Thread: US prisoner released

Bowe Bergdahl 'a deserter who cost soldiers' lives', say US army comrades.



American prisoner of war freed in deal with the Taliban abandoned his post in Afghanistan and six soldiers died looking for him, it has been alleged.

Bob Bergdahl, father of U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, speaks during a news conference at the Idaho National Guard headquarters in Boise, Idaho on Sunday
Bob Bergdahl, father of U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, speaks during a news conference at the Idaho National Guard headquarters in Boise, Idaho on Sunday.

Photo: Brian Losness/ Reuters

Philip Sherwell By Philip Sherwell, New York4:13PM BST 02 Jun 2014


Former military comrades of Bowe Bergdahl have called the released American prisoner of war a deserter whose “selfish” actions costs the lives of six fellow soldiers searching for him.

His army peers said they were expressing their anger in public for the first time because they had previously faced the risk of prosecution if they spoke out while efforts continued to free him.

Their scathing comments were in sharp contrast to the pride expressed by the Obama administration at securing the soldier’s release and fuelled the controversy that five senior Afghan Taliban leaders held at Guantanamo Bay were freed in the swap.

“He is safe, and now it is time to speak the truth,” said Nathan Bradley Bethea, an officer who served with Mr Berghdahl in the the 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment. “The truth is: Bergdahl was a deserter, and soldiers from his own unit died trying to track him down.”

Writing for The Daily Beast website, Mr Bethea dismissed reports that Mr Berghdahl might have been seized as he lagged behind on a patrol and insisted that members of his platoon have always known that he had walked off base in Afghanistan’s Paktika province.


He said that the US military launched daily search missions for the missing private, effectively de-railing counter-insurgency operations in the region.

“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,” he said.

Most damningly, he named six men who were killed in ambushes, firefights or by improvised explosive devices in August and September 2009 during search operations for Bergdahl and his suspected captors.


“He’s lucky to have survived, “ Mr Bethea said. “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.”

Soldiers who disappear from a military base in a war zone can face prosecution on two military criminal charges – desertion or, less seriously, going absent without leave (AWOL).

US defence officials have privately indicated that they do not expect Mr Bergdahl to face any further punishment after five years in captivity in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Mr Bethea said that had forgiven Mr Bergdahl and did not believe he should be prosecuted. But several other former soldiers, who gave similar accounts of the soldier’s disappearance, called for him to face a military court.

Jose Baggett, who was in the same unit and was friends of two men "killed because of his (Bergdahl's) actions", told CNN: “He walked off, He left his guard post. Nobody knows if he defected or he’s a traitor or he was kidnapped.

“What I do know is he was there to protect us and instead he decided to defect from America and go and do his own thing. I don’t know why he decided to do that, but we spend so much of our resources and some of those resources were soldiers’ lives.”
Several soldiers said that Bergdahl had openly discussed making way by foot out of Afghanistan, while emails to his family, published by Rolling Stone magazine last year, made clear his open dissatisfaction with US operations in the country.

“It was unbelievable,” said another soldier, speaking anonymously. “All because of the selfish act of one person. The amount of animosity (toward him) is nothing like you’ve ever seen before.”

Some openly said he committed treason, although the Pentagon insisted that the circumstances of Mr Bergdahl’s disappearance had still not been established.
Matt Vierkant, a former sergeant in Mr Bergdahl's platoon when he went missing, put it bluntly. "I don't understand why we’re trading prisoners at Gitmo for somebody who deserted during a time of war, which is an act of treason," he told CNN.

The backlash was strengthened by comments from Robert Bergdahl, the soldier’s father, directed at his son, who is recovering in a US military prison in Germany.
"I'm proud of how much you wanted to help the Afghan people, and what you were willing to do to go to that length," Mr Bergdahl said, fighting back tears during a press conference in Boise, Idaho. "And I think you have succeeded," he added, without elaborating.

Chuck Hagel, the defence secretary, did not answer directly when asked whether Mr Bergdahl had left his post without permission or deserted -- and, if so, whether he would be punished.

"Our first priority is assuring his well-being and his health and getting him reunited with his family," he said. "Other circumstances that may develop and questions, those will be dealt with later."

A Pentagon investigation concluded in 2010 that it was “incontrovertible” that Sgt Bergdahl walked away from his unit, according to a former senior defence official involved at the time.

The military investigation, which was broader than a criminal inquiry, did not formally accuse the soldier of desertion. In interviews with officials, members of his unit portrayed him as a naive, "delusional" person and thinking that he could help the Afghan people by leaving his army post, the official said.

http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#e...c82277f292e522

daily telegraphBowe Bergdahl 'a deserter who cost soldiers' lives', say US army comrades - Telegraph

Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton

This is a real political football in the US. People there believe POWs from Vietnam - over 40 years ago - are still being held, despite not one shred of evidence ever having been produced to support the theory.

Originally Posted by Fluke

Please dont post up a youtube video of some 70 year old American saying "Dose gooks still keeping my brother, one day he'll come home"

It proves that there are some people in the USA who still believe it, despite their being no evidence.

Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton

Fucking moron

Correct.

Originally Posted by Fluke

I am disagreeing with you statement that people in the USA still believe there are U.S Army still being held captive in Vietnam .

Ya see - You disagree, but in trying to disagree, you are actually agreeing with him and suggesting proof to back up the fact that you agree.

Like this


Have a red for not reading properly before posting.

Originally Posted by Fluke

Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton

^Read what I posted, idiot. "Not one shred of evidence..." Fucking moron.

I am disagreeing with you statement that people in the USA still believe there are U.S Army still being held captive in Vietnam .

Give the guy a break, his wording is plausible.

I'm sure there are Americans that believe Vietnam still holds US POWs, just as some career kooks claim Bush orchestrated 911 and that the Brit Royal family are really lizards in disguise.

Originally Posted by pseudolus

Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton

This is a real political football in the US. People there believe POWs from Vietnam - over 40 years ago - are still being held, despite not one shred of evidence ever having been produced to support the theory.

Originally Posted by Fluke

Please dont post up a youtube video of some 70 year old American saying "Dose gooks still keeping my brother, one day he'll come home"

It proves that there are some people in the USA who still believe it, despite their being no evidence.

.

Yes, there are still some uneducated peope in the USA who still believe there are U.S POW in Vietnam , but the general belief amongst USA citizens is there are arent any POW in Vietnam .
You are using one persons wrong opinion to speak on behalf of the other 350 million or so informed U.S citizens .
When coming to a rational conclusion, you need to discount uninformed opinions of a handful of people .
The general consensus amongst U.S citizens is that there are no POW in Vietnam.
Have a green back, Im not childish .

awesome, America negotiating with terrorists

is this a new season of Homeland ?

Originally Posted by Pragmatic

This is my belief. He walked off post knowing full well what his intentions were. To change side. He took his camera with him that contained images that would be of use to the Taliban. In doing so it showed them that his intentions were genuine.

After a while the US decided to negtiate. The Taliban then saw him to be of value in that process. Irrespective that Bowe Bergdahl had become one of them the Taliban couldn't pass the chance of having 5 senior member relased in exchange. So against Bowe Bergdahl's wishes he was exchanged, hence why he cried when delivered into US hands.

The guy frantinised with the enemy and that carries life in prison. I hope he gets it.

As a free man he can return to his Afghan brothers anytime he wants.

A political train wreck but another one Obama will walk away from unscathed

I don't believe we will get the whole story, little was being done to negotiate the release of Bergdahl until all of a sudden Obama realized his date for the pull out of troops was coming up soon and some parts of his surrender were not yet in place. So al la Bengazi demonstration he comes up with a story to release the high ranking terrorist prisnors in exchange for what? one army deserter!! nope there is more to this story that may come out some day maybe not.

Originally Posted by Fluke

You are using one persons wrong opinion to speak on behalf of the other 350 million or so informed U.S citizens

The US can certainly produce a "believable" video in just a few days, capitalism at it best. Long live Hollywood.

Taliban video shows Bergdahl handover to U.S. - The Washington Post

I am shocked by the anger expressed by Americans against their own.
One solitary U.S prisoner.
1 only One
POW
What an unfair War.
My Uncle was a Prisoner of War,( German camp, ) in WW 2 along with millions of others, and YOU Americans bitch about one POW
held by the wicked Taliban.

Originally Posted by wasabi

My Uncle was a Prisoner of War,( German camp, ) in WW 2 along with millions of others

Millions? Was he Italian?

^

Disgraceful tweets from Obama Administration:
A member of the Obama administration suggested in a series of tweets that perhaps Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl felt compelled to abandon his post in Afghanistan five years ago because he couldn't bear to serve with the "psychopaths" in his unit.
Obama official suggests that Bowe Bergdahl left his unit because it was full of 'psychopaths' | WashingtonExaminer.com
The fookin sheep will stoop to any level to protect the first undercover Muslim President of the USA

Originally Posted by Carnwadrick

Disgraceful tweets from Obama Administration:
A member of the Obama administration suggested in a series of tweets that perhaps Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl felt compelled to abandon his post in Afghanistan five years ago because he couldn't bear to serve with the "psychopaths" in his unit.
Obama official suggests that Bowe Bergdahl left his unit because it was full of 'psychopaths' | WashingtonExaminer.com
The fookin sheep will stoop to any level to protect the first undercover Muslim President of the USA

Did he think the US Army/NATO/......... just handed out cookies?

Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton

Whatever the kid did - he put no American lives at risk other than his own.

That is not correct six soldiers died while looking for him. This is a bitter pill for many Americans to swallow.

Originally Posted by Rainfall

the American occupation of Afghanistan, the body count and educational effect could have been many times higher

WTF??

Originally Posted by kingwilly

Originally Posted by Rainfall

the American occupation of Afghanistan, the body count and educational effect could have been many times higher

WTF??

Originally Posted by bsnub

Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton

Whatever the kid did - he put no American lives at risk other than his own.

That is not correct six soldiers died while looking for him. This is a bitter pill for many Americans to swallow.

Not only the 6 killed but those injured also. How many 100's of troops put their selves on the line for this twat. Plus the time and effort that was spent looking for him that could have been put to better use. He needs to be punished harshly.

Originally Posted by Carnwadrick

Disgraceful tweets from Obama Administration:
A member of the Obama administration suggested in a series of tweets that perhaps Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl felt compelled to abandon his post in Afghanistan five years ago because he couldn't bear to serve with the "psychopaths" in his unit.
Obama official suggests that Bowe Bergdahl left his unit because it was full of 'psychopaths' | WashingtonExaminer.com
The fookin sheep will stoop to any level to protect the first undercover Muslim President of the USA

Indeed -a disgraceful twit indeed. More likely he felt compelled to abandon his post in Afghanistan five years ago because he couldn't bear to serve for the "psychopaths" running the USA through their puppet obomba.

Originally Posted by Carnwadrick

Disgraceful tweets from Obama Administration:
A member of the Obama administration suggested in a series of tweets that perhaps Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl felt compelled to abandon his post in Afghanistan five years ago because he couldn't bear to serve with the "psychopaths" in his unit.
Obama official suggests that Bowe Bergdahl left his unit because it was full of 'psychopaths' | WashingtonExaminer.com
The fookin sheep will stoop to any level to protect the first undercover Muslim President of the USA

Doesn't matter, he knows the lamestream media will give him another free pass.

Originally Posted by bsnub

Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton

Whatever the kid did - he put no American lives at risk other than his own.

That is not correct six soldiers died while looking for him. This is a bitter pill for many Americans to swallow.

But swallow it they will, because otherwise they're racist.

And what could be worse than that!

Originally Posted by kingwilly

Originally Posted by Rainfall

the American occupation of Afghanistan, the body count and educational effect could have been many times higher

WTF??

That should be a sticky to Rainedoff's every post.

he did say he would close Guantanamo though.
it's a start.

Originally Posted by Pragmatic

and that carries life in prison.

yes, he's going down. methinks.