(Facebook/Bring Bowe Bergdahl Home)
U.S. soldier and former Taliban prisoner Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is facing desertion charges for walking away from his post in Afghanistan in 2009, a move that his fellow soldiers said led to his capture by enemy forces, the Army announced Wednesday.
Bergdahl, a 28-year-old Idaho native, was released from captivity and returned to American last year after the U.S. traded five Taliban prisoners for him. He was also charged with misbehavior before the enemy, Col. Daniel King said Wednesday at a press conference.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. He Faces Life in Prison
Bergdahl faces up to life in prison on the desertion charge, a spokesman for the Army said at a press conference. He faces up to five years in prison on the other charge.
An Article 32 preliminary hearing, which the Army says is similar to a civilian grand jury, will now be held to determine whether Bergdahl should face a court martial. The preliminary hearing officer will be presented with evidence and will determine if it is sufficient for a court martial. The hearing officer will present recommendations to a court martial convening authority, who may refer charges to a general court martial, to a special court-martial, dismiss the charges or “take any other action deemed appropriate,” the Army said in a statement.
The charges came after the conclusion of an Army investigation in October. The findings of that investigation were passed on to the Pentagon to make a determination if charges should be filed. According to the New York Times, Gen. Mark Milley, commander of Army Forces Command, was tasked with making that decision.
The Army’s statement said the details of that investigation will not be released at this time because it will be presented as evidence at the Article 32 hearing.
Bergdahl has been on active duty in an administrative role at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas after completing reintegration at an Army hospital.
On Wednesday, Josh Korder, who served with Bergdahl, said in an interview with Fox News, “finally some justice is being done. It took a long time to get here.” Korder said he doesn’t think being in captivity for five years was not enough because Bergdahl put himself there.
2. His Return to the U.S. Was Celebrated as a ‘Good Day’
President Barack Obama makes a statement about the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl as his parents, Jani Bergdahl (L) and Bob Bergdahl (R) listen May 31, 2014 in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, DC. Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was held captive by militants for almost five years during the war in Afghanistan. (Getty)
President Obama called Bergdahl’s release a “good day.” Obama said addressed Bergdahl’s parents, saying:
Bob and Jani – today, families across the United States share in the joy that you feel. As a parent, I cannot imagine the hardship that you have been through. And as President, I know I speak for all Americans when I say that we cannot wait for the moment when you are reunited, and your beloved Bowe is back in your arms.
The statements came during a press conference in the White House’s Rose Garden that was seen as a moment of celebration.
3. Obama Was Blasted for Negotiating With Terrorists
A sign in a store window of Bergdhal’s Idaho hometown after his release. (Getty)
The release of five Taliban prisoners who were being held at Guantanamo Bay in exchange for Bergdahl almost immediately became a political controversy for Obama.
Bergdahl was traded for mid-to-high level Taliban commanders. Reports emerged in January that at least one of the former Taliban members had reached out to the the group in an effort to rejoin the fight. Military officials have not confirmed that to be true.
High-ranking Republicans criticized Obama for negotiating with terrorists, while some lawmakers said he didn’t follow protocol by not alerting Congress to the negotiations.
Members of the Obama administration, including Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, said Bergdahl was a “prisoner of war,” and that they didn’t negotiate with terrorists.
The U.S. House formally condemned Obama in September for failing to give Congress a 30-day notification of the prisoner exchange.
4. Bergdahl Had Grown Disillusioned With the Military’s Mission in Afghanistan
According to a Rolling Stone article about Bergdahl, written while he was still
in captivity, Bergdahl began to see the U.S. presence in Afghanistan as “disgusting.”
He said in an email to his parents:
I am sorry for everything here. These people need help, yet what they get is the most conceited country in the world telling them that they are nothing and that they are stupid.
His attitude was also affected by the death of a close friend, fellow First Lt. Brian Bradshaw, who died in a roadside bombing not long before Bergdahl disappeared from his post.
According to the Rolling Stone article, Bergdahl grew up in rural Idaho and was always drawn to adventures. He was obsessed with the survivalist show “Man vs. Wild” and its host Bear Grylls, according to his father. Bergdahl tried to enlist in the French Foreign Legion, but his application was denied, so he joined the U.S. Army instead, in 2008.
Bergdahl left his post after receiving an email from his father telling him to follow his conscience, according to Rolling Stone. Equipped with a knife, water, camera and his diary, Bergdahl was taken captive a day later.
5. The Deaths of 6 to 8 Soldiers Have Been Tied to the Search for Bergdahl
Former soldiers who served alongside Bergdahl told ABC News that he did walk away from base.
They also say that six soldiers died in the search for Bergdahl. According to the New York Times, the circumstances of those deaths near the base are not clear and cannot be specifically connected to the search for Bergdahl. A senior military source told the Times the soldiers would still have been carrying out dangerous missions, even if they weren’t on the lookout for Bergdahl.
“Look, it’s not like these soldiers would have been sitting around their base,” the official said.
