August 31, 2021, marks the end of the United States’ two-decade-long mission in Afghanistan as Major General Chris Donahue, the last US soldier left Afghan. The image of him getting ready to board the C-17 aircraft is all over social media.
All about Major General Donahue: The last US soldier in Afghanistan
Major General Chris Donahue is the last serving member of the US military to depart from Afghanistan, marking the end of America’s two-decade military presence. “The last American soldier to leave Afghanistan: Maj. Gen. Chris Donahue boards a C-17 of the US Air Force on August 30th, 2021, ending the US mission in Kabul,” tweeted the United States Department of Defence.
The commanding officer of the 82nd Airborne Division that is under the 18th Airborne Corps that is based in North Carolina. He graduated as a second lieutenant from the United States Military Academy in 1992. Officer Donahue was deployed to Afghanistan a month ago to help in securing Kabul airport as the US geared to withdraw troupes by the self-imposed deadline.
Moreover, he has been deployed 17 times for overseeing operations across North Africa, Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, and eastern Europe. Additionally, his long career also includes an assignment at the Pentagon. There, he worked as a special assistant to the chairman of the Pentagon’s Joint Chief of Staff.
A flashback of the US’s first step on the Afghan soil
The US soldiers first landed in Afghanistan in 2001 after the 9/11 attacks in the United States. They proceed to help defeat the Taliban, five years into their first try at leading the country. They also helped the government establish itself.
Now, 20 years later the Taliban’s victory and seize of power came. Right with the withdrawal of the US military according to President Biden’s directive earlier this year.