× As the U.S. tries to wind down two decades of war in Afghanistan, the conflict has already left lasting marks on Spokane By Orion Donovan-Smith, The Spokesman-Review Published: January 10, 2021, 10:00am Share: SPOKANE — It was getting close to Christmas 2001 when 33-year-old Air Force Capt. Brian Newberry got a call at Joint Base Charleston in South Carolina. At first it seemed like a normal call. The United States and its allies had invaded Afghanistan two months earlier in response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and C-17 Globemaster pilots like Newberry, who would go on to become commander of the 92nd Air Refueling Wing at Fairchild Air Force Base, were flying regular airlift missions to support combat operations in the Central Asian country.