Bergdahl, Franks: A tale of 2 'deserters'

Stars and Stripes ^ | April 20, 2016 | Nancy Montgomery

[Rabin]

Three months before Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl walked off his base in Afghanistan, 2nd Lt. Lawrence Franks walked away from his in upstate New York. Two months before Bergdahl was returned to U.S. custody in Landstuhl, Germany, on May 31, 2014, Franks turned himself in at the Army garrison in Wiesbaden, Germany. Both men had been gone for five years. But while Bergdahl, 30, awaits court-martial on desertion and misconduct charges, Franks, 29, awaits release from the prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.

[Rabin]

Officers in charge of both men’s Article 32 nvestigatory hearings were sympathetic and recommended against general court-martial and imprisonment.

R.

[blueunicorn6]

Gosh.

I believe Bergdahl was in a combat zone.

Makes a little difference.

[PAR35]

I wouldn’t cut Franks much slack - he was an officer. That more than offsets him turning himself in.

[Rabin]

The issues here are very basic. Rab would not want either of these fellas with me in any sort of fight. Lots of space for non combat support, shift em over or out. Chest thump and all, neither of these two pricks should have ever been in the position they were when they unraveled. The rules that got them there are far more important to the well-being of combat folks.

R.

[cpdiii]

Both should be in Leavenworth but unfortunately Bergdahl is not.

[Rabin]

cpd, “Both should be in Leavenworth”.

Agreed, sorta.

Its feel good, but it dose not keep this terminally unstable scum out of my fighting units.

r.

[rfreedom4u]

Nothing really happened to LT Watada for refusing to deploy.

http://articles.latimes.com/2009/sep/29/nation/na-watada-discharge29