The war between Ukraine and Russia seems never-ending. Tensions escalated last week after Ukraine destroyed Russian aircraft deep inside Russia and Russia struck civilian targets in response. If the war expands beyond the theater in Ukraine, it may very well enmesh NATO countries including the United States. As of the writing of this article, the current commander of Army forces in Europe is General Christopher Donahue. He assumed his post in 2024. The Stars and Stripes article discussing his change of command included this:

Donahue said the “litmus test” soldiers will face during his tenure will be preparing the command for battle as if their own relatives were being sent to fight in Europe. “And if you cannot answer that question (in the affirmative), need to rethink what we’re doing and how we’re doing it,” said Donahue, who previously led the 18th Airborne Corps at Fort Liberty, N.C.¹

Donahue seemingly comes from a good pedigree. He went to a seminary before attending West Point. He deployed countless times, even commanding within the elite Delta Force. Peers speak highly of his actions as a junior special ops officer. And then…something happened once he made general. His speech in 2024 did not reflect his past actions as a general officer. They seem to be hollow words from a hollow man.

Betrayed the Ranger Creed

The Ranger Creed states: “I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy and under no circumstances will I ever embarrass my country.” In August 2021, then MG Donahue was ordered to deploy with a task force from the 82^nd Airborne Division to take charge of the chaos at the Kabul Airport and complete the humiliating evacuation of American forces. His soldiers were showered with praise and medals for evacuating ground forces under a truce while the Taliban stood by massacring our Afghan allies and civilians. The exact number will never be known, but on his watch as many of 7,000 Americans and allies were abandoned as he famously was the ‘last man out’ of Afghanistan on the last USAF cargo plane out of country. The world was treated to the crying, tears, and horrific images of Afghans clinging to the wheels of US aircraft taking off, choosing death over Taliban capture and certain torture. CNN Reporter Clarissa Ward famously remarked, “if this isn’t failure, what does failure look like.” Donahue abandoned Americans and allies on the battlefield and presided over the most embarrassing moment in US military history in over a hundred years.

Betrayed the Ideals of West Point

Until recently, West Point was respected and honored for its motto ‘Duty, Honor, Country.’

As a West Point graduate, one would hope that Donahue would live up to this ideal. Thousands of grads both before and after him were guided by this motto in their actions in combat and at home. Monuments all over the country honor the sacrifice and dedication of West Point graduates for over 200 years. They don’t build monuments for graduates that abandon Americans in combat. What was Donahue’s contribution to the West Point legacy?

To be fair, he didn’t begin the war in Afghanistan and he also did not make the political decision to abandon Afghanistan and to make Kabul the exit point for American forces. Both were shameful decisions made by the President with the ‘advice’ of higher ranking generals than Donahue. However, Donahue had his ‘great man’ moment in history. He was given orders to carry out the shameful and embarrassing evacuation of Afghanistan, to cede the battlefield to the enemy, and to abandon Americans, allies, and tens of billions in military equipment to the enemy. He had two choices: obey or refuse and retire. If he had retired, he would have left the Army with honor, knowing he made the correct decision in history. He could have restored some sense of honor and integrity to the rank of general that so many generals before him had destroyed with their lies and self-serving behavior. He would have been a hero and a role model for West Point cadets by making the hard choices as a leader. Instead, he dutifully did the deed and got promoted not once, but twice for his obedience. Donahue demonstrated that he is indeed the poster child of the modern US general officer – selfish and lacking in integrity. None of his actions measured up to the USMA motto of ‘Duty, Honor, Country.’ He was instead a lapdog standing on his hind legs with a proverbial hand dangling stars in front of his nose. Why couldn’t he have put his stars on the table and said he would refuse to do the plan as stated? Why did the Army celebrate and promote a loser who abandoned his countrymen to the enemy? In past wars, generals like Donahue were relieved/fired so that better ones could take their place and actually win wars.

Betrayed his Countrymen

Then MG Donahue abandoned thousands of Americans and Allies on the battlefield while he saved his own skin and left safely on a USAF transport plane at the end of August. Heroic Americans from the private sector who knowingly or unknowingly adhered to the Ranger Creed of not leaving anyone behind stepped up and did what Donahue failed to do by sneaking into enemy held Afghanistan after Donahue left to rescue as many Americans and allies as possible and evacuate them out of country.

Betrayed the Honor and Sacrifice of Past US Military Heroes

Units at Kabul on his watch were showered with medals such as Distinguished Flying Crosses and Presidential Unit Citations. Recall they were operating under a truce, then MG Donahue met peacefully with the local Taliban commanders, and the only hostile action was the suicide bombing at the gate that he was at least partly complicit in by ignoring intelligence.

Recall US military units that won these coveted medals for real heroic actions in WW2 dogfights, the famous Normandy invasion, massive combat actions in Korea and Vietnam where US servicemembers fought and died by the thousands performing heroic duties. MG Donahue’s unit got the same medals for passing out MREs to refugees during a ceasefire. Donahue is complicit in cheapening combat medals that used to mean something. He has betrayed the actions and memories of real heroes of past wars.

Betrayed Basic Freedoms of American Citizens

Then LTG Donahue was the commander of XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Liberty (now Bragg) from 2022 to 2024. In 2023 the story broke that Donahue’s security personnel were trained to view Christian organizations as terror groups. He was in charge and failed to correct the issue, in effect condoning it. He escaped unscathed and took no responsibility. His name is conspicuously absent from the press briefs on the matter and his public affairs teams never mentioned his name. His base was trained well it seems to protect the general at all costs.

Sold Out to the Military Industrial Complex

In 2023, I received an email from retired MG Bob Scales. Scales admonished me for my criticism of Donahue over his role at Kabul. Scales went further and bragged about how Donahue had helped him to get the Army to adopt the new assault rifle that he and his private (for profit) firm had been lobbying for. Scales went further and said he helped Donahue to make general and later then BG Donahue as an insider general helped to get the weapon system approved. It seems that even as a brigadier general, Donahue was already eyeing the lucrative wealth bestowed upon a retired general these days in the revolving door of the Military Industrial Complex. Does Donahue already have a job lined up with Sig Sauer or Raytheon? Surely he knows that the price for getting those exclusive jobs is having rank and a flawless career for optics. Such ambitions often cloud the judgement of generals, making them hesitant to make the correct ethical choices, especially in combat. Self-promotion has become more important than a commander’s solemn duty to his men and his country. The West Point Cadet Prayer counsels graduates to choose the harder right over the easier wrong. It is clear which path Donahue has chosen. Eisenhower warned us about the dangers of the military industrial complex. Eisenhower was a general who won wars and had integrity, traits that would make him a unicorn in the modern US military.

Putin must feel emboldened knowing his potential military opponent is a commander who abandons his countrymen to the enemy and will do anything to get promoted including losing wars. Donahue has demonstrated that he cares little for winning, US military history (medals), American lives, and making hard choices, especially the ones that put his career, promotion, and post service money at risk. Is this really who America wants leading the US Army in Europe if the unthinkable happens and we end up at war with Russia?

1. https://www.stripes.com/branches/army/2024-12-10/army-europe-commander-donahue-16120968.html