Posted on 06/01/2014 8:06:58 PM PDT by kristinn
The sense of pride expressed by officials of the Obama administration at the release of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is not shared by many of those who served with him -- veterans and soldiers who call him a deserter whose "selfish act" ended up costing the lives of better men.
"I was pissed off then and I am even more so now with everything going on," said former Sergeant Matt Vierkant, a member of Bergdahl's platoon when he went missing on June 30, 2009. "Bowe Bergdahl deserted during a time of war and his fellow Americans lost their lives searching for him."
Vierkant said Bergdahl needs to not only acknowledge his actions publicly but face a military trial for desertion under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
A reporter asked Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel Sunday whether Bergdahl had left his post without permission or deserted -- and, if so, whether he would be punished. Hagel didn't answer directly. "Our first priority is assuring his well-being and his health and getting him reunited with his family," he said. "Other circumstances that may develop and questions, those will be dealt with later."
Following his release from five years of captivity in Afghanistan on Saturday, Bergdahl was transferred to a military hospital in Germany.
SNIP
On August 18, 2009, Staff Sgt. Clayton Bowen and Pfc. Morris Walker were killed by an IED in the search for Bergdahl. Staff Sgt. Kurt Curtiss was killed on August 26; 2nd Lt. Darryn Andrews and Pfc. Matthew Michael Martinek were killed after being attacked in Yahya Khail District on September 4; Staff Sgt. Michael Murphrey was killed September 5 by an IED at the Forward Operating Base, Sharana.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
I notice that you are from California.....the land of fruits and nuts.
No, he is a DESERTER. People died because of him.
There are basically 3 explanations here.
1. This is a CIA caper
2. He suffered a mental breakdown and wondered off the reservation. Doubtful since there is a history of weird behavior so no sudden breakdown
3. He is a nut job and went to collude with the Taliban because he hates America.
Whatever the case, he deserves the scrutiny.
Reading what the pastor wrote, that’s exactly what I was thinking — what a bunch of liberal claptrap. I don’t know anything about that church but his statement smacks of liberalism.
Can’t these conspiracy accusers shut up for a week or two and let the Bergdahls enjoy having their son, who once seemed dead and is yet alive, safe in American hands?”
There are numerous Soldiers who were there that night and that morning--in Bergdahl's fire team--who were part of the initial search for him. The Afghan kids who said they talked to an American Soldier who asked where he could find the Taliban--are they in on the conspiracy theory, too?
didn’t the military or CIA report in 2010 that he deserted. Read somewhere yesterday.
His family can celebrate all they want, but I’ll not buy into it.
Don’t misunderstand...I agree that there are many, many unanswered questions, and I’ve been trying like hell to reserve judgement on this.
But for me, as a retired veteran, the details surrounding his abandonment of his post in wartime is a clear dereliction of duty. No quarter, he needs to be punished for that transgression as it put his whole unit in harm’s way.
As to whether he offered “aid and comfort” to the enemy, don’t know. I just don’t believe a simple rifleman has the savvy and technical know how to show those camel humpers anything besides the weak points in the defenses and to clue them in on the tactics so that they can be pre-empted to ensure a higher casualty count.
What I took issue with was your “valuable” assertion...
Shut up jerk...some of us from CA are debating with him about this...
Gawd I’m so sick of tired of the “betters” around here from other states and some pleistone era sign up date thinking that they run the joint and that gives them some carte blanche to cast aspersions simply becauses someone isn’t jumping on wagon with them.
I have to say that Glenn’s line of thinking is somewhat tortured.
The supposition that he walked ‘a few yards from his bunker’ really is just not logical. The Taliban don’t typically camp out ‘a few yards’ from the US positions...Bergdahl travelled a fairly large distance that night. And there are reports that children in a nearby village saw him crawling through the grass. Frankly, what we know, and what is logical, does not mesh with the phrase ‘a few yards’...and Glenn is stretching believability, in his attempt to defend Bergdahl.
He then goes on to propose that Bowe could be an intelligence asset. I don’t even know how to respond to that...even if true, it doesn’t exonerate him from desertion.
This sentence is very legalistic: “he hardly had the liberty to return the next morning”. Having been in the Army, I know exactly what he is driving at. There are two ways to be away from your post - AWOL and Desertion. Desertion is very hard to prove, since you have to establish that there was intent to never come back. AWOL is a much more minor offense...not a whole lot different than showing up late for work. So Glenn is trying to build a case for Bowe, and establish that he may have wanted to come back, but couldn’t because the Taliban wouldn’t let him. The very fact that Glenn is trying to build his case points to what Glenn must know in his heart - Bergdahl got up and walked off. This is different that the claim by Bowe, that he fell behind in a patrol and was captured. In other words, even though Glenn is defending Bowe, he doesn’t believe Bowe’s story one bit. Something to ponder.
As to dad being a muslim...I don’t think he is. I do think that his attempt to communicate with the Taliban led him to a place, where he has empathy for them. I can understand how this can happen...and I really don’t have that much of an opinion on that. Like many others, dad was affected by the actions of Bowe, and his subsequent capture. I feel sorry for him.
Bullet point 3 is a talking point that sprouted on DU yesterday...heck, we’re gonna just release all the Gitmo prisoners anyway, since Barry is winding down the war, so why not get something for it? Its not logical...and these five were not slated to be released ever, prior to this exchange. Its really nothing more than nonsense.
This line is right out of the liberal playbook:
“Can’t these conspiracy accusers shut up”. Glenn is assigning the term ‘conspiracy’ to Bowe’s fellow soldiers...soldiers who were there, with him. Sure Bowe knows more details than they do...but don’t they know something about it...enough to not be dismissed as a ‘conspiracy’? They are being ridiculed, in an effort to marginalize them, and prevent others from speaking up. Its not fair to them, and is kind of despicable, when you think about it.
Finally, this line caught my eye, and I think it may explain why people believe Bowe came from a good family, and couldn’t have done anything wrong:
“I pray as much for his conversion to Christ as I do for his life to be spared.”
This quote, attributed to dad, implies that while Bowe may have come from a ‘good family’, he was not a carbon copy of his parents...apparently even leaving the church that he presumably grew up in. To me it explains a lot....I know the type, trying to ‘find ones self’. I even knew the type in the army, and Bowe fits that type to a tee.
Most often, the simplest answer to a mystery is correct one. At least a half dozen men have stated that Bergdahl left his post. We know he left his weapon (very unusual even to go to the bathroom, etc.). We know that his story of falling behind in a patrol is not possible, since they were in a defensive position. Everything points to his walking away. Its probably the correct answer.
And if that is the case, the army should take action. Either non-judicial punishment (article 15) for AWOL, or a court marshal for desertion. Instead, he has been promoted twice in absentia (and yesterday I heard reports that he may be bumped up to E-6). That has to be very demoralizing to soldiers in the army right now...and it has to make them wonder whether its truly ‘worth it’ to always do the right thing, while in uniform. This is why this needs to be investigated...not swept under the rug, as Glenn proposes.
“So, basically, your friend has nothing.”
He has close personal ongoing contact with the family for many years. That’s not nothing.
A purely emotive appeal.
Nothing related to support his opinion?
BRANDED! Scorned as the one who RAN!
WHAT do you do when you’re BRANDED....
‘Cause you’re one of the TALIBAN????
Please... don’t ever ping me again.
Obama is a traitor who needs to be hung from a gallow. He is trying to divide America and Americans.
And, strangely enough, Jani Bergdahl, his mother, bears a remarkable resemblance to “Stands with A Fist” in “Dances with Wolves.” (Except this remake would be more like “Dances with Goats.”)
http://24.media.tumblr.com/7cff7975646190c80a0ef88b3ced52db/tumblr_mzislpPYeT1tp23p9o1_250.jpg
http://www.worldmag.com/media/images/content/738_554_/ap516598039825.jpg
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