| Revision as of 00:04, 10 June 2014 editThismightbezach (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers36,846 editsNo edit summary← Previous edit | Revision as of 23:38, 10 June 2014 edit undo174.126.42.239 (talk) ←Replaced content with 'This man was not a hero.'Tag: blankingNext edit → | ||
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| This man was not a hero. | |||
| {{current person|date=June 2014}} | |||
| {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2014}} | |||
| {{Infobox military person | |||
| | name = Bowe R. Bergdahl | |||
| | image = USA PFC BoweBergdahl ACU Cropped.png{{!}}border | |||
| | image_size = 305px | |||
| | caption = | |||
| | birth_name = Bowe Robert Bergdahl | |||
| | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1986|03|28}} | |||
| | birth_place = ], ], U.S. | |||
| | allegiance = {{Flag|United States of America|size=23px}} | |||
| | branch = {{Army|United States|size=23px}} | |||
| | serviceyears = 2008–present<ref name="RollingStone">{{cite news |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/americas-last-prisoner-of-war-20120607|last=Hastings|first=Michael|title=America's Last Prisoner of War|work=Rolling Stone |date=7 June 2012|accessdate=19 February 2013}}</ref> | |||
| | rank = ] ] <small>(promoted ''in absentia'')</small> | |||
| | unit = 1st ], ], ] | |||
| | commands = | |||
| | battles = ] {{POW}} | |||
| | relations= Robert Bergdahl (father)<br/>Jani Larson (mother)<br/>Sky Albrecht (sister) | |||
| }} | |||
| '''Bowe Robert Bergdahl''' (born March 28, 1986) is a ] soldier who was held captive by the ]-aligned ] in ] from June 2009 until his release in May 2014.<ref name=HuffingtonPost2009-07-19>{{Cite news| url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/19/bowe-bergdahl-soldier-cap_n_239930.html|title=Bowe Bergdahl: Soldier Captured In Afghanistan Identified As 23-Year-Old Idahoan|date=19 July 2009|author=Pamela Hess, Lolita Baldur|publisher=The Huffington Post|accessdate=19 July 2009}}</ref><ref name=TheGuardian2009-07-19>{{Cite news| url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/19/afghanistan-captured-american-soldier-video|title=Taliban release video of captured US soldier| date=19 July 2009|author=Declan Walsh|newspaper=The Guardian|accessdate=19 July 2009|location=London, UK}}</ref><ref name=Cnn2009-07-19>{{Cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/07/19/afghanistan.soldier.hostage|title=U.S. soldier captured by Taliban: 'I'm afraid'|date=19 July 2009| publisher=CNN|accessdate=19 July 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/obama-statement-on-sgt-bowe-bergdahl/2014/05/31/1cf3ebc2-e8e1-11e3-a86b-362fd5443d19_story.html|title=Obama statement on Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=31 May 2014|accessdate=31 May 2014}}</ref> The circumstances under which Bergdahl went missing and how he was captured are the subject of dispute. | |||
| Bergdahl was released on May 31, 2014, as part of a prisoner exchange for five Taliban members who were being held at the ]. This exchange quickly became a major political controversy within the U.S. | |||
| ==Early life and education== | |||
| Bergdahl was born on March 28, 1986, in ], to Jani (] Larson) and Robert "Bob" Bergdahl, a commercial truck driver.<ref name="RollingStone"/><ref name="kboi1">{{cite news |url=http://www.kboi2.com/news/local/51336717.html|title=Who is Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl?|publisher=] 2|accessdate=31 May 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1394&dat=20070213&id=JAUlAAAAIBAJ&sjid=gBIGAAAAIBAJ&pg=559,2585100|title=Dr. Craig Larson, 73|newspaper=The Warren Tribune|date=13 February 2007|p=10A}}</ref> Bergdahl has an older sister, Sky Albrecht,<ref name="RollingStone"/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.mtexpress.com/2000/01-12-00/naval.htm|title=Idaho Mountain Express: Naval Academy is first class for Michael Albrecht|publisher=Mtexpress.com|accessdate=31 May 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://syvnews.com/lifestyles/announcements/obituaries/recent-obituaries/article_10a7d865-3d58-5c17-bf72-82f297d4ced4.html|title=Recent Obituaries|publisher=Syvnews.com|date=25 February 2007|accessdate=31 May 2014}}</ref> and was ]ed by his mother in ]. The family attended Sovereign Redeemer Presbyterian Church, an ]. | |||
| He received a ] certificate through the ] in his early 20s.<ref name="kboi1"/><ref name="nytimes1">{{Cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/14/us/bowe-bergdahls-unlikely-journey-to-life-as-a-taliban-prisoner.html|title=Idahoan's Unlikely Journey to Life as a Taliban Prisoner|first=Elisabeth|last=Bumiller|date=13 May 2012|newspaper=]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |agency=AP Photo |author=The Bergdahl Family|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2012/01/taliban_may_use_bowe_bergdahl.html|title=Taliban may use Bowe Bergdahl, captured Idaho soldier, to push for talks with U.S.|publisher=OregonLive.com|date=5 January 2012|accessdate=31 May 2014}}</ref><ref name="oregonlive1">{{cite news |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/07/family_of_captured_soldier_mov.html|title=Family of captured soldier moved by outpouring of support|publisher=OregonLive.com|accessdate=31 May 2014}}</ref> As an adult, Bergdahl studied and practiced fencing and martial arts before switching to ] classes at the Sun Valley Ballet School in ].<ref name="kboi1"/><ref name="nytimes1"/> He never owned a car; he rode his bicycle everywhere.<ref name="oregonlive1"/> He spent time in a ] between 2007 and 2008.<ref name="worldmag1">{{Cite news |last=Dean |first=Jamie |url=https://www.worldmag.com/mobile/go-full/2014/06/the_curious_case_of_bowe_bergdahl |title=The curious case of Bowe Bergdahl |newspaper=] |date=3 June 2014}}</ref> | |||
| ==Career== | |||
| Bergdahl graduated from infantry school in ], Georgia in late 2008.<ref name="RollingStone"/> He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, ], ], ], based at ], Alaska.<ref name=Ap2009-07-19>{{Cite news|url=http://www.sltrib.com/ci_12871687|title=Soldier held in Afghanistan is 23-year-old Idahoan|date=19 July 2009|author=John Miller|agency=Associated Press|accessdate=19 July 2009}}</ref> | |||
| According to fellow soldier Specialist Jason Fry, Bergdahl was quiet: "He wasn't one of the troublemakers – he was focused and well-behaved." Bergdahl was more isolated from his fellow soldiers; for instance, rather than socializing with his peers during Thanksgiving, he preferred studying maps of Afghanistan. Bergdahl told Fry before their deployment to ], "If this deployment is lame, I'm just going to walk off into the mountains of Pakistan."<ref name="RollingStone"/> | |||
| Bergdahl's unit was sent to an outpost called Mest-Malak in Afghanistan to conduct ] operations. Bergdahl began learning to speak ], and, according to Fry, Bergdahl "began to gravitate away from his unit", spending "more time with the Afghans than he did with his platoon". Bergdahl's father described his son to military investigators as "psychologically isolated".<ref name="RollingStone"/> | |||
| ===Before capture=== | |||
| On June 25, 2009, Bergdahl's battalion suffered its first casualty: First Lieutenant Brian Bradshaw was killed in a blast from a roadside bomb near the village of ], not far from Bergdahl's outpost. According to a '']'' article written by ], Bergdahl's father believes Bradshaw and Bergdahl had grown close at the ], and Bradshaw's death darkened Bergdahl's mood.<ref name="RollingStone"/> | |||
| ==== Last e-mail to parents ==== | |||
| {{npov section|date=June 2014}} | |||
| On June 27, 2009, according to Hastings, Bergdahl sent an e-mail to his parents before he was captured:<ref name="RollingStone"/>{{rp|4}} | |||
| {{quotation|The future is too good to waste on lies. And life is way too short to care for the damnation of others, as well as to spend it helping fools with their ideas that are wrong. I have seen their ideas and I am ashamed to even be american. The horror of the self-righteous arrogance that they thrive in. It is all revolting. one of the biggest shit bags is being put in charge of the team conceited old fool In the US army you are cut down for being honest but if you are a conceited brown nosing shit bag you will be allowed to do what ever you want, and you will be handed your higher rank. The system is wrong. I am ashamed to be an american. And the title of US soldier is just the lie of fools The US army is the biggest joke the world has to laugh at. It is the army of liars, backstabbers, fools, and bullies. The few good SGTs are getting out as soon as they can, and they are telling us privates to do the same. 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, that they have nfo idea how to live. We don't even care when we hear each other talk about running their children down in the dirt streets with our armored trucks We make fun of them in front of their faces, and laugh at them for not understanding we are insulting them I am sorry for everything. The horror that is america is disgusting There are a few more boxes coming to you guys. Feel free to open them, and use them.<ref name="RollingStone"/>{{rp|4}}}} | |||
| ==== Last communication with platoon ==== | |||
| Sometime after midnight on June 30, 2009, Bergdahl left behind a note in his tent saying he had become disillusioned with the Army, did not support the American mission in Afghanistan, and was leaving to start a new life.<ref name=sc&s/> However, Senator Saxby Chambliss said that the White House denied the existence of a note.<ref name=SaxbyWH/> | |||
| ===Captivity=== | |||
| {{Infobox settlement | |||
| | name = Afghanistan | |||
| | native_name = | |||
| | native_name_lang = | |||
| | settlement_type = | |||
| | image_skyline = | |||
| | image_alt = | |||
| | image_caption = | |||
| | image_map = Paktika in Afghanistan.svg|thumb | |||
| | map_caption = ], where Bergdahl was captured | |||
| | nickname = | |||
| | latd = 32.5|N | |||
| | longd = 68.8|E | |||
| | coordinates_type = | |||
| | coordinates_region = | |||
| | coordinates_display = inline | |||
| | subdivision_type = Country | |||
| | subdivision_name = | |||
| | subdivision_type1 = | |||
| | subdivision_name1 = | |||
| | subdivision_type2 = | |||
| | subdivision_name2 = | |||
| | website = | |||
| }} | |||
| Bergdahl went missing on the night of June 30, 2009, near the town of ] in ].<ref name="NBC"/> Accounts of his capture differ. In a video, Bergdahl stated that he was captured when he fell behind on a ].<ref name=HuffingtonPost2009-07-19/> Taliban sources allege he was ambushed after becoming drunk off base; U.S. military sources deny that claim, stating, "The Taliban are known for lying and what they are claiming not true".<ref name=Cnn2009-07-19/> A Department of Defense spokesperson said, "I'm glad to see he appears unharmed, but again, this is a Taliban propaganda video. They are exploiting the soldier in violation of ]."<ref name=HuffingtonPost2009-07-19/><ref name=TheGuardian2009-07-19/> Other sources said Bergdahl walked off base after his shift<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32007586/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia/t/parents-captured-gi-plead-privacy|title=Parents of captured GI plead for privacy|publisher=MSNBC|date=20 July 2009|accessdate=14 November 2013}}</ref> or that he was grabbed from a ].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/31/world/meast/afghanistan-bergdahl-aboard-helicopter/ |title=Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl: Flight to freedom |publisher=Cnn.com |date= |accessdate=5 June 2014}}</ref> According to an ] article from 2009, the ] attributed his disappearance to "walking off his base in eastern Afghanistan with three Afghan counterparts and was believed to have been taken prisoner".<ref>{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |date= 19 July 2009 |url=http://archive.news10.net/news/national/story.aspx?storyid=63538 |title=Soldier Held in Afghanistan From Idaho |publisher=News 10 ABC |accessdate=5 June 2014}}</ref> | |||
| General Nabi Mullakheil of the ] said the capture occurred in ].<ref name=HuffingtonPost2009-07-19/> Other sources say that he was captured by a Taliban group led by Maulvi Sangin, who moved him to ].<ref name=TheGuardian2009-07-19/> He was held by the ], an insurgent group affiliated with the Taliban, probably somewhere in Pakistan.<ref name="NBC">{{cite news |url=http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/10/11633115-frustrated-dad-of-taliban-prisoner-bowe-bergdahl-takes-matters-into-own-hands?lite|title='Frustrated': Dad of Taliban prisoner Bowe Bergdahl takes matters into own hands|publisher=Worldnews.msnbc.msn.com|accessdate=14 November 2013}}</ref> | |||
| Bergdahl was a ] when captured; he was promoted ''in absentia'' to ] on June 19, 2010, and to ] on June 17, 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=14580|title=Press release 14580|work=U.S. Department of Defense}}</ref> | |||
| ====Circumstances of Bergdahl's disappearance==== | |||
| A Pentagon investigation in 2010 concluded that Bergdahl walked away from his unit.<ref>{{cite news |author=Steven Nelson |url=http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/06/03/bowe-bergdahl-desertion-charges |title=Sgt. Bergdahl to the Firing Squad? – US News |publisher=Usnews.com |date= |accessdate=5 June 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Ken Dilanian and Deb Riechmann |url=http://news.yahoo.com/us-concluded-2010-bergdahl-walked-away-185047684--politics.html |title=U.S. concluded in 2010 that Bergdahl walked away – Yahoo News |publisher=News.yahoo.com |date=20 April 2011 |accessdate=5 June 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Dilanian |first=Ken |url=http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/06/01/4150977/us-soldier-released-after-5-years.html |title=WASHINGTON: Questions loom over Bergdahl-Taliban swap |work=Miami Herald |date=30 June 2009 |accessdate=5 June 2014}}</ref> Bergdahl wrote e-mails to his parents that he was disillusioned by the war effort and bothered by the treatment of Afghans by the American soldiers. He said in his e-mail he was ashamed to be American.<ref name=foxnews63009>{{cite news |url=http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/06/03/wartime-messages-to-parents-fellow-soldiers-reveal-troubled-bergdahl/ |title=Bergdahl wrote of being 'ashamed' to be an American in emails |publisher=Fox News |date=30 June 2009 |accessdate=5 June 2014}}</ref> According to '']'', a military investigation showed that on the night he went missing, he left a note in his tent that said he was leaving to start a new life.<ref name=sc&s>Eric Schmitt; Helene Cooper; Charlie Savage (2 June 2014) , ''The New York Times''</ref> ] reported that the letter said that Bergdahl wanted to renounce his citizenship.<ref name=foxnews63009/> According to Senator ], the White House said there was no note during a meeting with Congress on the release of Bergdahl.<ref name=SaxbyWH>, '']''</ref> | |||
| ] ] said: "The questions about this particular soldier's conduct are separate from our effort to recover ANY U.S. service member in enemy captivity" and that the military will investigate how Bergdahl was captured. "Like any American, he is innocent until proven guilty. Our Army’s leaders will not look away from misconduct if it occurred. In the meantime, we will continue to care for him and his family."<ref>{{cite news |author=Reuters – Tue 3 Jun 2014 |url=https://in.news.yahoo.com/u-army-not-look-away-bergdahl-misconduct-dempsey-182938619.html |title=U.S. Army will not look away from any Bergdahl misconduct – Dempsey – Yahoo News India |publisher=In.news.yahoo.com |date= |accessdate=5 June 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nationaljournal.com/defense/dempsey-army-will-not-look-away-from-bergdahl-allegations-20140603| title= Dempsey: Army 'Will Not Look Away' From Bergdahl Allegations |work= ]}}<!-- Bot generated title --></ref> | |||
| Some soldiers who served with Bergdahl have called him a ].<ref name=desher>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/01/us/bergdahl-deserter-or-hero/ |title=Fellow soldiers call Bowe Bergdahl a deserter, not a hero – |publisher=Cnn.com |date= |accessdate=5 June 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Joe Gould, Army Times 7:17 p.m. EDT 31 May 2014 |url=http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/05/31/military-online-reaction-mixed-to-bergdahl-release-/9819451/ |title=Reaction to Bergdahl release mixed on online forum |work=USA Today |date=31 May 2014 |accessdate=5 June 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.navytimes.com/article/20140531/NEWS/305310046/Military-community-reaction-mixed-Bergdahl-release |title=Military community reaction mixed to Bergdahl release | Navy Times |publisher=navytimes.com |date= |accessdate=5 June 2014}}</ref> Nathan Bradley Bethea, a member of Bergdahl's battalion wrote a '']'' article stating that there was no patrol the night that Bergdahl went missing, and that Bergdahl had talked about his desire to walk to India. Bethea wrote that the brigade received an order not to discuss Bergdahl due to safety reasons, but now that he has been found there is not a need for further silence.<ref>{{cite news |author=06.02.14 |url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/06/02/we-lost-soldiers-in-the-hunt-for-bergdahl-a-guy-who-walked-off-in-the-dead-of-night.html |title=We Lost Soldiers in the Hunt for Bergdahl, a Guy Who Walked Off in the Dead of Night – The Daily Beast |publisher=Thedailybeast.com |date= |accessdate=5 June 2014}}</ref> Cody Full, a member of Bergdahl's platoon, said "He knowingly deserted and put thousands of people in danger because he did. We swore to an oath and we upheld ours. He did not." Full said that Bergdahl had mailed his computer and other possessions home prior to his disappearance.<ref name=sc&s/> | |||
| ====Contacts by Taliban==== | |||
| {{wikinews|Taliban publicize video of captured U.S. soldier Bowe Bergdahl}} | |||
| On July 18, 2009, the ] released a video showing the captured Bergdahl.<ref name=HuffingtonPost2009-07-19/> In it, Bergdahl appeared downcast and frightened. A ] statement issued on July 19 confirmed that Bergdahl was declared "missing/whereabouts unknown" on July 1, and his status was changed to "missing/captured" on July 3.<ref name=Usdod2009-07-19>{{Cite news| url=http://www.defense.gov/Releases/Release.aspx?ReleaseID=12827|title=DoD Announces Soldier Status as Missing-Captured| date=19 July 2009|author=]|publisher=]| accessdate=25 December 2009}}</ref> In the 28-minute video, his captors held up his ] to establish that the captured man was Bergdahl.<ref name=HuffingtonPost2009-07-19/> Bergdahl gave the date as July 14 and mentioned an attack that occurred that day.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/07/19/world/main5173084.shtml|title=Pentagon IDs Soldier Held by Taliban|first=John|last=Miller|date=19 July 2009| accessdate = 29 December 2009|agency=Associated Press|work=CBS News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite video|title=Video: U.S. Soldier, Bowie Bergdahl, Captured By Taliban|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NJV1XIRfWs|publisher=CNN|accessdate=29 December 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/07/19/afghanistan.soldier.hostage/index.html|title=U.S. soldier captured by Taliban: 'I'm afraid'|publisher=CNN|date=19 July 2009|accessdate=29 December 2009}}</ref> | |||
| In December 2009, five months after Bergdahl's disappearance, the media arm of the Taliban released a video of "a U.S. soldier captured in Afghanistan" titled "One of Their People Testified". The Taliban did not name the American, but the only U.S. soldier known to be in captivity was Bergdahl. U.S. military officials had been searching for Bergdahl, but it was not publicly known whether he was being held in Afghanistan or in neighboring Pakistan, an area off-limits to U.S. forces based in Afghanistan.<ref>{{Cite news|first=Deb|last=Riechmann|url=http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=9351352|title=Terror monitor: Tape of captured US soldier due|publisher=ABC News|date=16 December 2009|agency=Associated Press|accessdate=18 May 2010}}</ref> On December 25, another video was released showing Bergdahl in a ] and ].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://dnevnik.hr/vijesti/svijet/video-talibani-objavili-snimku-zarobljenog-vojnika.html|title=Video: Talibani objavili snimku zarobljenog vojnika (Video: Talibans publish a recording of captured soldier)|publisher=Dnevnik.hr|date=25 December 2009|accessdate= 29 December 2009|language=Croatian}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8430431.stm|title=Taliban video shows captive US soldier Bowe Bergdahl|publisher=BBC News|date=25 December 2009|accessdate=29 December 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|first=Jim|last=Heintz|author2=Amir Shah|url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/topstories/2009-12-25-928925036_x.htm|title=Family pleas for captive US soldier's release|date=25 December 2009|accessdate = 24 October 2011|agency=Associated Press|work=USA Today}}</ref> He described his place of birth, deployment to Afghanistan and subsequent capture, and made several statements regarding his humane treatment by his captors, contrasting this to the abuses suffered by insurgents in prisons. He finished by saying that the United States should not be involved in Afghanistan and that its presence there is akin to the Vietnam War. | |||
| The Taliban originally demanded $1 million<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.magicvalley.com/news/local/wood-river/article_5143da36-6583-5f6a-bb39-5b9ba8cf9232.html|title=Woodside Elementary students plead for Taliban to release Bergdahl|publisher=Magicvalley.com|date=12 October 2010|accessdate=14 November 2013}}</ref> and the release of 21 Afghan prisoners and ], a Pakistani scientist convicted in a U.S. court on charges of attempted murder of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. Most of the Afghan prisoners sought were being held at ].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://paktribune.com/news/index.shtml?224245|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20100208153710/http://paktribune.com/news/index.shtml?224245|archivedate=8 February 2010|title=Pakistan News Service|publisher=PakTribune|accessdate=13 May 2010}}</ref><ref name=TheNews2010-02-05>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=27072|title=Taliban to execute US soldier if Aafia not released|publisher=]|date=5 February 2010|author=Mushtaq Yusufzai|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenews.com.pk%2Ftop_story_detail.asp%3FId%3D27072&date=2010-02-06|archivedate=6 February 2010|quote=The Afghan Taliban on Thursday demanded the release of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani scientist who has been convicted by the U.S. court on charges of her alleged attempt to murder U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, and threatened to execute an American soldier they were holding currently. They claimed Siddiqui's family had approached the Taliban network through a ] of notables, seeking their assistance to put pressure on the U.S. to provide her justice.}}</ref> The Taliban later reduced its demand to five Taliban prisoners in exchange for Bergdahl's release.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/national/article_d8d8c366-d9b6-11e2-9db6-001a4bcf887a.html|title=AP Exclusive: Taliban offer to free US soldier Bowe Bergdahl| work=Idaho State Journal |date=20 June 2013|accessdate=14 November 2013}}</ref> | |||
| On April 7, 2010, the Taliban released a third video of Bergdahl, with a full head of hair and a beard, pleading for the release of Afghan prisoners held at Guantanamo and ]. In November 2010, Bergdahl appeared briefly in a fourth video<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/12/ap-afghanistan-taliban-video-bowe-bergdahl-120810|title=Taliban video thought to show captured spc.|publisher=Armytimes.com|accessdate=14 November 2013}}</ref> and in May 2011, in a fifth video.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/05/07/dad-captive-soldier-makes-public-appeal-pakistan|work=Fox News|title=Dad of Captive U.S. Soldier Makes Public Appeal to Pakistan|date=7 May 2011}}</ref> | |||
| In June 2010, Bergdahl managed to escape his captors but was recaptured after five days.<ref></ref> In August 2010, it was reported that a Taliban commander named Haji Nadeem said Bergdahl was helping to train the Taliban in bomb-making and infantry tactics. The Pentagon dismissed the reports as ].<ref>{{cite news |last=Zatkulak|first=Karen|url=http://www.ktvb.com/news/Reports-about-captured-Idaho-soldier-not-true-101339234.html|title=NBC: Reports about captured Idaho soldier not true|publisher=Ktvb.com|date=23 August 2010|accessdate=14 November 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.myfoxny.com/dpps/news/taliban%3A-captured-soldier-joined-cause-dpgonc-km-20100822_9290058|title=Taliban: Captured Soldier Joined Cause|publisher=Fox News|date=22 August 2010|accessdate=5 March 2012}}</ref> | |||
| In December 2011, it was reported that Bergdahl had managed to escape again the previous August or September but was recaptured after three days.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/12/06/u-s-prisoner-bowe-bergdahl-s-failed-attempt-to-escape-from-taliban.html|title=U.S. Prisoner Bowe Bergdahl’s Failed Attempt to Escape From Taliban|newspaper=The Daily Beast|date=7 December 2011|author=Sami Yousafzai|author2=Ron Moreau|deadurl=no|accessdate=2 September 2013}}</ref> In June 2013, Bergdahl's parents received a letter from him through the ].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57588087/pow-bowe-bergdahls-parents-receive-letter-from-captive-son|title=POW Bowe Bergdahl's parents receive letter from captive son|publisher=CBS News|date=6 June 2013|accessdate=14 November 2013}}</ref> In January 2014, the United States received another proof of life video dated December 14, 2013. In it, Bergdahl mentioned the death of South African president ], showing that the video had been filmed after December 5. | |||
| ==== Search efforts ==== | |||
| According to soldiers from Bergdahl's platoon, fellow soldiers described an increase in attacks against the United States in Paktika Province in the days and weeks following Bergdahl's disappearance.<ref name=autogenerated2>{{Cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/01/us/bergdahl-deserter-or-hero/|title=Fellow soldiers call Bowe Bergdahl a deserter, not a hero|work=CNN|date=1 June 2014}}</ref> Two ] leaflets were distributed by the U.S. military in seeking Bergdahl.<ref name=Cnn2009-07-19/> One showed a smiling GI shaking hands with Afghan children, with a caption that called him a guest in Afghanistan. The other showed a door being broken down and threatened that those holding Bergdahl would be hunted down.<ref name=Cnn2009-07-19/> | |||
| CNN reported that, according to soldiers involved in the operations to find Bergdahl, at least six soldiers were killed in the search.<ref name=autogenerated2 /> A spokesman for the Pentagon said that it is impossible to confirm whether anybody's death was directly linked to the search for Bergdahl,<ref name=sc&s/><ref name="fox six"/> but said the Pentagon will look further into the circumstances of the deaths being associated with the search.<ref name="fox six">{{cite news |author=FoxNews.com|title=Pentagon to review claims US soldiers killed during search for Bergdahl|url=http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/06/02/pentagon-to-look-into-allegations-soldiers-killed-effort-to-recover-bergdahl/|publisher=FoxNews|date=2 June 2014|accessdate=2 June 2014}}</ref> | |||
| Due to resources being diverted to find Bergdahl, the closing of Combat Outpost Keating was delayed, which may have led to eight American soldiers being killed on October 3, 2009, after ] overran the base.<ref name=sc&s/><ref name=autogenerated2 /> A former senior military officer disputed that the diversion of resources led to the attack, noting that COP Keating was in "a dangerous region in Afghanistan in the middle of the ‘fighting season’" and that "it is 'difficult to establish a direct cause and effect.'”<ref name=sc&s/> According to '']'', "A review of the database of casualties in the Afghan war suggests that Sergeant Bergdahl’s critics appear to be blaming him for every American soldier killed in Paktika Province in the four-month period that followed his disappearance."<ref name=sc&s/> | |||
| ==== Torture ==== | |||
| According to a senior U.S. official, Bergdahl told military officials that he had been tortured, beaten, and held in a cage by his Taliban captors in Afghanistan after he tried to escape.<ref>Associated Press. June 8, 2014. . ''The Washington Post.'' Retrieved: 8 June 2014.</ref> He told medical officials that he was locked in a metal cage in total darkness for weeks at a time as punishment for trying to escape.<ref>Eric Schmitt. June 7, 2014. . ''The New York Times.'' Retrieved: 8 June 2014.</ref> | |||
| ===Release=== | |||
| {{Infobox settlement | |||
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| | map_caption = ], where Bergdahl was released | |||
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| On May 31, 2014, Bergdahl was released by his captors and recovered by ]<ref>{{cite web|title=Touch and go on Bergdahl release until very end|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-worried-to-very-end-about-bergdahls-release/2014/06/03/d62bc87c-eaed-11e3-b10e-5090cf3b5958_story.html|website=The Washington Post|accessdate=3 June 2014}}</ref> a ] component of the] in eastern ]. The release was brokered by the American, ], and Afghanistan governments with the Taliban, in exchange for five ] detainees transferred to Qatari custody for at least one year. On 10:30 a.m. (]) May 31, 2014, Bergdahl was handed over by 18 Taliban members to a special operations team<ref>{{cite news|title=Hagel, Rice praise Bergdahl recovery mission, soldier's parents speak out|url=http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/06/02/hagel-rice-praise-bergdahl-recover-mission-defend-swiftness-not-telling/|accessdate=3 June 2014|publisher=Fox News|date=2 June 2014}}</ref> in eastern Afghanistan,<ref>{{cite news |title=US soldier held captive by Taliban in Afghanistan for nearly five years freed|url=http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/05/31/wh-us-solider-held-in-afghanistan-bergdahl-is-released-after-five-years/|publisher=Fox News|accessdate=1 June 2014}}</ref> near ] on the ], in what was described as a "peaceful handover".<ref>{{cite news|last=Starr|first=Barbara|title=Bowe Bergdahl, U.S. soldier held in Afghanistan, freed in apparent swap|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2014/05/31/world/asia/afghanistan-bergdahl-release/index.html?hpt=hp_t1|accessdate=31 May 2014|newspaper=CNN|date=31 May 2014}}</ref> A video of the handover was later released by the Taliban.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/04/politics/bowe-bergdahl-release/index.html |title=Taliban video shows Bowe Bergdahl's release in Afghanistan – |publisher=Cnn.com |date= |accessdate=5 June 2014}}</ref> | |||
| Bergdahl was treated by U.S. military medical staff at an undisclosed base in eastern Afghanistan. He was then transferred to ] before being flown to ], ], for medical treatment. He is expected to return home to ] in ], ], for further recovery.<ref>{{cite news |title=US soldier Bowe Bergdahl freed by Taliban in Afghanistan|url=http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-27651690|work=31 May 2014|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=31 May 2014}}</ref> | |||
| The Taliban detainees – known as the "]"<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/06/taliban-five-arrive-qatar-after-swap-deal-20146113536748321.html|title=Taliban five arrive in Qatar after swap deal|accessdate=1 June 2014|publisher=AlJazeera|date=1 June 2014}}</ref> – who were transferred from Guantanamo Bay, ], to custody in ], Qatar, are ], ], ], ], and ].<ref>{{cite news|last=Howell|first=Kellan|title=Terror suspects freed by Obama admin. were labeled ‘high risk’ in 2008: report|url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/may/31/terror-suspects-freed-obama-admin-soldier-were-lab/|accessdate=31 May 2014|newspaper=The Washington Times|date=31 May 2014}}</ref> They were the Taliban army chief of staff, a Taliban deputy minister of intelligence, a former Taliban interior minister, and two other senior Taliban figures.<ref>{{cite news|last=Joscelyn|first=Thomas|title=Five of the Most Dangerous Taliban Commanders in U.S. Custody Exchanged for American Captive|url=http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/five-most-dangerous-taliban-commanders-us-custody-released-pow-exchange_794017.html?page=2|accessdate=1 June 2014|publisher=www.WeeklyStandard.com|date=31 May 2014}}</ref> | |||
| Some U.S. lawmakers have said that the prisoner swap that led to Bergdahl's release may have been illegal.<ref>{{cite news |author=Mark Sappenfield |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/DC-Decoder/2014/0601/Obama-s-Bowe-Bergdahl-prisoner-swap-Was-it-illegal |title=Obama's Bowe Bergdahl prisoner swap: Was it illegal? – |work=The Christian Science Monitor |date=1 June 2014 |accessdate=5 June 2014}}</ref> The ] mandates that all prisoner transfers from Guantanamo Bay require 30 days' notice to ], which was not done in this case.<ref name=autogenerated1 /> Though U.S. federal law states that the president must inform Congress at least 30 days in advance of any transfers at Guantanamo Bay, no notice was given.<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite news |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/bergdahl-release-arrangement-could-threaten-the-safety-of-americans-republicans-say/2014/05/31/35e47a2a-e8ff-11e3-afc6-a1dd9407abcf_print.html |title=Bergdahl release arrangement could threaten the safety of Americans, Republicans say |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=31 May 2014 |accessdate=5 June 2014}}</ref> When ] ] signed the bill, he released a ] saying that the restriction interfered with the president's ] as ].<ref>, '']''</ref> The White House released a statement acknowledging that the release of the Guantanamo prisoners did not comply with the law but cited the ]'s signing statement, and "unique and exigent circumstances" as justification.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/gop-lawmakers-say-administration-broke-law-prisoner-swap/ |title=GOP lawmakers say administration broke law with prisoner swap | The Rundown | PBS NewsHour |publisher=Pbs.org |date=20 February 2013 |accessdate=5 June 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.morningjournal.com/general-news/20140602/gop-lawmakers-prisoner-exchange-violated-law |title=GOP lawmakers: Prisoner exchange violated law |publisher=Morningjournal.com |date= |accessdate=5 June 2014}}</ref> One year earlier, ] (then-]) had assured the press that the decision to free Bergdahl would only be made after consulting Congress, in accordance with said law.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://freebeacon.com/national-security/flashback-carney-said-no-decision-about-transferring-detainees-for-bergdahl-would-happen-without-consulting-congress/ |title=FLASHBACK: Carney Said No Decision About Transferring Detainees for Bergdahl Would Happen 'Without Consulting Congress' | Washington Free Beacon |publisher=Freebeacon.com |date=21 June 2013 |accessdate=5 June 2014}}</ref> | |||
| ====Release efforts==== | |||
| For months, U.S. negotiators sought to arrange the transfer of five Taliban detainees held at ] to the Gulf state of ]. The transfer was intended as one of a series of confidence-building measures designed to open the door to political talks between the Taliban and ] ]'s ].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/10/us-usa-afghanistan-prisoner-idUSBRE8481BI20120510|title=Family pleads for U.S. prisoner at heart of Afghan peace push|work=Reuters|first=Missy|last=Ryan|location=Washington, D.C.|date=9 May 2012}}</ref> That move – at the center of U.S. strategy for ending the long, costly conflict in Afghanistan – was supposed to lead directly to Bergdahl's release. The Taliban has consistently called for the United States to release those held at Guantanamo Bay in exchange for freeing Western prisoners. But the Guantanamo transfer proposal ground to a halt when the Taliban rejected U.S. conditions designed to ensure transferred Taliban would not slip away and re-emerge as military leaders.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/02/world/asia/us-scales-back-plans-for-afghan-peace.html?pagewanted=all|title=U.S. Abandoning Hopes for Taliban Peace Deal|first1=Matthew|last1=Rosenberg|first2=Rod|last2=Nordland|date=1 October 2012|work=]}}</ref> Ultimately, the ] agreed to the prisoner exchange, allowing Bergdahl to be released on May 31, 2014.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/taliban-held-us-soldier-released-in-exchange-for-afghan-detainees/2014/05/31/8b764dac-e8db-11e3-a86b-362fd5443d19_story.html?algtrack=cfrec-0&tid=btm_rex_1|title=Taliban-held U.S. soldier released in exchange for Afghan detainees|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=31 May 2014|accessdate=31 May 2014}}</ref> | |||
| ====Debate over negotiations==== | |||
| ], chairman of the ] said he was "extremely troubled" and that "This fundamental shift in U.S. policy signals to terrorists around the world a greater incentive to take U.S. hostages".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2014/05/31/political-divide-dont-negotiate-with-terrorists-vs-leave-no-man-behind/ |title=Political divide: ‘Don’t negotiate with terrorists’ vs. ‘Leave no man behind’ |publisher=CNN Political Ticker – CNN.com Blogs |deadurl=no |accessdate=5 June 2014}}</ref> This sentiment was repeated by Congressmen ] and ], who released a joint statement saying that terrorists now have a "strong incentive" to capture more soldiers.<ref>{{cite news |author=|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/gop-on-bowe-bergdahl-release-america-shouldnt-negotiate-with-terrorists/ |title=GOP on Bowe Bergdahl release: U.S. shouldn't negotiate with terrorists – CBS News |publisher=Cbsnews.com |date=1 June 2014 |accessdate=5 June 2014}}</ref> | |||
| ] asked White House spokesman ] if it can "still be said that the United States does not negotiate with terrorists" to which Carney replied: <blockquote>It can be ... because when you put on the uniform of the United States and you go and fight on behalf of your country in a foreign land at war, and you’re taken captive by the enemy, the principle that we don’t leave our men and women behind doesn’t have an asterisk attached to it depending on who’s holding you.</blockquote> Cooper followed up by asking "Even if it was a group like Al Qaeda, there would be negotiations with them?" to which Carney replied: <blockquote>What I’m saying is he was a prisoner in an armed conflict, and we were engaged in an effort for five years to try to recover him. As an admiral said on TV today, he said when one of your shipmates goes overboard, you go get them. You don’t ask whether he jumped or he was pushed or he fell. You go get him first and then you find out.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/bestoftv/2014/06/03/ac-carney-on-bergdahl-1.cnn.html |title=Carney: We don't leave people behind – CNN.com Video |publisher=Cnn.com |date= |accessdate=5 June 2014}}</ref></blockquote> | |||
| ] ] said that the release should be considered a "prisoner of war exchange" since the Taliban Five were members of the government of a sovereign state, and that "We didn't negotiate with terrorists".<ref>{{cite news |author=15 Photos |url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jun/1/hagel-us-didnt-negotiate-terrorists-securing-bergd/ |title=Hagel: U.S. didn't negotiate with terrorists in securing Bergdahl's release – Washington Times |work=The Washington Times |date=1 June 2014 |accessdate=5 June 2014}}</ref> | |||
| '']'' magazine published an article stating that the Taliban are: <blockquote>ot really a 'terrorist' enemy as we commonly understand the word. The group is not on the State Department’s official list of terrorist organizations and has long been a battlefield enemy in the ground war for control of Afghanistan. It is not plotting to, say, hijack American airplanes—even if it does have sympathies with people who are. Ditto the Taliban leaders released over the weekend.</blockquote> ''Time'' pointed out that the United States and other countries have "negotiated with terrorists" multiple times in previous years.<ref>{{cite news |author=Michael Crowley |url=http://time.com/2809612/bowe-bergdahl-obama-taliban/ |title=Bowe Bergdahl: Obama Didn’t Negotiate With Taliban Terrorists |work=Time |date= |accessdate=5 June 2014}}</ref> | |||
| In February 2014, ] published an article discussing the possibility of releasing Bergdahl in exchange for the five Taliban, and concluded that "discussions about the release of Bergdahl with the Afghan Taliban are not directly with a terrorist organization per se, but instead with an insurgent group that has a terrorist wing".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/19/opinion/bergen-taliban-bergdahl/index.html |title=Opinion: Will the U.S. negotiate with terrorists? – |publisher=Cnn.com |date= |accessdate=5 June 2014}}</ref> | |||
| == See also == | |||
| {{Portal|War|Biography|United States Army}} | |||
| {{Wikiquote|Bowe Bergdahl}} | |||
| * ], United States Army, the last American serviceman missing in the Iraq War; his remains were recovered in February 2012 | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ], an Israeli prisoner of war released in a 2011 exchange for 1,027 ] prisoners. | |||
| * ], a ] ] pilot shot down in the ] whose status became the subject of uncertainty and headlines, and whose death was not confirmed until August 2, 2009, with positive identification of his remains when they were discovered near his crash site 100 miles west of Baghdad. | |||
| ==References== | |||
| {{Reflist|colwidth=30em}} | |||
| {{Persondata | |||
| | NAME = Bergdahl, Bowe | |||
| | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Bergdahl, Bowe Robert; Bergdahl, Bowe R.; Bergdahl, B.R. | |||
| | SHORT DESCRIPTION = United States Army soldier and former prisoner of war | |||
| | DATE OF BIRTH = 1986-03-28 | |||
| | PLACE OF BIRTH = ], United States of America | |||
| | DATE OF DEATH = | |||
| | PLACE OF DEATH = | |||
| }} | |||
| {{DEFAULTSORT:Bergdahl, Bowe Robert}} | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
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Revision as of 23:38, 10 June 2014
This man was not a hero.