so general general, you are recognized. >> chairman reed, members of this committee thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today to discuss our recent drawdown and evacuation operations in afghanistan. i'm pleased to be joined by generals milley and mckenzie who i know will be able to provide you with additional context. i would like to make a few points before turning it over to you and to them. first i want to say how incredibly proud i am of the men and women of the u.s. armed forces. who conducted themselves with tremendous skill and professionalism throughout the war, drawndown and evacuation. over the course of our nation's longest war, 2,461 of our fellow americans made the ultimate sacrifice. along with more than 20,000 who bear the wounds of war some that can't be seen on the