Bergdahl may collect $200K in back pay, benefits: 'He is due his pay'

Jewish World Review ^ | 6/6/2014 | Douglas Ernst

[Former Fetus]

Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl may be owed up to $200,00 in back pay and benefits for his time in captivity.

Army regulations stipulate that he is entitled to his salary of roughly $1,400 a month for his deployment, plus benefits such as housing allowance and hostile-fire pay.

[Former Fetus]

I'm speechless!

[Darksheare]

What a deal, desert your post, join the jihad, get promoted AND get back pay.

[Blue Highway]

wait until he gets that promotion sometime this month.

[Diogenesis]

He has enough (pseudo)gravitas
to be a DNC judge or Senator, now.

[AU72]

Plus he’s due paid leave of up to a year.

[smoothsailing]

Blood money

[Mouton]

How about if he is tried and convicted of treason? I think that would nullify it. Beyond that, if he was AWOL, he is not due his pay IMO.

[KarlInOhio]

If he is found guilty in a court martial for desertion then it should be taken away from him. However without the court martial (or whatever lesser disciplinary procedure that's available) how can his pay be withheld?

My only worry is that the military will decide that he deserves to be court martialed, but it will be prevented by the White House or the perfumed princes of generals in the Pentagon to avoid political embarrassment.

[Sequoyah101]

Yesterday one post here put it at $300,000.

[TADSLOS]

He’s certainly amply qualified to be SoS, based on the Clinton/Kerry model.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Maybe he could have it forwarded to the Tol-ee-bon to help support the cause?

[Captain Peter Blood]

My prediction is that nothing will ever come of any charges. Obama could pardon him or just tell the DOD to drop any and all investigations.
This guy will skate on everything.

[Gaffer]

In 1968, my pay per month was about $97 per month....times have changed.

[onedoug]

Meanwhile, real veterans are still waiting for treatment from the VA.

[justlurking]

The housing allowance should go to the Haqqani's.

Oh, I forgot: they probably got several million already.

[Bulwyf]

What the !$?&!. How is this even remotely logical to anyone!?

Wow, the arrogance of those in charge known no bounds. This is just spitting in the face of real Americans everywhere.

[grania]

If he is found guilty in a court martial for desertion

That would be tricky. I'd think he was a deserter or AWOL until he was captured. Then his status became POW.

I don't like it at all. But to use a phrase from a Dylan song he was only "a pawn in their game".

[yuleeyahoo]

If he actually deserted in a combat zone, all he is due is a swift Court Martial followed by a firing squad.

[rjsimmon]

That would be tricky. I'd think he was a deserter or AWOL until he was captured. Then his status became POW.

He was indeed a deserter but the term is "UA" for 'Unauthorized Absence', no longer AWOL as in 'Absent Without Leave'. His 'capture' is irrelevant as he was not captured on the battlefield or at his appointed place of duty. As a deserter he is no longer a representative of the United States Armed services and not provided protections under the Geneva Conventions. He cannot be placed in POW status for 2 reasons, 1-Desertion 2-the Taliban are not signators under the Geneva Conventions and are not a uniformed service.

[illiac]

Fine! Pay him his back pay and then let him pay for the expenses to “recover” him plus reparations to all the families who lost loved ones during the rescue....