Sgt Bowe Bergahl release from Taliban. Victory!

2014-05-31T12:48:58-04:00

https://www.breakingnews.com/topic/us-army-sgt-bergdahl-held-captive-in-afghanistan/

Response by SGM Matthew Quick made May 31 at 2014 12:54 PM

2014-05-31T12:54:36-04:00

Great news!

Response by PO1 Private RallyPoint Member made May 31 at 2014 1:02 PM

2014-05-31T13:02:06-04:00

MURRICA

Response by PO1 Private RallyPoint Member made May 31 at 2014 1:11 PM

2014-05-31T13:11:25-04:00

Glad to see this guy come home finally. Unfortunate that we had to let some bad guys go free but they'll probably blow themselves up on accident anyway.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made May 31 at 2014 1:17 PM

2014-05-31T13:17:21-04:00

As someone who has been following this story for years now, it literally chokes me up thinking about how happy his parents are going to be. I wish I could hear a recording of the call that Obama made to tell them the news. Absolutely amazing.

Response by CW2 Private RallyPoint Member made May 31 at 2014 1:35 PM

2014-05-31T13:35:53-04:00

Great news! I'm glad to hear it's finally over and he is reunited with his family. I heard some rumors that he left his post which ultimately led to his capture. Does anyone have more details on this?

Response by CPT Jacob Swartout made May 31 at 2014 1:55 PM

2014-05-31T13:55:46-04:00

It's great to know he is headed back home where he belongs.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made May 31 at 2014 2:02 PM

2014-05-31T14:02:11-04:00

Not sure how I feel about this one.. glad to have an American Soldier back home is a great thing however due to his events which lead to his capture and the countless missions/efforts over the last five years to find him I have mixed emotions. I am glad for the family but am looking forward to the following Court Martial in which he should get for being a deserter.

Response by CPT Aaron Kletzing made May 31 at 2014 2:24 PM

2014-05-31T14:24:43-04:00

Glad to see him back home safely.

Response by SSgt Gregory Guina made May 31 at 2014 2:25 PM

2014-05-31T14:25:21-04:00

I think we need to hear his account of his capture and piece together the whole story. The burden of proof needs to be on him, but I don't think we should pass any judgement at this time.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 31 at 2014 2:30 PM

2014-05-31T14:30:17-04:00

Great news! I'm very happy for his family!

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made May 31 at 2014 2:31 PM

2014-05-31T14:31:24-04:00

Great to see him come home. I'm surprised nobody has called him Brody yet. It's a shame we'll never know the true story of what actually happen. Plus if the rumors are true about how he got captured, the Army will let this guy separate from the Army to avoid all backlash they would for court-martialing him.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made May 31 at 2014 2:43 PM

2014-05-31T14:43:08-04:00

Biggest question now is whether or not he was a deserter. Sounds like he was. With that said - is being held by Taliban for 5 years punishment enough? I'm glad he's home, but not sure this guy is a "hero".

Response by CSM Michael J. Uhlig made May 31 at 2014 3:09 PM

2014-05-31T15:09:05-04:00

Welcome home SGT Bergdahl! Welcome Home!

http://news.yahoo.com/us-soldier-freed-captivity-afghanistan-164824831--politics.html

I despise the fact that would trade criminals for him but I am happy he is coming home. I hope we have a way to track the criminals once they are released.

US soldier freed from captivity in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON (AP) — The only American soldier held prisoner in Afghanistan has been freed by the Taliban in exchange for the release of five Afghan detainees from the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Obama administration officials said Saturday.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made May 31 at 2014 3:38 PM

2014-05-31T15:38:11-04:00

I arrived in Afghanistan a few months after he allegedly walked off the FOB. I was stationed at the same FOB that some allege he walked off of. My question is not what will happen to him now, but why did we keep promoting him if it is true that he walked off the FOB? Should we promote just anyone because this sets a bad example. I cannot even get a promotion board or orders for my Soldiers who are doing their job and were selected to be promoted. What does this do for morale of the military as a whole?

Welcome home. I am happy for the family, but I recommend he just leaves the Army because if he ever is called to deploy again there will be mistrust of if he will watch out for his buddies. And that will destroy the unit.

Response by LTC David S. Chang, ChFC®, CLU® made May 31 at 2014 4:27 PM

2014-05-31T16:27:04-04:00

We gave up taliban in guantanamo bay in exchange. I am glad we have him back, but just hope the ones we gave up don't come back to bite us in the butt!

Response by Col Private RallyPoint Member made May 31 at 2014 4:45 PM

2014-05-31T16:45:56-04:00

I think we should wait for the full investigation to be completed prior to rendering assumptions. Seems like there are a lot of missing details in the article.

Response by SGT Shon D. Hill made May 31 at 2014 4:52 PM

2014-05-31T16:52:55-04:00

Always glad to see anyone come home, I don't know anything about allegations of deserting or whatever, but let the Army/DOD or whoever take care of that, innocent until proven otherwise. War really sucks so I don't give a damn even if it its true....welcome home, hope everyone can start healing from yet another 10,000 day war.....

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 31 at 2014 4:55 PM

2014-05-31T16:55:34-04:00

While it remains unclear if Berghdal abandoned or deserted his post, he must be presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law (this includes trial by Courts Martial).

If he is guilty, and if he is tried and found guilty, he will receive appropriate punishment, which, given the crap he went through, could include any of the following: Time served, dishonorable or other than honorable discharge, loss/forfeiture of rank/pay, military confinement for several months or years (I'm not sure how many, so don't quote me), suspended punishment, or any combination thereof.

I also question if he was really being held "against his will" so to speak, because the military teaches you to try to escape (though, if he never took a SERE class, he may not know this - I'll give him the benefit of the doubt until I hear otherwise). I know I'd have tried, and died trying, rather than stay with the enemy waiting to die by having my head cut off my neck.

Don't get me wrong. I am absolutely glad that he did not get killed, and that he has finally been freed, but I don't think giving the terrorists what they wanted, was the way to go about it. Just my 2¢.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made May 31 at 2014 5:23 PM

2014-05-31T17:23:54-04:00

Its about time! Welcome home. I just think we should have been able to do it sooner at a lower cost.

Response by SPC Charles Brown made May 31 at 2014 5:37 PM

2014-05-31T17:37:12-04:00

Welcome home brother. You have been missed. God bless you, and don't let any BS news stories or the beliefs of the uninformed get to you. Keep the faith.

Response by CW2 Joseph Evans made May 31 at 2014 5:57 PM

2014-05-31T17:57:56-04:00

And what do we do if his "desertion" was the result of a toxic command climate? Are we retroactively going to strip his commanding officer and 1SG of all ranks and benefits received post desertion? There are a lot of what-ifs and very little hard facts. They have the option of a medical retirement and this dirty little problem goes away for a lot of people.

Response by MAJ Jim Woods made May 31 at 2014 5:59 PM

2014-05-31T17:59:45-04:00

As his home is about 75 miles north of where I live, and we have seen first hand the anguish of his family and the community, it will be good to get him home. He still needs to be held accountable for his actions. Good or bad.

Response by LCpl Steve Wininger made May 31 at 2014 6:21 PM

2014-05-31T18:21:57-04:00

Welcome home SGT Bergahl.

Response by WO1 Private RallyPoint Member made May 31 at 2014 9:12 PM

2014-05-31T21:12:54-04:00

I am happy for his family, but things just aren't adding up...

This was a comment on a story on facebook...I do not support this statement, but I feel it should be shared.

"""Forwarded from Michael Newton from Awesome Shit my Drill Sergeant Said page - Forwarded from Jeff Howard. "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 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 for him and he will have to face that truth someday."
My take is he deserted his post in combat. Court Martial and Leavenworth. And since when do we negotiate with terrorists?"""

Response by SGT Justin Blodgett made Jun 1 at 2014 4:17 AM

2014-06-01T04:17:25-04:00

Wow. After reading the comments, I have to say most of my fellow veterans are idiots.

The Kid Deserted. All he should come home to is a court martial. We lost good men in the month following his desertion chasing down leads to where he was. And yet, the media doesn't bring up any of the dirty secrets.

When us Afghan Vets, who were there in 09, say, HE WAS A DESERTER AND A TRAITOR, its not for attention. Why do you think the search was called off after 30 days? Hell, the prisoners from Jessica Lynch's unit were never put on the back burner until they were rescued. Had he actually been a prisoner and not just a figure for the media to latch on to, he would have been freed years ago, regardless of where he was.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 1 at 2014 5:27 AM

2014-06-01T05:27:20-04:00

I'm in the middle. I need to do more research, but from what I have gathered. It seems to be that the guy walked off his OP. In Patika, it doesn't seem like he was kidnapped, or really hurt in anyway. The Army isn't really putting out any conclusive information about his debrief. I wanna know did he tell them anything? troop movements, tactics? Not future operations but while he was captured and his guys are out looking for him.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 1 at 2014 11:38 AM

2014-06-01T11:38:42-04:00

Welcome home soldier, welcome home. That is all that will be said because we don't know the facts behind his capture. We do know he's been under capture for 4 yrs 10 months he deserves to speak on his own what and how it happen. The media wasn't there nor were his parents to fellow soldiers during capture just speculation so let him speak and be treated as any soldier should and would be.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 1 at 2014 11:50 AM

2014-06-01T11:50:37-04:00

Bowe Bergdahl indicated before him allegedly leaving that he was thinking of deserting and felt "ashamed" to be an American. He left his weapon, his kit and all of his SI the day he asked his PL if taking his SI would be a problem.

Then, by most accounts from those on the ground, he walked off of the FOB looking for the Taliban (according to witnesses on the ground).

Now, just in time for the massive VA scandal, we traded the following 5 Afghan Taliban members in exchange for this guy.

1. Mohammad Fazl: Taliban's former deputy minister of defense. He was one of the Taliban’s founding members, rising through the ranks to become Taliban Chief of Army Staff.

2. Mohammad Nabi: Former chief of Taliban security in Qalat. Also worked in their radio office. Claims he was working for the CIA.

3. Abdul Haq Wasiq: The Taliban’s former deputy minister of intelligence. Accused of human rights abuses, such as torture.

4. Mullah Norullah Nori: Former senior Taliban commander in Mazar-i-Sharif when the war kicked off. Former Taliban governor for two north provinces.

5. Khairullah Khairkhwa: Former Taliban governor of Heart Province. Also served as a military commander and a minister of the interior. According to his lawyers, as of 2002, he had already distanced himself from the Taliban when he was captured.

Don't forget the men who died while looking for him from his unit in the immediate aftermath.

PFC Matthew Michael Martinek, Staff Sgt. Kurt Robert Curtiss, SSG Clayton Bowen, PFC Morris Walker, SSG Michael Murphrey and 2LT Darryn Andrews are all KIA from his unit while looking for him.

Also, for those that aren't aware, when he was captured he was a PFC. Unless he has been formally charged with desertion (he wasn't), or barred for some other reason (he wasn't), and you are a POW, then you continue to increase rank in the primary zone, without going to the board. Which is why he was promoted to E4 at his 2 years TIS and E5 at his 5 year TIS. This was a young PFC who abandoned his unit and may have actually sought out the Taliban on his own.

Glad he's home. Now he can face a court martial to determine what will happen.
Not glad with who we exchanged him for.

These Are the 5 Guantanamo Detainees Being Released in Exchange for Sgt. Bergdahl

U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel told Congress on Saturday that the United States would be transferring five detainees from Guantanamo Bay. Their release is…

Response by Cpl Glynis Sakowicz made Jun 1 at 2014 12:11 PM

2014-06-01T12:11:19-04:00

As delighted as I am to know this American is coming home, I do have problems with this....
Giving up 5 prisioners, and not just ordinary prisioners, but ones considered High Risk, and knowing that they were all desiring to hit America, not just the military, so odds are, they have just given us the next 9-11 if they are not watched intently... Not to mention that this has just put a bulls eye on every American back in this world... "We got five for one... lets see who we can get next..."
Glad this man is back with us, but I still wonder why he walked away with a compass, a camera, and a water bottle... especially after seeing the pictures of his father in a beard that reminds me a great deal of the ones I recall seeing in the middle east. Call me crazy, but it gives me a bad feeling, to wake up to comments on the news that his father sent out a tweet that was taken down quickly, but sounded much like he was more overjoyed by the release of the prisoners than he was his son... just wondering if anyone else is having bad feelings about this, compounded with the great feeling of having him headed home at last?

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 1 at 2014 12:36 PM

2014-06-01T12:36:25-04:00

All.....this is a truly touchy subject that is obviously having mixed reactions throughout the US Military.

1st....I would ask, we any of truly informed behind all the circumstance behind this situation? Do we know exactly what happened? Do we know which news stories are accurate and which are truly BS? Based on my limited experience compared to our Senior Leaders (POTUS, CJCS, JCS), I would say no, we aren't.

Again, yes....it is great to have an American Brother home...but after that, what is the rest of the story? Did he truly leave his unit and place himself in that situation? I don't know. If the answer is no, then the obvious answer is still no. But, if the answer is yes....should he not be tried for AWOL? Desertion? And if the answer is yes, will the circumstance of being a POW for 5 years overshadow that? Again, I don't know.

What about all the lives lost trying to rescue him? I don't know the numbers, but if it is even 1 life lost, it is worth his? Again, I cannot answer that.

And then, we exchanged 5 Taliban prisoners for him? Fair trade? Again, for an American Brother, I would say sure...POW for POW trade. But again, what the importance of the Taliban POWs to their leadership compared to the 1 American Soldier and the overall importance to ours. Or was this a negotiation with terrorists? The Taliban themselves are not labeled as terrorists, but I would say no, it wasn't....but then again, are there any ties to Al Qaida and the Taliban....probably, but I can't confirm.

It is great to have an American Brother home...but I also think this situation presents an outstanding opportunity for all of us to learn from it? What the consequences of our actions can have against our service. Going back to the old saying "do the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one?" In this case, did the "needs of the one outweigh the needs of the many?"

I welcome any thoughts or opinions, as that is the freedom all of us fight for.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 1 at 2014 3:39 PM

2014-06-01T15:39:42-04:00

A lot of SMs died looking for this guy because he left his post voluntarily. He should be held responsible for his actions. I won't hail him as a hero.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 1 at 2014 8:56 PM

2014-06-01T20:56:47-04:00

I don't know how credible this is but is definitely interesting.

http://www.ijreview.com/2014/06/143437-american-soldier-served-bowe-bergdahl-casts-doubt-official-story-fears-reprisal-obama-administration/

American Soldier Who Served With Freed POW Casts Doubt on Official Story; Fears Reprisal From...

A soldier gives his personal version of what led to Bergdahl's capture...

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 1 at 2014 9:52 PM

2014-06-01T21:52:00-04:00

I don't care whether or not Bowe Berghdal deserted or went AWOL. That will all get sorted out soon enough. I'm glad he is back in American custody. There is probably no word in the English language to describe how grateful and relieved his parents are to know he is returning home.

To Rep. Buck McKeon and Sen. James Inhofe I say get off of the President's case. Sometimes you have to do what is right without asking permission from a body of dysfunctional jackasses who have a 13% approval rating.

I have a feeling the 5 people we released in exchange for SGT Berghdal will come down CIA-induced terminal conditions sometime in the near future.

Response by SSG Jim Handy made Jun 2 at 2014 2:04 PM

2014-06-02T14:04:27-04:00

After listening to his father and reading his fathers correspondences as well as Sgt. Bergdahl's own posting and emails, I believe he WENT THERE with the INTENTION of joining the Taliban and turning on his own country. I believe he is a traitor who has committed treason and is guilty of desertion. He needs to be court-martialed and given the maximum penalty possible!

Response by SPC(P) Nathan Stewart made Jun 4 at 2014 7:28 AM

2014-06-04T07:28:00-04:00

John Kerry had said that they would negotiate for the release of Amir Hekmati who has been held in Iran for roughly 1000 days. So a deserter gets swapped for the 5 most dangerous Gitmo Jihadists and Hekmati gets nothing. POTUS acted illegally by not getting Congressional approval, am I the only one who sees the flaw in his prisoner swap?

Response by Capt Stuart Alexander made Jun 4 at 2014 11:47 AM

2014-06-04T11:47:26-04:00

"Victory"? For the Taliban and radical Islam, absolutely.

Response by SFC James Wilson made Jun 4 at 2014 6:37 PM

2014-06-04T18:37:18-04:00

The following pretty much sums up my feelings on the Bergdahl issue. “President Obama did this to himself (and to Bergdahl). This beautifully educated man, who never tires of letting us know how much smarter he is than the rest of us, never stopped to consider that our and their families might have been offended by their commander-in-chief staging a love-fest at the White House to celebrate trading five top terrorists for one deserter and featuring not the families of those soldiers (at least six of them) who died in the efforts to find and free Bergdahl, but, instead, giving a starring role on the international stage to Pa Taliban, parent of a deserter and a creature of dubious sympathies (that beard on pops ain’t a tribute to ZZ Top). How do you say “outrageous insult to our vets” in Pashto?”

Response by SFC James Wilson made Jun 4 at 2014 6:38 PM

2014-06-04T18:38:12-04:00

Response by SPC Buddy Martin made Jun 4 at 2014 6:46 PM

2014-06-04T18:46:34-04:00

I don't know if he is guilty or not. Glad he is home but if he is guilty he should have to face the judgement as any soldier who has deserted should have to. There has been people killed looking for him and if it is true of his crimes then you have to answer for them like a man

Response by SSG Albert Delaunay made Jun 5 at 2014 11:33 AM

2014-06-05T11:33:45-04:00

Well the true point is that he left his post and put others in harms way to find him, the military will pass there judgement on him. If we can welcome him home with open arms them maybe would should do the same for our friend from the NSA who spoke out. In all much of the Capital is being ran by Jackasses at this point so maybe they should just all walk away also and let this country get back into shape.

Response by CW2 Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 6 at 2014 10:27 AM

2014-06-06T10:27:06-04:00

The actions the president took regardless of who you are hurt other Americans in the long run. The administrations trade is going to inadvertently energize every terrorist cell in the eastern hemisphere. Westerners are a hot commodity if you can kidnap them in one piece and trade them back. Until now, Americans were generally considered too high risk. Because our government would unleash the CT task forces and never pay or trade for our people back. We just shattered that status quo for the sake of one leaf-eating, Islamic fundamentalist sympathizer. Also, lets not forget how many people died trying to find this "soldier" that made the choice to walk off the base that are not listed in the article.

Response by SFC Charles W. Robinson made Jun 8 at 2014 11:58 PM

2014-06-08T23:58:27-04:00

It is my personal belief that our leadership should not negotiate with terrorists. We must pursue every avenue to rescue captured American service members, but we must not ransom or trade prisoners for captured American service members. Giving up these five high ranking Taliban prisoners leaves me feeling like our country has been betrayed.

The discussion about the service member possibly being a deserter does not factor into this. It does not matter if the service member is a traitor or a Medal of Honor winner; you do not trade.

You do not trade for service members because this increases the likelihood that American citizens will be targeted in the future for the specific purpose of trading them for imprisoned terrorists. In addition, how many innocents will now be killed because these terrorists have been released and will return to the fight? How many new terrorists will now be recruited because of this?

As a Soldier I was prepared to make that sacrifice. It is our duty. How could I enjoy my new found freedom knowing the terrible cost that my freedom would cost innocents? It is a total anathema to our culture.

I understand that my family would be overjoyed to see me returned, but this is not an ethical factor. My duty to my fellow service members and to innocent people must be observed. What our present administration has done should not be applauded; for it is nothing short of treason.

In my opinion, the breaking of the law and the gross disregard for the consequences of this action by the current President should lead to his impeachment.

Response by SFC James Wilson made Jun 9 at 2014 1:52 PM

2014-06-09T13:52:10-04:00

I know we have evolved into a, kinder, gentler, Army but the last time I checked, the first general order was still, "I will guard everything within the limits of my post and quit my post only when properly relieved." Must have been an amendment slipped in there after I retired in 2002. Maybe should read. "I will guard everything within the limits of my post and quit my post only when properly relieved, unless I sympathize with the enemy or become confused about who the enemy is."

Response by SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 9 at 2014 3:22 PM

2014-06-09T15:22:20-04:00

I want to know why Obama isnt in jail for this. he should be serving a minimum of a two year jail sentence and Bergdahl should be convicted for treason and desertion. This is no better than the Iran-Contra affair that started with Reagan. http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1889.html

Iran-Contra Affair

The role of Iran-Contra Affair in the history of the United States of America.

Response by TSgt Robert Schultz made Jun 10 at 2014 10:40 PM

2014-06-10T22:40:31-04:00

Who are you, me (ALL of US) to pass judgement WITHOUT knowing ALL of the facts ?

Are we all not innocent until PROVEN guilty in this Country ? Hmm..... ??

What evidence does any of us have that this Soldier has not suffered a complete mental breakdown and acted totally irrationally ?

How would YOU like to be judged if this were YOU ?