CHICAGO (NewsNation Now) —  It had to end, but did it have to end like this? Maybe it did if Afghan soldiers never intended to fight, and Taliban fighters never intended to talk.

America’s longest war comes to an unthinkable, yet maybe inevitable conclusion.

We hear from Peter Arnett, a journalist who was there for the Vietnam war and this Afghan war. He won a Pulitzer for his Vietnam coverage and worldwide fame for his live reports from the first Gulf War on CNN in 1991.

And we introduce you to a reporter who lost an eye in Afghanistan and kept going back to the country.

Plus, we’re joined by two people who know firsthand the sacrifice that went into the two-decade long war.

Watch “Banfield” weeknights at 10/9c on NewsNation.