Leaving Afghanistan — and Leaving Americans Behind

These are the times that try men’s souls.

By now everyone has seen it. The image of a solitary man walking up the ramp of an aircraft, dressed in full kit with a rifle in his hand. The picture is rendered in grainy night-vision green, making the soldier’s blurry expression unreadable. No one but Major General Chris Donahue knows what he was thinking when he boarded the last C-17 to leave Afghanistan.

But I can guess.

Full disclosure: I don’t know, nor have I ever served with, General Donahue. But a friend of mine who does and did described the general as a soldier’s soldier. After a brief look at General Donahue’s resume, I can understand why. Though he’s currently the commander of the vaunted 82nd Airborne Division, General Donahue has a history of serving in elite units, including the 75th Ranger Regiment and Special Forces Operational Detachment Delta, more commonly known as Delta Force.