My Thoughts on the Bergdahl Case
Veterans, current servicemembers, and most Americans remember back on June 30, 2009, an Army soldier, Bowe Bergdahl, deserted his post and was captured by the Taliban. The circumstances of how he was captured by the Taliban are still under great scrutiny. He was later released by the Taliban after, then President Barack Obama, arranged for his release by exchanging Bergdahl for five Taliban prisoners.
During his time in captivity, several members of Bergdahl’s unit were sent out in search of him and were wounded. A military K9 was killed as well.
On December 15, 2015, the Army announced that Bergdahl would be tried by a general court-martial for desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. On October 16, 2017, Bergdahl entered a guilty plea in a Fort Bragg courtroom.
The Exchange
The Taliban prisoners that Bergdahl was exchanged for were described as the “hardest of the hardcore” Taliban. All were, and are deemed, high-risk to the United States and were recommended for continued detention. Therefore, we exchanged them for a deserter with no concern for his fellow soldiers or for the harm they would face while searching for him.
The Impact of Bergdahl
Bergdahl left his post because of so-called problems with his unit. The major issue that this causes is that it encourages our enemies to engage in hostage taking. It also encourages them to utilize hostage negotiations to gain release of their men which places everyone involved in potential danger.
The last I heard, we do not negotiate with hostage takers. So why did we negotiate with such high-value detainees as part of Bergdahl’s release? All this does is put high-ranking, dangerous terrorists back into the hands of the enemy and allows them to make decisions that could inevitably put, not only military personnel in danger, but the United States as a whole in danger.
The Outlandish Sentence
The prosecutors in the case were saying that a 14-year prison term, a reduction in rank, and a punitive charge should’ve been mandatory. The fact that Bergdahl only faced charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy was a bad joke.
For example, while deployed in Iraq in 2008, I had to attend a court-martial for two infantry soldiers that had stolen approximately $1000 worth of items from the base exchange. In both cases, the soldiers received a mandatory five-years in prison, reduction in rank, and a dishonorable discharge.
So does this mean that items from the PX are valued more than the lives of soldiers? What Bergdahl received as a sentence was less than what two soldiers received for theft. Bergdahl received no prison time, and was only given a dishonorable discharge and a fine of $10,000. As President Trump said, “This is tragic and a disgrace.”
Why the Sentence Should Have Been Different
How do we let a so-called NCO, who’s supposed to be a leader and who’s supposed to be held to a higher standard, walk away with a slap on the wrist? There was a time when, if a soldier or government official did what Bergdahl did, they would’ve been tried with treason.
Bergdahl left his base voluntarily and joined the enemy. This didn’t just cause harm to the personnel of his unit; his actions go further than that. They could potentially cause harm to future military personnel and to the American people as well.
Who knows what information he passed on while in captivity! This is just another one of those times that the voices of the American people weren’t heard. And the wounded/killed soldiers in his unit were not taken into account when trying him.
In my honest opinion, the judge who made the decision on this case took the easy way out in order to make the situation go away so the military could be saved from further embarrassment. However, what should’ve been done is pure and simple. The case should’ve been tried as treason and should’ve been handled as such.
Over the Years
We can only hope that wherever Bergdahl decides to settle, and hideout for the rest of his life, that military personnel and the American people will recognize him and be reminded of what a disgrace he was to the United States Army.
Action That Should Be Taken
All photos of Bergdahl in a military uniform should be removed from the Internet and his name should be erased from military records as an NCO. A true NCO would not intentionally put his or her fellow soldiers in harm’s way like Bergdahl did.
As an infantryman and Army Ranger, I can’t stand the sight of him wearing the famed infantry blue cord. No true infantryman would ever do this to his fellow soldiers. He was no true infantryman or NCO. He was just another wannabe seeking attention and that’s what he got.
- What’s Missing in Today’s Military: Integrity - March 20, 2018
- What’s Missing in Today’s Military: Honor - March 19, 2018
- Veterans without Care: What’s Wrong with the VA? - December 18, 2017
