POW? Bowe Bergdahl released

[wsushox1]

Many different angles on this story...

1. Obama traded 5 taliban prisoners from Gitmo to get him.

2. Bergdahl is from the Hailey, Idaho area...an area that I have spent around a year of my life in and about 3 more months working there for the Forest Service this summer. Was there when he was first captured and the town has held all sorts of rallies and fundraisers for the Bergdahl family while we've been there (bike races etc.) Will likely be there when he comes home and the town will likely have a huge parade and all sorts of things (if the family OK's it). I'm all for celebrating a return of a POW or a soldier, every soldier deserves a parade. However.....

3. There's some evidence/speculation that he was a deserter of his post and possibly was captured as he wondered off. So how does the town/country react to finding out that he was a deserter of the post, if in fact he was?

[RoyalShock]

I think I heard over lunch that the town cancelled their planned parade.

[wu_shizzle]

This thing stinks the more the facts are starting to leak.

[DUShock]

A friend of mine was a roommate in Airborne School to Lt. Darryn Andrews one of the soldiers who was KIA as a result of this individual. Here is his memorial page on Facebook by searching 2nd. Lt. Darryn Deen Andrews Memorial Page. Lt Andrews scholarship fundraiser page can be found here: www.darrynandrewsmemorial.org



I do not want to rush to judgement as my first reaction is with emotion. I hope more "official" information comes out. I will say that knowing folks who are one and two degrees removed from the actual squad to which Bergdahl went MIA on leads me scratching my head.

Edit: A nice read on the subject: http://www.thedailybeast.com/article...-of-night.html

[SB Shock]

the five the obama released will mean more American lives will be lost because of this. The story is the Military and the intelligence agencies fought to keep from releasing these guys and the White House and State Department told them to "suck it up and salute"

[_kai_]

I've heard that when the US finally removes the majority of the troops from Afghanistan that they will need to release all of the captured fighters at GITMO. Due to them detaining terrorists that they feel wouldn't be able to be prosecuted in federal courts, those would simply be released after operations stop in Afgh. Because of that, they used these 5 guys as payment to get Bergdahl home, knowing that they'd be releasing them anyway.

Here is the video from the Taliban of the Bergdahl exchange. Fast forward to 10 minutes for the exchange.

[DUShock]

the five the Obama released will mean more American lives will be lost because of this. The story is the Military and the intelligence agencies fought to keep from releasing these guys and the White House and State Department told them to "suck it up and salute"

While I agree with this assessment, I do not know what the recommendations were from the military & intel communities, the matter is complicated by approaching end of formal combat operations (as opposed to specific counter-terror & advisory missions). Everything I have been trained in regarding the law of war, this is lug headed grunt courses nothing as technical as JAG, would mean these folks, as Taliban fighters they would be subject to release in a few short months. Please note the difference between Al Qaeda as opposed to Taliban. The entire matter is complex and I fear rather than legitimate fact finding the matter will devolve into petty partisan politics on both sides of the aisle.

[Kung Wu]

3. There's some evidence/speculation that he was a deserter of his post and possibly was captured as he wondered off. So how does the town/country react to finding out that he was a deserter of the post, if in fact he was?

No, no, no; not possible. Didn't you hear Susan Rice last Sunday:

Susan Rice was on ABC News telling George Stephanopoulos that he was captured "on the battlefield" and that he had "served with honor and distinction".

I wish you could embed a laugh track on a forum post.

[_kai_]

No, no, no; not possible. Didn't you hear Susan Rice last Sunday:



I wish you could embed a laugh track on a forum post.

[DUShock]

No, no, no; not possible. Didn't you hear Susan Rice last Sunday:



I wish you could embed a laugh track on a forum post.

Susan Rice is a smart lady but she is not ready for primetime. It shows the utter lack of self-awareness or arrogance to parade her around the talk show circuit, time and again. This issue has a lot of legitimate questions requiring answers but I fear it will be drowned out from partisan pandering on both sides of the aisle.

Would someone please pass the popcorn?

[pinstripers]

http://dailycaller.com/2014/06/04/hillary-clinton-deserts-obama-on-bergdahl-taliban-trade-despite-personal-involvement/

[pinstripers]

We know he's a deserter, the question is whether they can prove he is a traitor.

[Kung Wu]

We know he's a deserter, the question is whether they can prove he is a traitor.

WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE!?!

- Hillary Clinton

[DUShock]

We must wait until the military, in this instance the United States Army, determines whether he A) deserted and B) committed treason. It will be handled under the terms of UCMJ (Uniform Code of Military Justice). I have my own thoughts based on what I believe to be solid information, I will not share them here but Sgt. Bergdahl is innocent until proven guilty by a military court. I think it in bad form to rush to judgement without due process.

Again, my greatest fear is that the echo chamber of Washington and the 24-hour news cycle will drown out the sincere and legitimate questions that must be asked and investigated by both the military and our unproductive/ineffective base pandering congress. The soldiers who perished and their fallen's families deserve fair, nonpartisan, unbiased answers.

[pinstripers]

http://news.yahoo.com/bowe-bergdahl-former-roommates-paint-different-picture-controversial-054142007--abc-news-topstories.html