The last soldier out of Afghanistan was a “Sky Dragon” from the U.S. Army Airborne Corps
U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Chris Donahue, of the 82nd Airborne Division, was the last American service member to depart Afghanistan after 20 years at war.
The iconic photo signified the end of a two-decade invasion and the Aug. 31 deadline for the full withdrawal of U.S. troops.
“On the last plane out was General Chris Donahue, the commander of the 82nd Airborne Division and my ground commander, and he was accompanied by our — our charge d’affaires, Ambassador Ross Wilson, so they came out together,” McKenzie said at the Pentagon briefing. “So the state and defense team came out on the last aircraft and were in fact the last people to step on the ground.”
A tweet from the elite 18th Airborne stated the assignment “was an incredibly tough, pressurized mission filled with multiple complexities, with active threats the entire time. Our troops displayed grit, discipline and empathy.”
