Maj. Gen. Christopher Donahue inspects troops during the “Project Flytrap” military exercises in Lithuania in May 2026. Donahue abruptly retired from the Army in late June. (US Army/Sgt. Nicodemus Taylor)

The Last Soldier to Leave Afghanistan Just Left the Army

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Maj. Gen. Christopher Donahue, who followed his brief but eventful time in Afghanistan as the commander of US Army Europe and Africa, abruptly retired halfway through his expected tenure.

Nearly five years ago, Maj. Gen. Christopher Donahue became an iconic symbol of the catastrophic US withdrawal from Afghanistan. The then-commanding officer of the 82nd Airborne Division, Donahue was the subject of a green-tinted photo taken through night vision goggles walking towards a C-17 transport aircraft at the former Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul—becoming the last US soldier to leave Afghan soil and formally bringing America’s 20-year military presence in the country to an end.

Three and a half years later, in December 2024, Donahue was named commanding general of US Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF) and commander of NATO’s Allied Land Command, a role he held for the next 18 months.

On Tuesday, however, it was announced that Donahue will retire from the Army and step down from those posts—becoming the latest in a line of top military officials to be abruptly pushed out under the leadership of Secretary of Defense........

© The National Interest