Aug. 30 is the third anniversary of the United States withdrawing from Afghanistan, ending its longest war ever.

It’s a time Minnesotans who were there will never forget.

That includes 400 members of the Minnesota National Guard’s Task Force One of the 194 Armored Regiment, who helped secure the airport in Kabul.

Also there was Maj. Katie Lunning, chief nurse of the 133rd Medical Group of the Minnesota Air National Guard.

RELATED: Last flight from Afghanistan: Maj. Katie Lunning’s daring journey of rescue

She was working on a critical care air transport team evacuating casualties from the coalition hospital.

Lunning was on the last U.S. flight out of Afghanistan.

“After the last troops were safely up on the airplane and tails up… we circled around them and left Afghanistan,” Lunning said. “I joined after 9/11. So we’ve always had a presence in Afghanistan. So it was a surreal feeling to know that we didn’t anymore.”

In the end, more than 120,000 people were evacuated to safety in one of the biggest airlifts in history.

Maj. Lunning made history herself, becoming the first Air National Guard flight nurse to be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.