News He was the last U.S. soldier to leave Afghanistan after 20 years of occupation August 30, 2021 Joey Garrison and Ledyard King, USA TODAY Comments Off on He was the last U.S. soldier to leave Afghanistan after 20 years of occupation Maj. Gen. Christopher Donahue, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division in Fort Bragg, N.C., was the final soldier to leave Afghanistan.