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America's Last Prisoner of War (soldier walked off his base and into the hands of the Taliban)
TheRollingStone.com ^ | JUNE 7, 2012 | MICHAEL HASTINGS

Posted on 06/01/2014 9:23:20 AM PDT by TexasCajun

Three years ago, a 23-year-old soldier walked off his base in Afghanistan and into the hands of the Taliban. Now he’s a crucial pawn in negotiations to end the war. Will the Pentagon leave a man behind?

Bowe's own tour of duty in Afghanistan mirrored the larger American experience in the war – marked by tragedy, confusion, misplaced idealism, deluded thinking and, perhaps, a moment of insanity. And it is with Bowe that the war will likely come to an end. On May 1st, in a surprise visit to Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan, President Obama announced that the United States will now pursue "a negotiated peace" with the Taliban. That peace is likely to include a prisoner swap – or a "confidence-building measure," as U.S. officials working on the negotiations call it – that could finally end the longest war in America's history. Bowe is the one prisoner the Taliban have to trade. "It could be a huge win if Obama could bring him home," says a senior administration official familiar with the negotiations. "Especially in an election year, if it's handled properly."

On June 27th, he sent what would be his final e-mai­ to his parents. It was a lengthy message documenting his complete disillusionment with the war effort. He opened it by addressing it simply to "mom, dad."

"The future is too good to waste on lies," Bowe wrote. "And life is way too short to care for the damnation of others, as well as to spend it helping fools with their ideas that are wrong. I have seen their ideas and I am ashamed to even be american. The horror of the self-righteous arrogance that they thrive in. It is all revolting."

(Excerpt) Read more at rollingstone.com ...


TOPICS: Government; Military/Veterans; Politics
KEYWORDS: afghanistan; awol; bergdahl; bobbergdahl; bowe; bowebergdahl; deserter; gitmo; obamaforeignpolicy; obamascandals; proterrorist; rollingstone; rollingstoned; swap; waronterror; wot
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To: GrandJediMasterYoda

The evidence basically says that, and maybe our President is using this man as a way to set terrorists free, imho. I am suspicious to say the least.


21 posted on 06/01/2014 9:55:47 AM PDT by Kackikat
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To: SADMILLIE

So should Bowe Bergdahl.


22 posted on 06/01/2014 9:58:42 AM PDT by TigersEye ("No man left behind" is more than an Army Ranger credo it's the character of America.)
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To: dfwgator

Am I mistaken or does the term POW carry with it some important meaning under military law? Is it not premature to call him a POW?


23 posted on 06/01/2014 10:05:24 AM PDT by Ouchthatonehurt ("When you're going through hell, keep going." - Sir Winston Churchill)
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To: Ouchthatonehurt

Obama sure isn’t hesitating to call him a POW.


24 posted on 06/01/2014 10:06:38 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: TexasCajun
Here is a link to Sean Smith, The Guardian, video documentary in Afghanistan referenced in the article.

US strategy failing in Afghanistan: 'Afghans just want to be left alone.

( the soldier speaking @ 4:29 in this video STG Bowe Bergdahl was captured June 30,2009 )

25 posted on 06/01/2014 10:07:11 AM PDT by TexasCajun
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To: Kackikat

False hostage taking in exchange for release of terrorists? That is what many people think was going on in Benghazi in order to release the so-called Blind Sheikh in exchange for our ambassador.


26 posted on 06/01/2014 10:07:43 AM PDT by Piranha (Power is not only what you have but what the enemy thinks you have - Saul Alinsky)
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To: Ouchthatonehurt

Well, if he did indeed walk off his post as has been stated then he becomes a POS instead of a POW. Looks like his taliban lookin’ dad is a POS as well. He ought to be on his way to GITMO. Not Idaho.


27 posted on 06/01/2014 10:10:14 AM PDT by rktman (Ethnicity: Nascarian. Race: Daytonafivehundrian)
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To: 43north
You are 100 % on target.
These rich leftists from the Boulder of the west are the enemies within and are traitors working with our Marxist Muslim dictator and the
Taliban to destroy this country.

That photo op with the deserters parents and that mother strolling with Marxist on the WH gave me chills.
These people are evil and plotting against us.
The father is a Taliban operative now as well as the deserter.

Where is Bonehead ?.
Drag the fool out of the country club bar and start an investigation now.

28 posted on 06/01/2014 10:12:47 AM PDT by ncalburt ( Amnesty-media out in full force)
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To: Islander7

This man is a Taliban operative and his son is too.


29 posted on 06/01/2014 10:15:04 AM PDT by ncalburt ( Amnesty-media out in full force)
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30 posted on 06/01/2014 10:16:02 AM PDT by RedMDer (May we always be happy and may our enemies always know it. - Sarah Palin, 10-18-2010)
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To: ncalburt

“This man is a Taliban operative and his son is too.”

Thinking the same thing. Think he’s going to be involved in the next mass shooting on a military installation?


31 posted on 06/01/2014 10:23:11 AM PDT by Antihero101607
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To: TexasCajun

Sounds like Bergdahl is bucking for the John F Kerry un-American Activities Award.


32 posted on 06/01/2014 10:24:26 AM PDT by BuffaloJack (Unarmed people cannot defend themselves. America is no longer a Free Country.)
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To: a fool in paradise
There's a lot of that going around in Blaine Co, Idaho. It's one of the handful of Leftist enclaves in an otherwise conservative (but asleep) state.

Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!

33 posted on 06/01/2014 10:27:15 AM PDT by wku man (We are the 53%! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUXN0GDuLN4)
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To: dfwgator

Notice Michael Hastings wrote the story. And we all know what happened to Michael. He blowed up real good.


34 posted on 06/01/2014 10:32:09 AM PDT by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose o f a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped.)
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To: Black Agnes

Saw this on FB:

From someone who was there:
“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 looking for him and he will have to face that truth someday.”

No idea who wrote it originally.


35 posted on 06/01/2014 10:35:20 AM PDT by ilovesarah2012
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To: TexasCajun

I did not know the circumstances of his walking into the hands of the enemy. But now I see that the man was basically a deserter that was easily captured during his walk to commune with the Muslims.


36 posted on 06/01/2014 10:38:02 AM PDT by KeyLargo
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To: GrandJediMasterYoda

‘Ashamed To Be American’: Released U.S. Prisoner Bowe Bergdahl Is A Filthy, Anti-U.S. Deserter And Traitor Who Deserves To Be Dead, Father A Jihadi

Read more at http://patdollard.com/2014/05/ashamed-to-be-american-is-released-u-s-prisoner-berghdal-a-filthy-deserter-and-traitor-who-deserves-to-be-dead/#bvpUGRZgg4wDRho3.99


37 posted on 06/01/2014 10:43:30 AM PDT by KeyLargo
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To: TexasCajun

BUMP


38 posted on 06/01/2014 10:45:56 AM PDT by Java4Jay (The evils of government are directly proportional to the tolerance of the people.)
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To: ilovesarah2012

Those are tweets from @codyFNfootball.


39 posted on 06/01/2014 11:11:06 AM PDT by BuckeyeTexan (There are those that break and bend. I'm the other kind. ~Steve Earle)
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To: KeyLargo

Taliban always kill any soldiers captured within hours. Brutally.


40 posted on 06/01/2014 11:13:46 AM PDT by BerryDingle (I know how to deal with communists, I still wear their scars on my back from Hollywood-Ronald Reagan)
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