Posted on 03/27/2015 11:17:59 AM PDT by jazusamo
Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was not intending to desert his post in Afghanistan but instead wanted to walk to the nearest U.S. military post to report concerns about his unit, according to an Army report seen by U.S. officials.
Bergdahl was planning to report problems with "order and discipline" in his unit and believed he could not trust his own commanders to deal with them, an unnamed senior defense official told CNN.
The report was part of a fact-finding investigation conducted by Army investigators that was presented to Army Gen. Mark Milley before he charged Bergdahl with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy.
"This was a kid who had leadership concerns on his mind," a second unnamed official told CNN. "He wasn't fed up, he wasn't planning to desert."
"I can't tell you if his concerns were valid, but in his mind they were," the official added.
Both officials said Bergdahl believed he could make it to the next base by relying on wilderness skills he learned growing up in rural Idaho.
Bergdahl's intent is expected to be part of his lawyer's defense of the 28-year-old Army sergeant as he faces an Article 32 hearing, which is a preliminary hearing to decide the next steps, including a potential court-martial.
In a 13-page letter to the Army, Bergdahl's lawyer, Eugene Fidell, reportedly wrote that the report "basically concludes that Sgt. Bergdahl did not intend to remain away from the Army permanently."
The letter also says the report concludes that Bergdahl's "specific intent was to bring what he thought were disturbing circumstances to the attention of the nearest general officer."
The Army's report has not been released publicly.
CNN reported last year that a British filmmaker who was working in Afghanistan in 2009 filmed Bergdahl and other members of his platoon in Afghanistan, allegedly showing lax discipline. One sergeant was demoted and three others reassigned.
When will he start wanting to be called CHELSEA like the other scumbag.
What a bunch of Harf!
Where have you been?
Bowe left his post guarding the perimeter of the FOB in the middle of the night. IIRC he left the SAW and other gear, went over the berm and walked, POS left a hole in his unit’s perimeter in a very hot zone.
He needs to swing in the wind.
“The reports say Bergdahl sent his laptop and clothes home halfway through his 12-month deployment and left behind a note saying he wanted to start over.”
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/06/04/five-questions-bowe-bergdahl/9953551/
Absolutely...This cock and bull story for a defense is ludicrous.
Interesting that the “unnamed official” and his defense attorney are singing EXACTLY the same tune. Fix is in, IMO.
Gosh, it would have been better if he claimed he just ran out to pick up a pizza.
I guess Bergdahl thought the local Taliban was the reporting point about complaints with the Army of the United States? What a bunch of insane Bull Shit!!!
Uh huh. He sent his stuff home, abandoned his firearm, and traipsed off through enemy territory with a knife, a compass, and his hard-earned wilderness skills that he got from avoiding the Idahoan Taliban, all so he could report a discrepancy in the latrine orderly scheduling to an general at a nearby base. Tell me something: did we all just land in the middle of one of Maxwell Smart’s “would you believe?” sketches?
That’s about what this ridiculous fiasco sounds like. :)
Haven’t finished reading posts on this thread but I recall reading he had sent all his stuff home/away before actively looking for the Tahleebahn.
Villagers said he wandered in asking for the head rag head...
Yep...
His duty was to run any gripes up the “chain of command” first then go a different route if not satisfied...
This is all Bravo Sierra...
Then why’d he leave all his kit and his weapon behind if he was headed to another military outpost?
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