is not borne out by the facts.”

For those who fought and came home, the battle scars don’t magically disappear when you return and the mental impact of those memories rarely subside.

“Sometimes those soldiers were not the same when they got off the plane and some were quite changed, and I know personally some soldiers who carry scars from the conflict to this day,” said Jyrkkanen, “so to hear comments like that, that somehow we don’t contribute, never would contribute is an absolute afront and it angers me personally. It angers me for the soldiers as well and their families.”

Despite the anger directed toward the statements and the president, there was little doubt among those on Thursday (Jan. 29), Canada, the Brits and NATO would again step up alongside their American brothers-in-arm.

“We have shared too much dirt, too many ration packs and too many stories not to be willing to step up,” said Sands.