What a non-answer! He willingly walked away from his post in Afghanistan and immediately joined the enemy.
Remember, this attack happened a couple days after he deserted:
Attack on U.S. base in eastern Afghanistan kills two soldiers
U.S. military officials say ‘several’ U.S. soldiers also were wounded in the assault on the remote outpost in Paktika province. It’s the same area where an American soldier disappeared on Tuesday.
July 05, 2009|M. Karim Faiez and Laura King
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jul/05/world/fg-afghanistan5