On the same day Vice President JD Vance visited Greenland, President Donald Trump posted a compelling video highlighting the strong historical bonds between the Arctic nation and the United States.
The 90-second video touts past U.S. military efforts to defend and protect Greenland during World War II when the U.S. suffered hundreds of casualties after a Nazi U-boat torpedoed and sank the U.S. Army Transport Dorchester.
The U-boat struck in the dead of night on Feb. 3, 1943, killing dozens instantly while hundreds more succumbed to the icy waters of the Atlantic, according to the Defense Department. The incident is remembered four Army chaplains giving up their lives to save others.
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“In the cold silence of the tundra, a bond was born. Not from treaties or trade, but from blood and bravery,” the narrator of the clip says. “While Germany controlled Europe, the Nazis set their sights on the Arctic. Greenland became an unwitting combatant and the United States stepped in, not to conquer but to protect.”
The video notes that nearly 1,000 service members, civilians and crew carried with them “hope, duty and a quiet fear” in a voyage they knew was rife with danger. But after the attack, the frigid waters of the North Atlantic “became a grave.”
“Those four chaplains gave up their life vests, giving their lives so that others might live to protect America and Greenland,” the narrator says. “Their sacrifices helped win our freedom and we will never forget. Together, Americans and Greenlanders stood as sentinels at the top of the world.”
In total, 672 people died during the deadly attack, according to the Defense Department.
The video was created by Securing American Greatness a non-profit created during the 2024 presidential election to support then-candidate Trump.
It also shows several clips from the war and landscape images of Greenland before going on to make the case why the U.S. needs to join forces with Greenland, arguing that Greenland faces new threats from Russia’s “aggression” and China’s “expansion.”
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“Our shared legacy lives on in every joint mission, every Arctic patrol, every partnership forged in the shadow of melting ice and rising tensions, this is not just history,” the narrator says. “It is destiny. Now is the time to stand together again, for peace, for security, for the future. America stands with Greenland.”
Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also shared the video on X.
The video was posted by Trump as he doubled down Friday on his efforts to acquire Greenland as part of the U.S. for international security purposes Friday,
Although the Danish territory has said it is seeking independence from Copenhagen and isn’t interested in becoming part of the U.S., Trump has repeatedly offered, dating back to his first administration, a desire to secure Greenland for the U.S. as Russian and Chinese presence grows in the Arctic.
“If you look at Greenland right now, if you look at the waterways, you have Chinese and Russian ships all over the place, and we’re not going to be able to do that,” Trump told reporters Friday. “We’re not relying on Denmark or anybody to take care of that situation. And we’re not talking about peace for the United States, we’re talking about world peace, we’re talking about international security.”
Vance echoed the commander and chief’s goals for Greenland on Friday during his visit to Pituffik Space Base, the Defense Department’s northernmost military installation.
He said that Denmark has not done a good job at keeping Greenland safe.
“What we think is going to happen is that the Greenlanders are going to choose, through self-determination, to become independent of Denmark,” Vance explained in a more toned-down approach from Trump’s previous statements. “And then we’re going to have conversations with the people of Greenland from there.”
The chaplains who died in the attack were George L. Fox, a Methodist minister, John P. Washington, a Catholic priest, Clark V. Poling, a Dutch Reformed minister, and Alexander D. Goode, a rabbi. They were all awarded Purple Hearts and Distinguished Service Crosses for their actions that day. Congress additionally created a “Four Chaplains’ Medal,” which was presented to their survivors in 1961, according to the Defense Department.
Fox News’ Diana Stancy Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.
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