Bowe Bergdahl's father shaves his controversial beard to mark his son's release ...[truncated]

UK Daily Mail ^ | 9 June 2014 | James Nye and Daily Mail Reporters

[matt1234]

Bob Bergdahl's beard became the most controversial facial hair in all of America, but now critics who accused him of looking like a member of the Taliban can rest easy - he has shaved.

Grown in order to mark the time his son was in captivity as a POW in Afghanistan, neighbors of Bergdahl in Hailey, Idaho, have said that the former UPS truck driver is now clean shaven.

This comes as it was reported that Bowe Bergdahl is still refusing to speak to his family, despite being sent a letter from his sister, as he recovers in an Army hospital in Germany.

[Sacajaweau]

The hardest thing ever was waiting for the call from my son living in NYC on 911.

This mom says....ok...take your time....blah, blah, blah...

Something is very wrong.

[LeoWindhorse]

” Michael Albrecht, a US navy pilot married to Bowe’s sister Sky said it was ‘rubbish’ that Bob had any loyalties to the Taliban or Islam.

‘It makes no logical sense,’ said Albrecht, 38, wearing his US Navy uniform complete with a badge of the Black Knights, the elite fighter squadron.

‘He has no sympathies with the Taliban. Just because he speaks a few words of Pashto.”

I wionder if Mr. Albrecht is aware of Mr. Bob Bergdahl’s numerous , public , visible and shameless attestations about the Talib & shariah online? If not he should study up on his father-in-law a bit more before making his own statements

[Madam Theophilus]

Take some time and compare the release footage to the various videos shot of him while in captivity, you will see he is very gaunt in each one of them.

In any case, the exchange deal was being worked on for months and just like the Soviets did with their prisoners, the Afghans made sure Bowe Bergdahl did not appear mistreated in front of the cameras. After all, this is a propaganda film we are watching, not just some news reel.

[Sacajaweau]

All the videos were propaganda. And I disagree...he doesn't look gaunt at all.

The guy went looking for the Taliban. Everyone agrees with that.

[Coldwater Creek]

Bowe’s sister Sky is married to a United States Navy Academy graduate, class 2000. He is an active duty fighter pilot attached to the Black Knight's.

[CMailBag]

Goatboy

[Citizen Zed]

Muslims shave before they make their pilgramage to Mecca or before they blow themselves up.

[Madam Theophilus]

No, everyone doesn’t agree that he was looking for the Taliban. The problem with this discussion is that no one is defining terms. The original reports actually say he was intent on contacting the tribal Pashtun villagers, whom are a group distinct from both the Taliban or the Haqqani network. (It was the disregard for this distinction in the new surge policy that was at the heart of Bergdahl’s anger against the military.) I believe it is in the WikiLeak reports where it talks about some radio chatter that was intercepted saying Bergdhal was disappointed the villagers wouldn’t take him in. (Had they, their tribal law dictates they would have to defend him to the death). The Taliban tried to get these villagers to trade Bergdahl back for 15 of their captured troops, but the US wouldn’t deal. The villagers then traded Bergdahl to the Haggani who eventually took him into northern Pakistan border area after concluding Bergdahl must be important given the attempt by US troops to recover him.

[AppyPappy]

I suspect that what he is telling them now is the opposite of the narrative that the White House would like to put out.

[FrankDLaw]

We can empathize with Bob Bergdahl and the dilemma that he faced when he had to reply to his son’s email expressing disillusionment with the cause and with being American. This is not meant to castigate Bob and increase his agonies, but there is a larger object lesson that has to be learnt here.

Enlightened and responsible parenthood requires that a father provides reasonably sage and wise counsel when he can see the quick-burn Icarius act that the son was contemplating. The test is the objective one of reasonableness, for any reasonably enlightened and responsible father would have counseled caution, restraint and patience. He should fess up and concede that he goofed big time in advising Bowe to “obey his conscience,” for that effectively sealed his son’s fate.

This is not to say that the situation is beyond repair. Just hold his hand up and apologize to Bowe and his family, including his supportive wife and I’m sure he’ll be forgiven in a jiffy. After all the advise was given in good faith without realizing the tragic consequences that’d befall Bowe. It may be painful but the healing would be swift!