US POW Bowe Bergdahl Returning from Afghanistan After 5 Years

[bayonetbrant]

http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/01/world/asia/afghanistan-bergdahl-release/index.html

http://www.defense.gov/Releases/Release.aspx?ReleaseID=16737

Statement from Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel on the return of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl

A few hours ago, the family of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was informed by President Obama that their long wait for his return will soon be over. Sgt. Bergdahl is now under the care of the U.S. military after being handed over by his captors in Afghanistan. We will give him all the support he needs to help him recover from this ordeal, and we are grateful that he will soon be reunited with his family.

Also today, I informed Congress of the decision to transfer five detainees from Guantánamo Bay to Qatar. The United States has coordinated closely with Qatar to ensure that security measures are in place and the national security of the United States will not be compromised. I appreciate the efforts of the Emir of Qatar to put these measures in place, and I want to thank him for his instrumental role in facilitating the return of Sgt. Bergdahl.

Sgt. Bergdahl's return is a powerful reminder of the enduring, sacred commitment our nation makes to all those who serve in uniform. The United States government never forgot Sgt. Bergdahl, nor did we stop working to bring him back. I am grateful to all the military and civilian professionals ­ from DOD and our interagency partners ­ who helped make this moment possible, and to all those Americans who stood vigil with the Bergdahl family.

[Staggerwing]

Welcome home!

[Airborne Rifles]

Good news!

[Mr. Bigglesworth]

The guy must have been through hell. Good to hear he is out of there. The 5 better have giant trackers up their ass.

[MikeGER]

The 5 better have giant trackers up their ass.

my choice ... a slow spreading disease that became extremely infectious in a few month and triggers a fast dementia / AD then 

[Jarhead0331]

Some people believe he deserves to be court-martialed. The circumstances surrounding his capture and release certainly leave a lot of questions.

[Staggerwing]

^Still, until he is tried in court is he not entitled to the same level of commitment toward safe return as any other serviceman or woman?

[Jarhead0331]

^Still, until he is tried in court is he not entitled to the same level of commitment toward safe return as any other serviceman or woman?

Sure...but I'm not sure that includes negotiating with terrorists.

[Airborne Rifles]

I'm glad the man's back in US custody, and I don't have an issue with a prisoner exchange to do it.

Having said that, Jarhead is right about the circumstances of his disappearance. His unit and others lost soldiers looking for him. He probably should face a court martial for desertion at least. But he won't.

Below is a note one of my old soldiers posted on facebook who was one of the fallen soldier's friend. It's supposedly from a soldier who was in the unit. It sounds right to me, but unconfirmed:

"From a dude who was at the COP with the Taliban prisoner. He was his platoon. SSG Murphy was our brother We severed with him for years. If this is how it went down I'm at a loss for words. We lost a good dude looking for a damn defector.

"We were at OP Mest, Paktika Province, Afghanistan. It was a small outpost where B Co 1-501st INF (Airbone) ran operations out of, just an Infantry platoon and ANA counterparts there. The place was an Afghan graveyard. Bergdahl had been acting a little strange, telling people he wanted to "walk the earth" and kept a little journal talking about how he was meant for better things. No one thought anything about it. He was a little "out there". Next morning he's gone. We search everywhere, and can't find him. He left his weapon, his kit, and other sensitive items. He only took some water, a compass and a knife. We find some afghan kids shortly after who saw an american walking north asking about where the taliban are. We get hits on our voice intercepter that Taliban has him, and we were close. We come to realize that the kid deserted his post, snuck out of camp and sought out Taliban... to join them. We were in a defensive position at OP Mest, where your focus is to keep people out. He knew where the blind spots were to slip out and that's what he did. It was supposed to be a 4-day mission but turned into several months of active searching. Everyone was spun up to find this guy. News outlets all over the country were putting out false information. It was hard to see, especially when we knew the truth about what happened and we lost good men trying to find him. PFC Matthew Michael Martinek, Staff Sgt. Kurt Robert Curtiss, SSG Clayton Bowen, PFC Morris Walker, SSG Michael Murphrey, 2LT Darryn Andrews, were all KIA from our unit who died looking for Bergdahl. Many others from various units were wounded or killed while actively looking for Bergdahl. Fighting Increased. IEDs and enemy ambushes increased. The Taliban knew that we were looking for him in high numbers and our movements were predictable. Because of Bergdahl, more men were out in danger, and more attacks on friendly camps and positions were conducted while we were out looking for him. His actions impacted the region more than anyone wants to admit. There is also no way to know what he told the Taliban: Our movements, locations, tactics, weak points on vehicles and other things for the enemy to exploit are just a few possibilities. The Government knows full well that he deserted. It looks bad and is a good propaganda piece for the Taliban. They refuse to acknowledge it. Hell they even promoted him to Sergeant which makes me sick. I feel for his family who only want their son/brother back. They don't know the truth, or refuse to acknowledge it as well. What he did affected his family and his whole town back home, who don't know the truth. Either way what matters is that good men died because of him. He has been lying on all those Taliban videos about everything since his "capture". If he ever returns, he should be tried under the UCMJ for being a deserter and judged for what he did. Bergdahl is not a hero, he is not a soldier or an Infantryman. He failed his brothers. Now, sons and daughters are growing up without their fathers who died for him and he will have to face that truth someday."

-Ricky Burns(comment from IBIAR)"

[Gusington]

Wow. Hard to comment on this now knowing the above.

[Steelgrave]

The Administration is so busy patting itself on the back and giving selfie high-fives, I wonder if anyone bothered to look into this story before negotiating his release...or if it would have mattered to them.

[TheCommandTent]

The latest article I read said he had not even spoken with his parents yet so I imagine after going through medical he will have a long conversation with somebody about his ordeal and whether he deserted or not.



Also the timing of this is awfully convenient given the VA scandal going on.

[airboy]

I'm sure Obama did this with the best of intentions.  But I'm guessing that in the years to come this will be viewed as a mistake.  The US gave up 5 very high level Taliban people in Cuba for 1 US POW. 

I'm concerned that this will lead to future kidnappings.

Only time will tell.

[GDS_Starfury]

 ???

I actually don't know where to go with this.
I'd like to know more about the reasons of why he left his post.

[Jarhead0331]

???

I actually don't know where to go with this.
I'd like to know more about the reasons of why he left his post.

It doesn't matter. There can be no excuse.