The United States and its allies began the war in Afghanistan on October 7, 2001, and ended on August 30, 2021. About 800,000 Americans have gone through the conflict. Soviet troops were in the country from December 25, 1979 to February 15, 1989. 620 thousand Soviet servicemen took part in the war. In both cases, according to official versions, the last to leave Afghanistan were high-ranking generals – Chris Donahue and Boris Gromov.
The photo shows Major General Chris Donahue boarding a Boeing C-17 military transport aircraft at Kabul airport on the evening of August 30, 2021.
The general turned 52 in August; he celebrated his birthday in Afghanistan. Since 2020, he has been in command of the 82nd Division of the 18th Airborne Corps of the US Army.
He previously served in command positions in South Korea, Panama and the United States. Before Afghanistan, he also fought in Iraq and Syria.
The historical snapshot was posted on Twitter by the Pentagon. “It was an incredibly difficult, intense mission, filled with many complexities, with constant threats. Our troops have shown restraint, discipline and sympathy, ”reads the message of the 18th Army Corps.
Another photograph was taken on February 15, 1989. Lieutenant General Boris Gromov is met by his son Maxim on the Friendship Bridge on the border of Afghanistan and the USSR. At that time, the general was 45 years old, he served in Afghanistan in 1980-1982 and 1987-1989.
During the second trip, he commanded the 40th Army and at the same time was the plenipotentiary of the USSR government for the temporary stay of troops in Afghanistan. In 1989, he led the withdrawal of troops, developed a plan of withdrawal through the Salang pass, which passed without loss.
In an interview on the bridge, he made his famous speech:
“There is not a single Soviet soldier, officer, or ensign behind me. This was the end of the nine-year stay…Our soldiers, who have passed these nine years, need to erect monuments”. Kommersant.
