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View Full Version : Bowe Bergdahl, Army Sergeant Held by Taliban Since 2009, Is Released.



WILCO
05-31-2014, 01:37 PM
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/bowe-bergdahl-army-sergeant-held-taliban-2009-released-n119271

osteodoc08
05-31-2014, 02:15 PM
May he enjoy a hot shower and a cold beer. Praying a safe return and reintegration.

flyingmonkey35
05-31-2014, 02:28 PM
5 to 1 good trade

tigweldit
05-31-2014, 04:10 PM
Thank God he's coming home! Hope he doesn't have to rely on VA for any issues.

Bad Water Bill
05-31-2014, 04:17 PM
WELCOME HOME SOLDIER.

5 Scumbags for one of our own is indeed a good trade.

oldred
05-31-2014, 04:27 PM
Five pieces of cr,,,,,,, well you know, for a hero IMO is indeed a good trade!!!! WELCOME HOME!!!!!!!


Anyone who has, in the service of his country, endured what he has for the last five years IS a hero no mistake about it!

William Yanda
05-31-2014, 04:36 PM
I really have mixed emotions on this one. Couldn't be gladder to have him back with us and his family. But the five for which he was exchanged seem to have a rep as real baaaaaadd actors. OOps I almost slipped again. Collectively responsible for the death of hundreds of Shiites-Afganistan must be ecstatic to have them back in the region.

richhodg66
05-31-2014, 04:38 PM
Wouldn't itbe great if they implanted some kind of tracking devices in those terrorists before we gave them back? Or maybe infected them with small pox or anthrax or something? I doubt the Obama administration could have thought of something like that, though.

DCP
05-31-2014, 04:58 PM
Five pieces of cr,,,,,,, well you know, for a hero IMO is indeed a good trade!!!! WELCOME HOME!!!!!!!

Anyone who has, in the service of his country, endured what he has for the last five years IS a hero no mistake about it!

I sincerely hope he IS a hero

BUT Maybe- Maybe not

On June 30, 2009, Bergdahl was reported missing after not showing up for morning roll call. The murky circumstances of his disappearance led some to label him a deserter.

Bergdahl disappeared when he reportedly walked away from a U.S. military base in eastern Afghanistan in June 2009, carrying only a compass and a bottle of water. He was the only U.S. service member ever to be held captive by enemy forces in Afghanistan.

462
05-31-2014, 05:58 PM
I'm glad for him and his family that he's on his way back home.

His absence from his post is a mystery, and I may be leery of whatever official explanation is finally offered. Was he taken prisoner? Did he desert? We may never know.

I'd be extremely surprised if the five terrorists remain in Qatar after the mandatory one-year mandated time period. Most likely they'll split for wherever they came from and will be hailed as Allah's true heroes.

Love Life
05-31-2014, 06:02 PM
Welcome back, Soldier.

Making poor decisions, getting captured, and being the cause of 5 confirmed enemy being released does not make you a hero. It makes you a person who made a poor decision, got captured, and who is the reason 5 confirmed enemy will be back in Afghanistan to do what they do so well.

Not to mention the lives risked in the initial search effort, and now the lives at risk with 5 more enemy on the loose.

The man may have endured a long captivity, but he is no hero. Not in any sense of the word. Heros drag people out of blown up buildings under gunfire, clean out MG nests, and jump on grenades.

My flame suit is on, so go ahead.

jmort
05-31-2014, 06:12 PM
Is there any recent precedent for such a "trade"? Seems more like negotiating with terrorists. Don't know if he has family, but if I did not I would have gone out swinging/shooting. I agree that there is probably no good reason for being captured in the first place.

Love Life
05-31-2014, 06:15 PM
Sure does take your mind off the VA and Benghazi....

Cornbread
05-31-2014, 06:19 PM
This is one that has always made me wonder. I'm glad he is back but I'm really skeptical about the official version of how he got captured. I'm not sure about the Army but generally when you heard about somebody doing something like that in the Marines when I was in, it was because they are a "doo doo" bird, and their platoon "looses them accidentally" while out on patrol. "Don't know what happened sir, he just disappeared during the night". When what really happens is the whole platoon picks up and moves during the night when they are sleeping leaving them only water and a compass, because loosing a weapon gets looked into but somebody going native, not so much. I know one guy personally who made it back to base after being left like that on a recon patrol. It took him nearly 30 days and sadly he is messed up for life from the experience(not my platoon but I know him personally pretty well). Official write up was that he "became separated from his platoon during the night". So while I welcome this guy back whole heartedly, I am taking the official explanation with a Dead Sea size grain of salt.

Cactus Farmer
05-31-2014, 06:22 PM
Wouldn't itbe great if they implanted some kind of tracking devices in those terrorists before we gave them back? Or maybe infected them with small pox or anthrax or something? I doubt the Obama administration could have thought of something like that, though.

My thoughts exactly. Or a time delayed device, like the suicide belt that went off at the before use party. I want thinking of it being stuck somewhere..........

Cactus Farmer
05-31-2014, 06:25 PM
Sure does take your mind off the VA and Benghazi....

Yep, it sure did, they got me again, but then I've never forgotten how I was treated coming home in 1969 either.

abunaitoo
05-31-2014, 06:45 PM
Why is it that obummer is taking all the credit for this tooo????
We all know he dosen't have the brains to do anything like this.
He took credit for getting osama and had nothing to do with it.

If this guy just made a stupid mistake causing his capture, then I'm glad he's back. But he's not a hero.
He has to be watched closely for a few years.
5 for one may seem like a good trade, unless the 5 take out more Americans.
Micro chip in those 5 sc**bags sounded like a great idea. Give's the drone something to target.

starmac
05-31-2014, 07:02 PM
How much brains do you figure a guy needs to trade five prisoners for one. I'm thinking a preschool kid with a handfull of marbles could have done better. I am glad the guy is coming home if he was actually a prisoner, but I hate the precedent this sets.

Bohica793
05-31-2014, 07:02 PM
Every US serviceman now has a "5 for 1" price tag on their heads. Expect a few to go missing soon.

richhodg66
05-31-2014, 07:13 PM
How much brains do you figure a guy needs to trade five prisoners for one. I'm thinking a preschool kid with a handfull of marbles could have done better. I am glad the guy is coming home if he was actually a prisoner, but I hate the precedent this sets.

It does set a dangerous precedent and I remember this guy got captured under some weird circumstances. He was a kind of a strange guy before enlisting I remember seeing reported, and it seems like he didn't desert as much as he just kinda got bored and walked away or something. So maybe he wasn't treasonous, just goofy and naive, but either way, I hope the Army does some serious interrogation of him and investigate what happened and also to get as much information from him about his captors.

Bad Water Bill
05-31-2014, 07:16 PM
Welcome back, Soldier.


My flame suit is on, so go ahead.

I will gladly donate asbestos to make sure you survive.

My fire hose is charged and ready to go also.

MtGun44
05-31-2014, 07:36 PM
5 very dangerous leading Taliban commanders that the gov't said were "highly likely" to begin
attacking Americans if released. . . . . . . .

Very sorry for the soldier, but I wonder if this was a bad deal - how about 10, or 20 or 100 dead Americans
down the road?

Bill

Love Life
05-31-2014, 07:41 PM
It was a bad deal.

Acording to the latest news report:

The detainees are believed to be the most senior Afghans still held at the prison. They are believed to be:
—Abdul Haq Wasiq, who served as the Taliban deputy minister of intelligence
—Mullah Norullah Nori, a senior Taliban commander in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif when the Taliban fought U.S. forces in late 2001
—Khairullah Khairkhwa, who served in various Taliban positions including interior minister and had direct ties to Taliban leader Mullah Omar and Osama bin Laden
—Mohammed Nabi, who served as chief of security for the Taliban in Qalat, Afghanistan, and later worked as a radio operator for the Taliban's communications office in Kabul
—Mohammad Fazl, whom Human Rights Watch says could be prosecuted for war crimes for presiding over the mass killing of Shiite Muslims in Afghanistan in 2000 and 2001 as the Taliban sought to consolidate their control over the country.


If this man deserted, then he needs to face the UCMJ. A thorough investigation needs to be conducted about his disappearance.

oldred
05-31-2014, 07:45 PM
It was a bad deal.



What would be a good deal would be for the damned politicians to get out of the way and just let the Marines and Army deal with Afghanistan, in other words just tell the Military "we will stay the hell out of the way and let you clean up that mess, now go get'em"!!!

Love Life
05-31-2014, 07:47 PM
That would be a good deal, but the American public will not stand for it. Ho Chi Minh proved that back in the 60's-70's. We fight the kind war America allows us to fight.

Bad Water Bill
05-31-2014, 08:00 PM
How much time does it take to become a sargent in the army?

He had about 9 month training after joining and was already at least E4.

Sounds to me he had at least as good a political connections as John Karry.

alleyoop
05-31-2014, 08:07 PM
FYI only but a guy named William R. posted this on another site - I served with the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment in 2009 when Beau Bergdahl VOLUNTARILY DESERTED HIS POST.

I remember a half dozen faces of men who died in the following months during a grueling campaign to find him.

The media is lying to you. Sure is hard to know what to think.

montana_charlie
05-31-2014, 08:36 PM
Welcome back, Soldier.

Making poor decisions, getting captured, and being the cause of 5 confirmed enemy being released does not make you a hero. It makes you a person who made a poor decision, got captured, and who is the reason 5 confirmed enemy will be back in Afghanistan to do what they do so well.

Not to mention the lives risked in the initial search effort, and now the lives at risk with 5 more enemy on the loose.

The man may have endured a long captivity, but he is no hero.

My flame suit is on, so go ahead.
On top of that, now the Taliban has a good reason to believe that Obama will give them Gitmo detainees by the handful if they can kidnap some more Americans.

CM

Cornbread
05-31-2014, 08:40 PM
On top of that, now the Taliban has a good reason to believe that Obama will give them Gitmo detainees by the handful if they can kidnap some more Americans.

CM


This is what worries me the most about this exchange. I think the president just set a terrible precedent for which we may pay dearly in the coming years.

mikeym1a
05-31-2014, 09:03 PM
Hmmm. I remember that at the time, it was posted in the news that he had 'gone over' to the taliban. Is that Marine still in that cell in Mexico, and what are we gonna give to get him back?

Cornbread
05-31-2014, 09:07 PM
Hmmm. I remember that at the time, it was posted in the news that he had 'gone over' to the taliban. Is that Marine still in that cell in Mexico, and what are we gonna give to get him back?

This is latest I have heard about that situation: https://www.facebook.com/salmonforcongress/posts/724912694216947

xs11jack
05-31-2014, 09:12 PM
Don't we have a drug cartel boss or two in US jails? Maybe one of them will have to be traded for the Marine!!
Ole Jack

462
05-31-2014, 09:34 PM
The release of the terrorists may be illegal, as it seems Congress wasn't given the 30-day notice that law requires.

But, when has the law ever stopped Obama, as he advances his agenda of weakening America?

MaryB
05-31-2014, 10:29 PM
Implant remote detonate explosive pellets in the talibans prisoners necks. Let them get home and send a satellite signal that severs their arteries...

This was a bad precedent and Osama will use it as an excuse to bring all the troops home from any Muslim country

montana_charlie
05-31-2014, 10:42 PM
Is that Marine still in that cell in Mexico, and what are we gonna give to get him back?
How about 20 million illegal aliens?

HarryT
05-31-2014, 10:54 PM
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/03/02/hero-or-deserter-will-sgt-beau-bergdahl-be-left-behind-as-us-withdraws-from/

"Rolling Stone magazine quoted emails Bergdahl is said to have sent to his parents that suggest he was disillusioned with America's mission in Afghanistan, had lost faith in the U.S. Army's mission there and was considering desertion."

This maybe a great way for President Obama to release some of his heroes, I'll bet The First Lady has never been so proud.

Bad Water Bill
05-31-2014, 11:06 PM
How about 20 million illegal aliens?

Many years ago the count was 11 and rapidly rising.

Today from what I see around Chiraq I think the count should be closer to 30 or 40 million illegals sucking on the gov thingie.

And just what do we do with the millions of "anchor babies".

AW Heck send every last one back where their ancestors are buried.

bruce drake
05-31-2014, 11:12 PM
I'm in agreement with radio tagging the 5 Taliban and monitoring them to see who they link up with. Then use that signal for a 1-ton JDAM to vector in to remove the whole cell of Talibs at one time.

Bruce

Bad Water Bill
05-31-2014, 11:17 PM
A big question is how do you tag them in such a way they do not realize they are tagged.

MaryB
06-01-2014, 02:10 AM
Put it the food when they were being force fed, inject it during a medical exam...

Bad Water Bill
06-01-2014, 02:18 AM
:Bright idea:How about 100 robotic lice generously sprinkled in each beard?:smile:

richhodg66
06-01-2014, 07:36 AM
http://www.navytimes.com/article/20140531/NEWS/305310046/Military-community-reaction-mixed-Bergdahl-release

I also highly doubt that anybody who brokered this deal bothered to consult the operational commanders in Afghanistan to gauge what the effect this would have on the situation there.

pipehand
06-01-2014, 08:18 AM
http://www.cageprisoners.com/learn-more/news/item/503-us-soldier-captured-by-taliban-embraces-islam

I'm thinking a very thorough debriefing is in order.

dragon813gt
06-01-2014, 08:57 AM
This sure pushed a lot of other things out of the headlines.

Bad Water Bill
06-01-2014, 09:06 AM
Makes one wonder just what this is distracting us from?

Oh yes the 38% INCREASE in my electric bill starting TODAY.

357shooter
06-01-2014, 09:24 AM
Makes one wonder just what this is distracting us from?

Oh yes the 38% INCREASE in my electric bill starting TODAY. I think you hit it on the head.

The EPA is supposed to release updated regulations on 6/2, in order to further decrease our carbon output. Just speculating but I think the coal producing states and the related jobs are about done for.

Benghazi seems to have disappeared, at least for now. The same for the IRS, NSA and all other scandals taking shape. Somehow Obama and his cronies will probably avoid jail time - but sooner or later it'll get ugly for the scum. More speculation on my part.

gray wolf
06-01-2014, 09:50 AM
The 5 people being held at Gitmo were said to be known terrorist,
BUT, not enough evidence to try them as such. So they were being held indefinitely as a terrorist threat.
Kinda like they want to pick up and hold forever Americans suspected of what ever they want to suspect them on.
This was aired on late night radio news, 1080 AM out of Ct.
Sorry I don't believe anything on the news, if they say it's a sunny day I go out and look for myself.

Bad Water Bill
06-01-2014, 09:51 AM
Why is my NATURAL GAS bill also scheduled to increase 28% shortly?

We are supposed to have the largest supply in the world and it is much cleaner than coal.

OOPS forgot the severe penalty because those nasty gas companies used Fracking.

Can anyone tell me where those BILLIONS of dollars are going to end up?

dragon813gt
06-01-2014, 10:36 AM
Why is my NATURAL GAS bill also scheduled to increase 28% shortly?

We are supposed to have the largest supply in the world and it is much cleaner than coal.

OOPS forgot the severe penalty because those nasty gas companies used Fracking.

Can anyone tell me where those BILLIONS of dollars are going to end up?

Why weren't you given notice of the rate increase. Increases here have to be approved by the state and there are public hearings on it. You as in individual can ask for a hearing in front of a judge. It happens every time they propose a rate increase. I'm scheduled for a 2% hike if approved. Still trying to figure out why considering the gas is produced in this state. At the cost of destroying the entire northern tier. We're able to chose our energy suppliers so that helps keep the costs in check as well. If a company was to propose a 28% increase they would lose every customer in short order.

Handloader109
06-01-2014, 10:45 AM
While I am glad to hear we got him out, I too don't consider him any sort of hero. POWS that are captured under fire, being shot down, etc are, but there are real questions about this guy. No flame suit needed imo



Welcome back, Soldier.

Making poor decisions, getting captured, and being the cause of 5 confirmed enemy being released does not make you a hero. It makes you a person who made a poor decision, got captured, and who is the reason 5 confirmed enemy will be back in Afghanistan to do what they do so well.

Not to mention the lives risked in the initial search effort, and now the lives at risk with 5 more enemy on the loose.

The man may have endured a long captivity, but he is no hero. Not in any sense of the word. Heros drag people out of blown up buildings under gunfire, clean out MG nests, and jump on grenades.

My flame suit is on, so go ahead.

Outpost75
06-02-2014, 09:35 AM
THIS GUY WAS A DESERTER!

Five Good Soliders Died Searching For Him.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/06/02/we-lost-soldiers-in-the-hunt-for-bergdahl-a-guy-who-walked-off-in-the-dead-of-night.html

We Lost Soldiers in the Hunt for Bergdahl, a Guy Who Walked Off in the Dead of Night
For five years, soldiers have been forced to stay silent about the disappearance and search for Bergdahl. Now we can talk about what really happened.
It was June 30, 2009, and I was in the city of Sharana, the capitol of Paktika province in Afghanistan. As I stepped out of a decrepit office building into a perfect sunny day, a member of my team started talking into his radio. “Say that again,” he said. “There’s an American soldier missing?”

There was. His name was Private First Class Bowe Bergdahl, the only prisoner of war in the Afghan theater of operations. His release from Taliban custody on May 31 marks the end of a nearly five-year-old story for the soldiers of his unit, the 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment. I served in the same battalion in Afghanistan and participated in the attempts to retrieve him throughout the summer of 2009. After we redeployed, every member of my brigade combat team received an order that we were not allowed to discuss what happened to Bergdahl for fear of endangering him. He is safe, and now it is time to speak the truth.

And that the truth is: Bergdahl was a deserter, and soldiers from his own unit died trying to track him down.

On the night prior to his capture, Bergdahl pulled guard duty at OP Mest, a small outpost about two hours south of the provincial capitol. The base resembled a wagon circle of armored vehicles with some razor wire strung around them. A guard tower sat high up on a nearby hill, but the outpost itself was no fortress. Besides the tower, the only hard structure that I saw in July 2009 was a plywood shed filled with bottled water. Soldiers either slept in poncho tents or inside their vehicles.

The next morning, Bergdahl failed to show for the morning roll call. The soldiers in 2nd Platoon, Blackfoot Company discovered his rifle, helmet, body armor and web gear in a neat stack. He had, however, taken his compass. His fellow soldiers later mentioned his stated desire to walk from Afghanistan to India.

The Daily Beast’s Christopher Dickey later wrote that "[w]hether Bergdahl…just walked away from his base or was lagging behind on a patrol at the time of his capture remains an open and fiercely debated question.” Not to me and the members of my unit. Make no mistake: Bergdahl did not "lag behind on a patrol,” as was cited in news reports at the time. There was no patrol that night. Bergdahl was relieved from guard duty, and instead of going to sleep, he fled the outpost on foot. He deserted. I’ve talked to members of Bergdahl’s platoon—including the last Americans to see him before his capture. I’ve reviewed the relevant documents. That’s what happened.

Our deployment was hectic and intense in the initial months, but no one could have predicted that a soldier would simply wander off. Looking back on those first 12 weeks, our slice of the war in the vicinity of Sharana resembles a perfectly still snow-globe—a diorama in miniature of all the dust-coated outposts, treeless brown mountains and adobe castles in Paktika province—and between June 25 and June 30, all the forces of nature conspired to turn it over and shake it. On June 25, we suffered our battalion’s first fatality, a platoon leader named First Lieutenant Brian Bradshaw. Five days later, Bergdahl walked away.

His disappearance translated into daily search missions across the entire Afghanistan theater of operations, particularly ours. The combat platoons in our battalion spent the next month on daily helicopter-insertion search missions (called "air assaults”) trying to scour villages for signs of him. Each operations would send multiple platoons and every enabler available in pursuit: radio intercept teams, military working dogs, professional anthropologists used as intelligence gathering teams, Afghan sources in disguise. They would be out for at least 24 hours. I know of some who were on mission for 10 days at a stretch. In July, the temperature was well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit each day.

These cobbled-together units’ task was to search villages one after another. They often took rifle and mortar fire from insurgents, or perhaps just angry locals. They intermittently received resupply from soot-coated Mi-17s piloted by Russian contractors, many of whom were Soviet veterans of Afghanistan. It was hard, dirty and dangerous work. The searches enraged the local civilian population and derailed the counterinsurgency operations taking place at the time. At every juncture I remember the soldiers involved asking why we were burning so much gasoline trying to find a guy who had abandoned his unit in the first place. The war was already absurd and quixotic, but the hunt for Bergdahl was even more infuriating because it was all the result of some kid doing something unnecessary by his own volition.

On July 4, 2009, a human wave of insurgents attacked the joint U.S./Afghan outpost at Zerok. It was in east Paktika province, the domain of our sister infantry battalion (3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry). Two Americans died and many more received wounds. Hundreds of insurgents attacked and were only repelled by teams of Apache helicopters. Zerok was very close to the Pakistan border, which put it into the same category as outposts now infamous—places like COP Keating or Wanat, places where insurgents could mass on the Pakistani side and then try to overwhelm the outnumbered defenders.

One of my close friends was the company executive officer for the unit at Zerok. He is a mild-mannered and generous guy, not the kind of person prone to fits of pique or rage. But, in his opinion, the attack would not have happened had his company received its normal complement of intelligence aircraft: drones, planes, and the like. Instead, every intelligence aircraft available in theater had received new instructions: find Bergdahl. My friend blames Bergdahl for his soldiers’ deaths. I know that he is not alone, and that this was not the only instance of it. His soldiers’ names were Private First Class Aaron Fairbairn and Private First Class Justin Casillas.

Though the 2009 Afghan presidential election slowed the search for Bergdahl, it did not stop it. Our battalion suffered six fatalities in a three-week period. On August 18, an IED killed Private First Class Morris Walker and Staff Sergeant Clayton Bowen during a reconnaissance mission. On August 26, while conducting a search for a Taliban shadow sub-governor supposedly affiliated with Bergdahl’s captors, Staff Sergeant Kurt Curtiss was shot in the face and killed. On September 4, during a patrol to a village near the area in which Bergdahl vanished, an insurgent ambush killed Second Lieutenant Darryn Andrews and gravely wounded Private First Class Matthew Martinek, who died of his wounds a week later. On September 5, while conducting a foot movement toward a village also thought affiliated with Bergdahl’s captors, Staff Sergeant Michael Murphrey stepped on an improvised land mine. He died the next day.
It is important to name all these names. For the veterans of the units that lost these men, Bergdahl’s capture and the subsequent hunt for him will forever tie to their memories, and to a time in their lives that will define them as people. He has finally returned. Those men will never have the opportunity.

Bergdahl was not the first American soldier in modern history to walk away blindly. As I write this in Seoul, I'm about 40 miles from where an American sergeant defected to North Korea in 1965. Charles Robert Jenkins later admitted that he was terrified of being sent to Vietnam, so he got drunk and wandered off on a patrol. He was finally released in 2004, after almost 40 hellish years of brutal internment. The Army court-martialed him, sentencing him to 30 days' confinement and a dishonorable discharge. He now lives peacefully with his wife in Japan—they met in captivity in North Korea, where they were both forced to teach foreign languages to DPRK agents. His desertion barely warranted a comment, but he was not hailed as a hero. He was met with sympathy and humanity, and he was allowed to live his life, but he had to answer for what he did.

The war was already absurd and quixotic, but the hunt for Bergdahl was even more infuriating because it was the result of some kid doing something unnecessary by his own volition.
I believe that Bergdahl also deserves sympathy, but he has much to answer for, some of which is far more damning than simply having walked off. Many have suffered because of his actions: his fellow soldiers, their families, his family, the Afghan military, the unaffiliated Afghan civilians in Paktika, and none of this suffering was inevitable. None of it had to happen. Therefore, while I’m pleased that he’s safe, I believe there is an explanation due. Reprimanding him might yield horrible press for the Army, making our longest war even less popular than it is today. Retrieving him at least reminds soldiers that we will never abandon them to their fates, right or wrong. In light of the propaganda value, I do not expect the Department of Defense to punish Bergdahl.

He’s lucky to have survived. I once saw an insurgent cellphone video of an Afghan National Police enlistee. They had young boys hold him down, boys between the ages of 10 and 15, all of whom giggled like they were jumping on a trampoline. The prisoner screamed and pleaded for his life. The captors cut this poor man’s head off. That’s what the Taliban and their allies do to their captives who don’t have the bargaining value of an American soldier. That’s what they do to their fellow Afghans on a regular basis. No human being deserves that treatment, or to face the threat of that treatment every day for nearly five years.

But that certainly doesn’t make Bergdahl a hero, and that doesn’t mean that the soldiers he left behind have an obligation to forgive him. I just hope that, with this news, it marks a turning point for the veterans of that mad rescue attempt. It’s done. Many of the soldiers from our unit have left the Army, as I have. Many have struggled greatly with life on the outside, and the implicit threat of prosecution if they spoke about Bergdahl made it much harder to explain the absurdity of it all. Our families and friends wanted to understand what we had experienced, but the Army denied us that.

I forgave Bergdahl because it was the only way to move on. I wouldn’t wish his fate on anyone. I hope that, in time, my comrades can make peace with him, too. That peace will look different for every person. We may have all come home, but learning to leave the war behind is not a quick or easy thing. Some will struggle with it for the rest of their lives. Some will never have the opportunity.

And Bergdahl, all I can say is this: Welcome back. I’m glad it's over. There was a spot reserved for you on the return flight, but we had to leave without you, man. You’re probably going to have to find your own way home.

popper
06-02-2014, 09:45 AM
How about 100 robotic lice generously sprinkled in each beard? Probably get eaten by the real ones. "What difference does it make?".
nuf said?

HarryT
06-02-2014, 09:53 AM
I also think Bergdahl is a deserter. But I wonder why the US Army kept paying him and increasing his rank while he was training with the Taliban. I'm surprised at all the people that are supporting Bergdahl.

jcwit
06-02-2014, 10:14 AM
Does not surprise me in today's US.
Today we make hero's of deserter's.
What have we become?

Mumblypeg
06-02-2014, 10:29 AM
Outpost75, Thank you for the truth, that's all we ask for but I am sure that many including myself are not surprised at this... You know, not that I would even go if begged, but "IF" I was to go to the White House for an honorable reason.... I would at least cut my hair and get a shave to look presentable .... I guess some people just have no pride any more.

Taylor3006
06-02-2014, 10:33 AM
I also think Bergdahl is a deserter. But I wonder why the US Army kept paying him and increasing his rank while he was training with the Taliban. I'm surprised at all the people that are supporting Bergdahl.

Innocent until proven guilty is why. Same is for that Fort Hood shooter. It sucks but it is the way it works. I do find it odd that he was given rank, in the Navy you earn rank thru testing and time in service but it isn't just handed to you. Maybe the Army does it differently, dunno. I agree that this guy needs investigating and a court martial to find out what the hell went on the night he was captured. If men from his unit died while looking for him and IF he deserted, then he deserves the death penalty.

Love Life
06-02-2014, 11:32 AM
In POW status you are still eligible for promotion. I'm not sure if it is non-competitive, but you are still eligible.

searcher4851
06-02-2014, 11:34 AM
The report I heard as to why the trade was made is because he was not being considered a hostage, but a prisoner of war. According to the brain trust in power, the whole thing was just a prisoner exchange instead of negotiating with terrorists.
I'd ask just how dumb these people think the American people are, but then I look at who is in the White House, and I guess that answers the question.

deep creek
06-02-2014, 11:59 AM
i wonder if given the chance if he would have traded his life to help one of those that traded his for bergdahls???

starmac
06-02-2014, 01:49 PM
Probably a dumb question, but how does anyone know he was captured, if he left on his own??

Cornbread
06-02-2014, 01:57 PM
Probably a dumb question, but how does anyone know he was captured, if he left on his own??

Looks like he deserted: http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?243591-Bowe-Bergdahl-Army-Sergeant-Held-by-Taliban-Since-2009-Is-Released&p=2804562&viewfull=1#post2804562

starmac
06-02-2014, 02:11 PM
That he shucked his gear and deserted his post is common knowledge, My question is how does anybody know he was captured and didn't go to the other side on his own will?? I mean think about it, was he planning on walking home??

richhodg66
06-02-2014, 02:17 PM
That he shucked his gear and deserted his post is common knowledge, My question is how does anybody know he was captured and didn't go to the other side on his own will?? I mean think about it, was he planning on walking home??

And that is why the Army needs to do some serious de-briefing (interrogation, whatever) and investigation. I believe he is a deserter and traitor and I hope whatever investigation they do determines whether he is or isn't.

Lance Boyle
06-02-2014, 02:21 PM
In the search US units found afghans that ran into him. Bergdahl asked which way to find the Taliban. His last emails to his family he discussed his disillusionment and was considering desertion.

Pretty damning if you ask me. He deserves a debrief and a probably a trial if all that is true.

Add in his father is an antiwar, anti US activist, and a muslim convert.

gray wolf
06-02-2014, 02:54 PM
In the search US units found afghans that ran into him. Bergdahl asked which way to find the Taliban. His last emails to his family he discussed his disillusionment and was considering desertion.

Pretty damning if you ask me. He deserves a debrief and a probably a trial if all that is true.

Add in his father is an antiwar, anti US activist, and a Muslim convert.

This guy is no hero, far from it. He called his father the night before and said he was disgusted with the military and what it was doing, ( whatever that means ) He left his rifle and took some water, and a Compas and SPLIT. Who knows what he did with the enemy ?? But he had no love for us.
5 for 1 ???? whatever is going on we ain't getting the truth, but then do we ever ?
Can you say WAG THE DOG ? mor3e smoke and mirrors, along with a few lies.

waksupi
06-02-2014, 03:13 PM
His daddy is a real piece of work.

http://youngcons.com/the-freed-american-pows-father-made-a-tweet-that-was-beyond-disturbing-and-then-deleted-it/

FredBuddy
06-02-2014, 03:29 PM
I read all the above comments and am thankful that there are so many of you/us that understand what is really going on in the political arena in this country.

Make sure you and your friends and family are registered to vote and make sure they all go vote !!

They gotta go.

Bad Water Bill
06-02-2014, 03:49 PM
That he shucked his gear and deserted his post is common knowledge, My question is how does anybody know he was captured and didn't go to the other side on his own will?? I mean think about it, was he planning on walking home??

After seeing and hearing daddy one has to wonder if the whole AWOL thing was set up between dad,his mullah and the Taliban before he shucked all of his military gear and JUST WALKED AWAY.

seaboltm
06-02-2014, 04:11 PM
Government probably figures they can take the 5 out with drone strikes, so what's the harm in letting them go. I mean, if you keep them in Cuba, they are safe. Those 5 guys are no longer safe. I think we can bet on that.

starmac
06-02-2014, 05:36 PM
What is the harm!!!! The TALIBAN and every other organization knows they can hold any US citizen up for ransom. How many lives will this cost in years to come, nobody can ever guess, or will ever know.

Bad Water Bill
06-02-2014, 05:49 PM
Barry said there was no time to notify congress.

Just how many weeks AND months would it take to locate the poor lost soldier and convince his captors that there was a chance to broker a deal?

What was necessary to convince the ruler of another country to use his territory as the spot for a trade?

Me thinks this deal took a lot looooonger than 90 days but the leader of the most transparent administration in history would never even think of lying to us would he?:evil:

Cactus Farmer
06-02-2014, 05:51 PM
If they put tracking gear in them they might just go "POOF" before they get home. Na, wait until they are back with their dirt bag buddies and take out the whole crew at once.

Elkins45
06-02-2014, 07:16 PM
Everything about this just stinks to high heaven.

Bad Water Bill
06-02-2014, 07:45 PM
This week it is taking the attention off of the V A scandal.

Hang loose till next week to see what he does to take the heat off of this weeks screw up.

trapper9260
06-02-2014, 08:04 PM
Does not surprise me in today's US.
Today we make hero's of deserter's.
What have we become?

This is not the country we know before and i am still think he is no hero also. Have UCMJ do it fullest.Since he did what he wanted then let him pay for what he did.

trapper9260
06-02-2014, 08:07 PM
In the search US units found afghans that ran into him. Bergdahl asked which way to find the Taliban. His last emails to his family he discussed his disillusionment and was considering desertion.

Pretty damning if you ask me. He deserves a debrief and a probably a trial if all that is true.

Add in his father is an antiwar, anti US activist, and a muslim convert.

That say alot why it look like him and O is buddys on TV news.Do I need to say more.

gew98
06-02-2014, 08:14 PM
Some scumbag demorat in the white house said "we don't care what he did but he's home now"... My god and they see Snowden as a threat ?. We are being played by the scum in political power that thinks this is a rescue/trade is somehow heroic. Reminds me of that scumbag that deserted during vietnam and then came home on his own...gary somthing or other.... should have been executed for the traitorous scum he was !!. And this current turd will be labeled a hero by the whitehouse propaganda machine...hope they all rot !.

Love Life
06-02-2014, 08:49 PM
I care what he did. He needs to stand court martial. If proven innocent, then send him on his way with back pay. If proven guilty, then sentenced to death.

ohland
06-02-2014, 08:57 PM
Afghanistan is a wondrously stark country, love to visit it with a few thousand and a good camera. Having said that, there are bad tour guides that exist. Never had anyone wander away alone, and we went to the NW border of RC West. Not much out there.

If he would have been captured, I'd be all for his return. But when someone grounds their gear and weapon, and splits from the base, it becomes something where "buddy" is half the word. If there is such a burning desire to not participate in something, then quit, be processed by the UCMJ, then when you get out, at least I will respect you for taking a stand for what you believe in.

Though we handed out good stuff (very popular in Afghanistan) our weapons were always test fired, wore all of our PPE, vehicles always had fuel cans, comms worked, and we traveled in accordance with guidance. When you do dangerous things, the least risky way to get it done is usually to follow guidance.

:veryconfu

oldred
06-02-2014, 08:59 PM
Wow, I guess I need to take some serious backwater on the congratulations and hero status I gave him!!!!! Up until now about all I had read on him was some of the mainline media news spots and they made it look as if he had been abducted after he had wandered out of the safe area, sure didn't take much research to see what you guys have been talking about. Instead of hero status it would seem this little twerp should be court-marshaled and locked up -at least!

willie_pete
06-02-2014, 09:02 PM
What would possess the admin to say "we need this guy back"? It can't be the VA thing because it has evidently been going on for years.

WP

gray wolf
06-02-2014, 10:13 PM
OK, are you siting down ? The last word I got was that he would be promoted to E5 staff Sargent.
Skip E4 do not pass go and now the deserter gets a pay raise.
Men I think we are being scammed, they are going to wag the dog big time on this one.
Bury the truth and lets have a parade. ( unbelievable )

MaryB
06-02-2014, 10:38 PM
5 taliban with a grudge, time to plot revenge, right before the 2016 elections... use your imagination from there. It will happen inside the USA and be bad

jcwit
06-02-2014, 10:39 PM
Mary, you might be onto something.

Bad Water Bill
06-02-2014, 10:45 PM
Now every day since he went A W O L he will collect E5 money.

Does anyone know if the folks in the Hanoi Hilton got the same promotions and pay increases when they came home?

richhodg66
06-02-2014, 10:49 PM
The Obama administration is "stunned" by the reaction to this...

http://ulstermanbooks.com/obama-white-house-stunned-negative-reaction-freeing-terrorists/

bruce drake
06-02-2014, 11:14 PM
All POWs are carried forward on the promotion rolls until there is proof of life or death. There was a Navy Pilot (Scott Speicher) that was shot down during the 1st Gulf War as a Navy Lieutenant (O-3). By the time we were able to track down and find his crash site in the Iraqi desert after we knocked down Saddam (2009), he was being carried on the rolls as a Navy Captain (O-6) The same with Navy Captain James Stockdale who was shot down and was promoted to Rear Admiral while in captivity in North Vietnam.

There is a lot of investigation that needs to be done regarding what really happened in Bergdahl's case. For everyone screaming for his head, The COP he was last on was a minimal impact facility which basically meant some banked berms with some concertina to help protect the US forces from direct fire. If the tower guards or night sentries were inattentive, a couple of decent Taliban scouts could have snuck in and snatched Bergdahl while he was potentially on the way to the burn barrel crapper which would account for him not having his protective gear. And how many Privates have lost compasses while out on patrol despite the damn things supposed to be dummy-corded to their gear and not telling their seniors hoping they could find a replacement before they got in trouble.

For his former platoon mates to be declaring that a potential platoon misfit went south to join the Taliban and caused the death of 6 members of their battalion to die during operations in the ensueing months sound more like survivors trying to fix blame for their losses on an absent scapegoat.

I am just saying that none of us on this forum will ever get the full story on what went on the night he disappeared or what has happened to him every day and night since. While I was in Afghanistan, we often joked about getting off the ANA FOBs on Thursdays after afternoon prayers to escape the Tea Parties and "Man-Love Thursdays". Just imagine then what Jihadists like the Taliban and Haqqani Network would do to an infidel from the US.

Ok and with that, I hope we have a little more discretion on the whole business of trying to find the facts about this.

Bruce

Outpost75
06-03-2014, 10:34 AM
This guy is a DESERTER, COLLABORATOR and TRAITOR!

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/06/02/sources-intelligence-community-investigated-bergdahls-conduct/

http://www.militarytimes.com/article/20140602/NEWS/306020051/Professor-Bergdahl-case-an-anomaly-POW-case

http://www.defenseone.com/politics/2014/06/why-no-one-calling-sgt-bergdahl-hero/85657/

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/13-things-you-need-to-know-about-bowe-bergdahl-20140602

WILCO
06-03-2014, 10:46 AM
Bowe Bergdahl's platoon mates say officers made them sign non-disclosure agreement after he 'deserted his post in Afghanistan'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2646932/Bowe-Bergdahls-platoon-mates-say-officers-sign-non-disclosure-agreement-deserted-post-Afghanistan.html#ixzz33aUeRCHQ

ohland
06-03-2014, 11:04 AM
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/03/us/us-soldier-srgt-bowe-bergdahl-of-idaho-pow-vanished-angered-his-unit.html?hp&_r=0

Finster101
06-03-2014, 11:35 AM
The fact of whether he is a deserter or not is irrelevant to the deal struck. The administration (o did not do this on his own) has set the precedent that it is willing to negotiate with terrorist. They have essentially placed a price on the head of every American in the AO.

bruce drake
06-03-2014, 12:19 PM
I don't agree with the deal being struck but I also don't agree with people who aren't willing to speak under oath but are willing to talk to reporters about their OPINIONS regarding what occurred regarding Bergdahl's capture. And if the former members are breaking their NDAs than they also are liable for prosecution for breaking classification levels. But more importantly, if they have evidence regarding Bergdahl's capture or his actions prior to that event than they need to be talking to the DOD Investigators. Then again, most likely the ones who do have the most credible information have already talked to the Investigators and the rest are just yapping away at this.

Bruce

ohland
06-03-2014, 01:40 PM
If I had wandered off (might make a few people happy) the folks that would be sent to find me would be VERY displeased because some dumb ..... idiot did something that has folks that had NOTHING to do with it out looking for me. It is not that "nobody got hurt", it is the very INCONSIDERATE act that has folks out being exposed to IEDs, snipers, and the wonderful Afghan environment when they DIDN'T have to (until some idiot took off).

The flacks that are whining that there is no direct link to folks getting wounded or killed looking for the vanishing artiste have no idea what really suxx. It is having someone with no skin in the game volunteer you-all to do something which could be fatal.

ohland
06-03-2014, 01:48 PM
don't agree with people who aren't willing to speak under oath but are willing to talk to reporters about their OPINIONS regarding what occurred regarding Bergdahl's capture. And if the former members are breaking their NDAs than they also are liable for prosecution for breaking classification levels. But more importantly, if they have evidence regarding Bergdahl's capture or his actions prior to that event than they need to be talking to the DOD Investigators. Then again, most likely the ones who do have the most credible information have already talked to the Investigators and the rest are just yapping away at this. Bruce

NDAs are to protect the missing (IMHO). Bowe has been released. I wonder what, if any, investigation happened prior to his release. Has this been the only time that something went wrong and nothing came of it? As time grinds on, we may see what investigating was done after Bowe's disappearance.

sparky45
06-03-2014, 01:54 PM
What about in deserter status? This is the first volley in clearing out Gitmo, just like POTUS wants.


In POW status you are still eligible for promotion. I'm not sure if it is non-competitive, but you are still eligible.

Guardian
06-03-2014, 05:31 PM
I'm sure those soldiers were "asked" to sign the non-disclosure agreements, just like we were "asked" to take the anthrax vaccine, among other things. Part of being on the US payroll, I guess, but after the payroll stops, the NDA should too.

762 shooter
06-03-2014, 05:52 PM
I predict that after Bergdahl gets the advance for his first book, he will be headed back to Afghanistan to reunite with his buddies, drink tea, grow beards and plot the next joke on America.

I wish I was speechless.

762

gew98
06-03-2014, 06:04 PM
I can recall from the outset the "weird" circumstances with which this human debris went "missing". It is a traitor of the highest order and needs the pvt Slovak treatment. Knowing his "father" went native and soem details have emerged of the shall we strange homelife of the parents it's no small wonder this turd blossomed the way he did. Remember that gary SOB - USMC that deserted in vietnam and many years later wanted to cry boo hoo and come home. Not a dang bit of difference.... except ol'gary did not go native and lose the ability to speak english . But in any event I say a firing squad is too good for this fool. That lord barky will award him gobs of money through the VA...amazing but barky will use our money to buy his toadies off. And meanwhile the taliban ******** vacation in qatar while they plan more murder and mayhem in revenge for their version of god 2.0 What an 'awesome' country we live in !..... so grand , so grand .

roots911
06-03-2014, 06:07 PM
This is an insult to all who served A deserter "hero"!!!! Unfortunately it is the std playbook operation for this sorry thing we now have as a Federal Government. In WWII they shot deserters - not honored them! Makes me sick to my stomach. At least 6 real heros died looking for this piece of Sh**

fastfire
06-03-2014, 07:45 PM
Our soldger captive in Mexico derserves to be returned to the US more then the deserter.

lefty o
06-03-2014, 08:54 PM
The fact of whether he is a deserter or not is irrelevant to the deal struck. The administration (o did not do this on his own) has set the precedent that it is willing to negotiate with terrorist. They have essentially placed a price on the head of every American in the AO.this is exactly correct. as for the "soldier" if found guilty of desertion/treason, he deserve's a bullet. more importantly, obamma and his administration need to be held criminally accountable for breaking the law(again).

pressonregardless
07-14-2014, 11:52 AM
Looks like he's about to be back on active duty.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/14/us/bergdahl-is-set-to-resume-life-on-active-duty.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&smid=tw-nytimes&_r=0

Bad Water Bill
07-14-2014, 12:06 PM
I definitely would NOT want him watching my back.

Will he run to his brothers or just blow your head off?