Washingtonpost.com:
Taliban fighters released the sole remaining American military hostage Saturday morning to a team of U.S. troops in eastern Afghanistan, who quickly hustled him onto a helicopter. Once airborne, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl scribbled the letters “SF?” on a paper plate, seeking confirmation that he was with Special Operations forces.
“Yes!” one of the troops hollered back above the din of the aircraft’s blades, according to a defense official who described Bergdahl’s first moments of freedom. “We’ve been looking for you for a long time.”
Bergdahl, 28, who had been held captive nearly five years, broke down in tears.
His release was secured after the Obama administration, working through Qatari government intermediaries, agreed to free five high-profile Afghan inmates held by the U.S. military in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The influential commanders, including the former head of the Taliban’s army, were loaded onto a U.S. military aircraft bound for Qatar after U.S. officials got confirmation that Bergdahl had been freed.
President Obama hailed Bergdahl’s recovery as a triumph of years of high-wire diplomatic efforts that reached a breakthrough in the waning months of the U.S. combat mission there.
“He wasn’t forgotten by his country,” Obama said Saturday evening in the Rose Garden, standing alongside Bergdahl’s parents, Robert and Jani. “The United States of America does not ever leave our men and women in uniform behind.”
His father, who grew a long beard in a gesture of solidarity for his son, said a few words to his son in Pashto, the language spoken in southern Afghanistan, saying that he understood his son is having trouble speaking English.
“I am your father, Bowe,” Robert Bergdahl said. “I look forward to continuing the recovery of our son which will be a considerable task for our family.”
This rescue/exchange is a heart-wrenching story. I can remember sitting on the floor of my living room many years ago and watching those broken men, some who couldn’t get off the plane alone, return home after being captive POWs in North Vietnam. I can still remember sobbing uncontrollably as they disembarked. Welcome home, Americans! One of those men who got off that plane in 1973 was none other than Senator John McCain. The Washington Post reported his reaction:
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said that the detainees transferred from Guantanamo to Qatar, where they are to stay for at least a year, “are hardened terrorists who have the blood of Americans and countless Afghans on their hands. I am eager to learn what precise steps are being taken to ensure that these vicious and violent Taliban extremists never return to the fight against the United States and our partners or engage in any activities that can threaten the prospects for peace and security in Afghanistan.”
Beyond this individual instance, some raised the larger question of whether it is sound policy for the United States to have, in the words of House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), “negotiated with terrorists.”
Hmmmmm…I wonder how Senator McCain would feel if his release had not been negotiated? Senator McCain needs to not jump on the “let’s bash Obama over the POW release” bandwagon. Is this release actually negotiating with terrorists? Are the Taliban terrorists or did they harbor terrorists?
Meanwhile, Faux News is freaking out over this release. The morning crew of weekend dolts is predicting that Americans will be kidnapped all over the world just to get the rest of Gitmo released. There is all sorts of Obama bashing going on including the fact that, according to Faux, Sgt. Bergdahl was in such bad physical shape, the administration felt they had to move quickly to rescue him. (anyone else heard THAT one?)
Perhaps we should be asking what would happen if had the opportunity to negotiate the release of the only American POW and chose not to do everything possible to get him back. THEN what would Obama’s foes have to say? I expect they would accuse him of cutting and running and leaving one of our own behind.
It is good that we got Sgt Berdahl back. This case seems analogous to the famous Arms for Hostages scandal in which Reagan defied Congress to try to get hostages held by Iran returned. Then as now, I am prepared to cut the president some slack, although the price seems much steeper in the present circumstance.
@Kelly_3406
I’m glad he is back.
Now…if he had not abandoned his post to go wandering about Afghanistan….this wouldn’t have happened.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/10868673/Bowe-Bergdahl-a-darker-story-behind-the-release-of-Americas-last-prisoner-of-war.html
Secretary of Defense was careful to point out that Bergdahl’s release was NOT the result of negotiation with terrorists. Rather, it was simply a Prisoner of War exchange. Right! We got it Chuck-a POW exchange, pure and simple.
I didn’t realize that was the same guy who wandered off, endangering the rest of his band of brothers who had to go out looking for him.
I will withhold my opinion and I hope everyone else withholds the ticker tape parade until we find out more.
@Cargosquid
If it can be established that SGT Bergdahl did abandon his post, he should be court-martialed; however, the possibility this will happen is very remote. He will be honorably discharged and will slip from the spotlight. Sic semper tyrannis.
@Cargosquid
Wow. You are absolutely right. Thanks for pointing that out.
I tried to give the president the benefit of the doubt, but it appears that was a huge mistake.
@George S. Harris
Since no investigation has been mentioned…and the fact that his fellow soldiers were actually under non-disclosure instructions which they have broken….this will be another cover up. I will be HUGELY surprised if the Army courtmartials him for desertion.
Well, if there was some type of (Jessica Lynch or Pat Tillman-styled) coverup going on, it failed. Everyone knows what happened here.
They’re saying behind the scenes that 5 years in the hills may be enough punishment for him.
It’s a tough call to give up the 5 highest-ranking Taliban guys in Guantanemo Bay for this nitwit. I’m glad I don’t have to make or live with decisions like that one.
I guess he figures I am old and too tough to chew on.
Regardless of whether Bergdahl is a nitwit or a hero, I am disgusted with the Congressional Republicans who can only see this as a chance to once again make political hay. If President Obama had traded Satan for the release of Jesus Christ, those clowns would find a reason why it should not be done.
Welcome back, Hillbilly. I think you just hit the nail on the head.
Hillbilly — What makes you think Obama would have traded Satan for anybody?
As usual, cargo does not know what he is talking about. An investigation was conducted four years ago, which concluded that he walked off his post:
U.S. concluded in 2010 that Bergdahl walked away
By KEN DILANIAN and DEB RIECHMANN
6 hours ago
A Pentagon investigation concluded in 2010 that Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl walked away from his unit, and after an initial flurry of searching the military decided not to exert extraordinary efforts to rescue him, according to a former senior defense official who was involved in the matter.
http://news.yahoo.com/us-concluded-2010-bergdahl-walked-away-185047684–politics.html
@Starryflights
I meant an investigation and court martial NOW due to his actions.
So, as usual, you are attempting to cause controversy where none exists.
Personally, I feel that if he wanted to go live among the Afghanis so much, we should have left him there.
@Cargosquid Oh, so he’ll be back on active duty tomorrow then with no consequences? I doubt it. You don’t understand the armed services.
Cargo — Weren’t you once a member of some sort of naval service? Was that the Congolese Navy? The Mongolian Coast Guard maybe? Refresh my memory.
@Wolve
LOL! I needed that. Yep…. 24 years in someone’s Canoe Club.
@Starryflights
Well, since you posted that the Pentagon determined that he had deserted, and he did so as a private…..and yet he’s now a Sgt. ……. how does a deserter get promoted?
He won’t be back on “active duty.” I predict that he will get an honorable discharge. By the way…technically, he’s on active duty NOW.
So…. who doesn’t understand the armed services?
Bad trade. We should have had a chance to vote. Now, trading Hillory, Reid, Holder, Pelosi and Shummer for this guy – even if he is a deserter– that would be a trade I could support!
@Wolve
Shame on you Wolverine. You know damned well that Cargo served in the U.S. Navy. I don’t know what you did re: military service but the last thing I would do is disparage the service of another. And the same can be said for Starryflights who seems to be suffering from “Hoof IN Mouth” disease.
Some seem to forget that we live in this so very PC world today and we are so wrapped around the axle about the Taliban and Al Qaeda plus the fact that the president joined Bergdahl’s family to welcomed SGT Bergdahl back and his homer own is treating hi like a hero makes any court martial action almost impossible.
In the NORMAL flow of things, POWs are promoted on schedule. Apparently, the fact that he deserted his post got lost in the “fog of war”. The Army could reduce him to his former rank, private, but again, too much emotion involved in this whole mess. I agree with Cargo–he will be honorably discharged and will become a non-deserving veteran sucking on the Veterans Administration teat for the rest of his life.
I gotta defend Wolve here. He wasn’t disparaging Cargo. He was being sarcastic at Starry. Wolve and Cargo generally have each other’s backs.
The army has not given Bergdahl an honorable discharge and has no plans to do so.
And another thing- we don’t throw deserters into enemy hands. We try th and hold them accountable according to the Uniform Code of Military Justice. We do this on our terms, not the enemies’. Anyone who believes otherwise does not understand the military.
I find it easy to believe that this is prelude to finally closing Guantanemo Bay.
@Moon-howler
Well, he should turn on the warning sign or ring a bell.
LOL yes he should probably do that, George.
Hmmmm–we may have to change our thoughts about what is going to happen to Bergdahl–maybe. The proof of that pudding will be in the eating. On tonight’s news (CBS-not Faux) some of his former buddies are saying he just plain deserted. That may be hard to sweep under the rug. Something less than honorable discharge is possible without a court-martial. That could be enough to deny him any veteran’s benefits. So, let’s see what happens. So far the administration has not heeded Will Rodger’s advice: “If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.”
If he does get put through a court-martial, I presume the argument in his defense will be something akin to temporary insanity?
PTSD would do it. I expect that had a lot to do with it. It wasn’t like the dude was drafted.
I am coming around to the thought that he became mentally ill. Why should we treat it any differently than a physical disorder or wound?
@George S. Harris
“On tonight’s news (CBS-not Faux) some of his former buddies are saying he just plain deserted. ”
It looks like the White House is already starting to smear the guys Bergdahl served with that are saying he deserted.
According to MSNBC’s Chuck Todd: WH aides told me “we didn’t know they (Bergdahl’s platoon) was going to swift boat him.”
When asked for confirmation if WH aides actually used the words “swift boat him”, his response was “I didn’t make it up”.
So now the White House is defending Bergdahl by smearing the troops he served with? This is getting weird…. and George, I couldn’t agree with you more about the WH not taking Will Rodger’s advice: “If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.”
I am not so sure it is proper or appropriate to swiftboat him.
I guess I don’t see the difference in where someone goes off the reservation–state-side or on foreign soil. It happens. The issues should have come p from his commanding officers, not the platoon.
I think that the bigger question, which nobody seems to be talking about, is how much cash did we also give them for Bergdahl directly or indirectly?
It’s generally believed that the Taliban was ‘holding’ him, which is not completely true. He was held by the Haqqani network who is loosely affiliated with the Taliban. The Haqqani network is considered to be more of an mafia type outfit than a straight up terrorist organization. Most things they do they is strictly for money.
It’s entirely possible that they bent to the will of the Taliban and simply accepted the deal in which Bergdahl would be traded for 5 Taliban commanders. However, I would like to see someone ask the administration point blank if any cash, directly or indirectly, was part of the deal.
Gee, I wonder if we exchanged any comic books or baseball cards for Berghdal. Anything else we should ask “point blank”? What stupid logic.
@Jackson Bills
@George S. Harris
George, thanks for defending me. But Wolvie was supporting me.
@Moon-howler
I don’t think he had PTSD. His writing talk about why he did what he did. He just didn’t like the US anymore.
And yes, I understand that the military will not or should not leave people behind. Personal feelings though, are different. I think we should have left him where he wanted to be. He is personally responsible for the deaths of everyone who died while looking for him.
We really don’t know what happened. PTSD takes many different forms.
Also, we don’t usually go out into hostile, enemy territory after deserters.
I think its too early to declare what he was. Should the outcome have been different? I don’t think so. Should be be dishonorably discharged or court-martialed? It sounds like it. We should be in control of what happens to him, not the enemy.
Didn’t like the US any more? Maybe we should be asking ourselves why then. He obviously enlisted. He wasn’t shanghaied. Maybe he was in a rotten platoon. There are such things. [thinking of Lt. Calley] Maybe he became mentally ill. Maybe he had PTSD. The people I know who have been diagnosed all had very different things wrong with them.
I have no respect for those from the platoon who are talking to the media. That should be coming from his commanding officers at this point. Later, perhaps. Now? During an open investigation? Absolutely not. Poor discipline.
I don’t think that we should have left him there, if we could get him out by trading 5 Guantanemo detainees. Because Guantanemo should have been shut down quite a while ago. It’s immoral and downright silly. I believe this is precedent to shutting it down. We can’t hold people indefinitely as POWs just because we had no long-term plan when we grabbed them, and because our politicians fear bad press if one of them kills Americans eventually.
Guantanemo Bay is and has been a sickening display of amorality on our part.
We shouldn’t have lost lives searching for him after it became obvious that he left of his own volition. I don’t agree with the judgement there, or if it’s a policy, then the policy needs to be refined.
Should he be court-martialed … yes. Is it his fault that 6-14 guys died looking for him? No. Has he suffered enough? Probably.
That depends on the price. In a perfect world, we should control what happens to him rather than the enemy …. if the price is not too great. We should not put troops in harm’s way or give up Taliban leaders for someone that left the U.S. forward operating base of his own volition.
What are we going to do with those people in Gitmo at the end of the war which will be at the end of the year? They can’t stay there, according to the courts. Do they have a life sentence because they opposed us? Do they stop being enemies when we are no longer at war?
The war is not over just because Obama says it is. It seems pretty likely that the Taliban will overthrow the weak Afghan government after “the war is over.” Then we will be right back where we were before 9-11.
What do you suppose Obama’s plan is after that happens? Hunker down and hope for the best? Issue a ‘red line’ to the Taliban that they will be in BIG TROUBLE if they harm any more Americans?
Officially, the war will be over which is what we will have to deal with in the international community.
We will always have a war on terrorism.
You can’t keep people who are actually POWs forever.
Wait. I know what Obama may be tempted to do. As a sign of peace and good will to the Taliban (and also to the Russians), he will try to reduce the size of our military even further. Then no country or terrorist group will have any reason to fear aggression from the United States, and so world peace can truly take hold.
@Moon-howler
How can the war be over when Obama just stated that over 9000 troops will stay in country to provide some sort of security and training for the Afghan army?
The troops are speaking out because they see someone that they KNOW is a bad guy being treated as a hero. They are actually disobeying gag orders. It is that important to them.
Charles Krauthammer backs Bowe Bergdahl deal
So it would have been okay to release five Taliban bad guys in exchange for one soldier who may have been captured in a firefight or other circumstances? That doesn’t make a damn bit of sense. If your argument is that these five are bad, then they ought not to have been exchanged fir anybody. You are being critical for the sake of being critical.
Charles Krauthammer backs Bowe Bergdahl deal
Krauthammer said those in the West “put a value on the individual human life the way that the ones at the other end of the table don’t,” specifically citing an example in which Israelis had to release 1,000 terrorists in exchange for one sergeant who had been taken captive.
“These are dangerous militants, but we have long engaged in and all other countries in the West have engaged in hostage swaps where the West always comes out on the short end,” Krauthammer said.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2014/06/charles-krauthammer-bowe-bergdahl-deal-107471.html#ixzz33mHZH39A
We value human life more than our adversaries do.
Great last sentence! @Starry
Trying to figure out whether this deal was “good” or “bad” leads one to reflection on Guantanemo. Does anyone here think that it should still be open? Does anyone else see it as a human rights abuse created by reactionary thinking and kept going since then by the vagaries of American politics?
yes. I believe Moe would agree with you also.
@Rick Bentley
Nope.
Gitmo is fine.
It is wonderful that someone who served his country with honor and distinction is finally coming home. I hope when Sgt. Bergdahl finally gets back to the US, he is welcomed at the White House. After everything he’s done, he deserves it.
I am assuming that is sarcasm, Furby.
I think Bowe Bergdahl is a long way from a White House reception and rightfully so. There are facts we don’t know. I am willing to wait before I issue an indictment.
No sarcasm intended. Just taking things at face value. He’s been a POW since 2009. Susan Rice, National Security Advisor, said Bergdahl served with honor and distinction. So why shouldn’t we be welcoming him back? His parents were at the White House when his release was announced, so why shouldn’t there be a Rose Garden ceremony where the Obama shakes his hand and welcomes him back?
Perhaps Susan Rice should not have sung his praises on high until she found out the facts. Someone must hate that woman. She ends up being the fall guy for a lot of people.
Because he abandoned his post and walked away, endangering other lives.
This should have been done with no pomp and circumstance. In retrospect, the way the Obama Administration rolled it out was extremely naive.
I don’t think we really know what happened, do we?
We know there were many questionable events out there in the desert. I don’t like that the platoon all sat there on Fox News blasting him. That really should wait until there is an investigation.