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US soldier freed from captivity in Afghanistan

shrubnose said:
It does look like quite a few vets are having a rough time getting the treatment that they deserve.
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You are right and the blame goes to both Bush the younger and Obama.
 
APACHERAT said:
I didn't realize how many top leaders (generals) that both Al Qaeda and the Taliban has. What is it. around 6,000 or 10,000 ?

Al Qaeda and the Taliban has to many chief and not enough braves. (I think I'm still allowed to use that word, I think the liberal PC word police haven't ruled on the word "braves" yet.)


Just heard that President Obama broke the law again.

You think that President Obama might have finally did something right and it ends up he broke the law.

>" WASHINGTON--The release of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl after nearly five years in Taliban captivity prompted cheers among U.S. officials Saturday, but amid the applause some on Capitol Hill are questioning the risks and legality of how his freedom was brokered.

Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon (R., Calif.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a joint statement that they, too, celebrated Sgt. Bergdahl's freedom. But the exchange of five top Taliban detainees from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, raises risks for all Americans, they said.

"Our joy at Sergeant Bergdahl's release is tempered by the fact that President Obama chose to ignore the law, not to mention sound policy, to achieve it," they said Saturday in a written statement.

"Trading five senior Taliban leaders from detention in Guantanamo Bay for Bergdahl's release may have consequences for the rest of our forces and all Americans" by giving terrorists "a strong incentive to capture Americans."

They also said that President Barack Obama "clearly violated laws which require him to notify Congress thirty days before any transfer of terrorists from Guantanamo Bay."

Similarly, Rep. Mike Rogers (R., Mich.), chairman of the House Select Committee on Intelligence, called the move a "fundamental shift in U.S. policy" that "will threaten the lives of American soldiers for years to come."

He also said he had "little confidence" in security assurances given by Qatar, which is accepting the five Taliban officials--and "even less confidence in this Administration's willingness to ensure they are enforced." ..."<

Amid Cheers for Sgt. Bergdahl's Release, Some Lawmakers Raise Concerns About Swap - WSJ.com
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Mornin' Apache. :2wave: Yep BO did go around the Law again. Which now the Republicans need to take him to task on this. He Negotiated with Terrorists. Moreover.....his excuses just don't cut it. Here is what Team BO is saying in his defense.




The White House agreed that actions were taken in spite of legal requirements and cited "unique and exigent circumstances" as justification.

Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon of California and Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma said in a statement that Obama is required by law to notify Congress 30 days before any terrorists are transferred from the U.S. facility. They said Obama also is required to explain how the threat posed by such terrorists has been substantially mitigated.

In response, the White House said it moved as quickly as possible given the opportunity that arose to secure Bergdahl's release. Citing "these unique and exigent circumstances," the White House said a decision was made to go ahead with the transfer despite the legal requirement of 30 days advance notice to Congress.....snip~

GOP lawmakers: Prisoner exchange violated law

BO knows he was going around Congress again.....he knowingly knows. So now its up to the Republicans need to call him out on this. As he can't show releasing these 5 Chumps that they are not a threat to US Personnel and American citizens.
 
APACHERAT said:
It seems that those on active duty today and the Iraqi and Afghan vets didn't forget who this guy is and what he did.
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It appears those that were stationed with this guy are a wee bit pissed off over the 'hero' treatment:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/288812731285526/permalink/288946681272131/

"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 that 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."
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It also seems the guys father is a very anti-war guy, and with that whole 'not far from the tree', it sorta puts some perspective into the whole thing.

I am letting it all play out and watching to see if the 'mainstream media' digs into this, and what all comes of it. There are certainly, potentially, some serious issues here, and I'd love to see journalists actually do their job for a change.
 
Helix said:
i'm not going to have a partisan fistfight about a POW's release. this will be my last response to anything you post on this subject.
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You shoildn't have said anything to begin with.
 
shrubnose said:
The only American soldier held prisoner in Afghanistan has been freed by the Taliban in exchange for the release of 5 Afghan detainees from the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Obama administration officials said Saturday

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




I am sure that I join everyone on this forum in wishing this young man and his family and friends the best.
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I am still very hesitant to give any well wishes to this soldier without knowing if he had purposely went AWOL and endagered the safety of his unit by having to look for him. If he did leave willfully, and we let 5 enemy prisoners back out into the world, it would be even worse. So I do not share the media's warm welcome as blindly as they do. I want a few questions to be asked and answered first.
 
shrubnose said:
Tell your story to the family of this soldier.
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You mean this family (his father)?

Screen Shot 2014-06-01 at 9.15.31 AM.jpg

It is becoming more and more clear the guy just deserted his post and the military….

http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com...=true&_type=blogs&_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=1&

Bowe Bergdahl, U.S. soldier held by Taliban, was "ashamed to be American," emails show - CBS News

The second story, from 2012, says that this guy was to potentially be involved in a prisoner swap for 5 people from Gitmo. But the taliban 'walked away'. If they didn't want the swap back then, what has changed? What are the rest of the details of the trade? It appears this was pushed more from our side than from the Taliban.
 
Capster78 said:
I am still very hesitant to give any well wishes to this soldier without knowing if he had purposely went AWOL and endagered the safety of his unit
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All indications are he did, and several soldiers died in the search for him.
 
Arbo said:
All indications are he did, and several soldiers died in the search for him.
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And if that turns out to be the case, I will be very upset that he received what appears to be a Hero's welcoming by the President. Who is entrusted with being our military CIC. If the CIC is giving warm welcome to those who desert their units and get other soldiers killed, what kind of message is that sending?
 
Capster78 said:
And if that turns out to be the case, I will be very upset that he received what appears to be a Hero's welcoming by the President. Who is entrusted with being our military CIC. If the CIC is giving warm welcome to those who desert their units and get other soldiers killed, what kind of message is that sending?
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What proof do you need? It seems rolling stone did an article on him a few years back, they talked to people in his unit that said he deserted. Rolling stone is no right wing mouthpiece. ;)
 
Arbo said:
What proof do you need? It seems rolling stone did an article on him a few years back, they talked to people in his unit that said he deserted. Rolling stone is no right wing mouthpiece. ;)
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I would like there to be an investigation into his "abduction". If it were really an abduction, or if it turns out he was an anti-war or taliban appologist. If that is the case, why is he being rewarded for that?
 
It should be noted that prisoner exchanges are not unprecedented practices. They become increasingly common toward the end of conflicts. At the same time, the Taliban members will remain under restriction in Qatar. Reuters reported, "The five are expected to live on compounds in Qatar, and their families will be brought there to live with them, officials said." Given Qatar's dependence on U.S. protection, Qatar's current government likely won't suddenly release them. Overall, the benefits of securing the release of the American soldier justify the modest risks undertaken in transferring the Taliban members to Qatar. From the Taliban's perspective, this arrangement is not so attractive that it would gain significant incentives to try to capture additional American personnel for exchange, especially as the process was so drawn out and the Taliban members did not acquire freedom.
 
shrubnose said:
The only American soldier held prisoner in Afghanistan has been freed by the Taliban in exchange for the release of 5 Afghan detainees from the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Obama administration officials said Saturday

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




I am sure that I join everyone on this forum in wishing this young man and his family and friends the best.
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Something is not right about this.
 
cpwill said:
He's not a "brave young man" or any other kind of hero. He was (apparently) the unit scumbag who got pissed off at his lieutenant and so abandoned his post and ran away from the FOB. He probably has changed a lot since, and I hope he has grown up and become a better person. But this guy doesn't deserve any medals, he deserves to be formally charged.



By which you mean the people who actually served with him?

Look. It's good that we got him back. It's bad that we decided to trade five dudes out of Gitmo for him, apparently on the value of their pinkie-swear that they won't go back to Jihad they pretty-promise-with-a-cherry-on-top. We should go after the American citizens who get kidnapped anywhere in the world, and get them back. But that doesn't make anyone stupid enough to wander off their base in Afghanistan by themselves because they are acting like petulant children into heroes. It just makes them American citizens whom we should go get.
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And if his actions pan out to be as they seem to have been by most reports, that he did walk away from his post, then you're right. As much as I might be glad for him and his family, I remember my oath - it meant something to me then, and still does to this day. Yeah, there's far-left liberals like me out there who believe in abiding by the oaths we took when we entered service.

And for that reason - again, if the stories are true - I cannot pity the guy, just as I have not one ounce of pity for Pvt. Manning. If you violate your oath of service, it'd better be for a doggone good reason...and even then, you have to be prepared to accept the consequences.
 
apdst said:
As cpwill has pointed out, this cat is the unit dud. We exchanged 5 Tals for him. Not sure he we should be all that thrilled about his return. Maybe, we should be more excited about him being brought up on charges.
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Doubt that will happen, considering the administration apparently broke the law itself to gain the guy's release.

GOP lawmakers: Prisoner exchange violated law

From the article:
"The White House agreed that actions were taken in spite of legal requirements and cited "unique and exigent circumstances" as justification."
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donsutherland1 said:
It should be noted that prisoner exchanges are not unprecedented practices. They become increasingly common toward the end of conflicts. At the same time, the Taliban members will remain under restriction in Qatar. Reuters reported, "The five are expected to live on compounds in Qatar, and their families will be brought there to live with them, officials said." Given Qatar's dependence on U.S. protection, Qatar's current government likely won't suddenly release them. Overall, the benefits of securing the release of the American soldier justify the modest risks undertaken in transferring the Taliban members to Qatar. From the Taliban's perspective, this arrangement is not so attractive that it would gain significant incentives to try to capture additional American personnel for exchange, especially as the process was so drawn out and the Taliban members did not acquire freedom.
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What will the concequences be if Qatar cuts them lose?
 
jonny5 said:
This is a POLITICAL FORUM.
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and you're so influenced by the conservative entertainment media that you're actually pissed off about a POW being released after five ****ing years in captivity?

seriously. i mean, i understand that it's possible to hate a president that much, but seeing it in the wild is still stunning every time. this guy is not the president. he is a POW. what is Fox saying about him?

never mind, i just went and looked. Fox cleverly inserted the "desertion" angle, just as i expected. and turned off comments for the article. i wonder why.
 
joG said:
That was what makes the thing feel uneasy.
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And I didnt even know about his circumstances of his getting captured or US law prohibiting release of our captives. His alleged actions should not have stopped us from rescuing him, but thats a solid rule which we should never violate. Never negotiate with terrorists.
 
Helix said:
and you're so influenced by the conservative entertainment media that you're actually pissed off about a POW being released after five ****ing years in captivity?

seriously. i mean, i understand that it's possible to hate a president that much, but seeing it in the wild is still stunning every time. this guy is not the president. he is a POW. what is Fox saying about him?

never mind, i just went and looked. Fox cleverly inserted the "desertion" angle, just as i expected. and turned off comments for the article. i wonder why.
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Ad hominem.
 
Helix said:
and you're so influenced by the conservative entertainment media that you're actually pissed off about a POW being released after five ****ing years in captivity?
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So if we say that his time in captivity was punishment enough, that could be true. It could also not be true if it is found that he was a Taliban appologist. If it is found that the reason he was in captivity for 5 years is because he partially agreed with their cause and as a result, never tried really hard to escape. Punishment for most citizens and soldiers who break the law is to go somewhere you don't want to be and dont have a choice weather to be there or not. Maybe his 5 years was not much a punishment. Even if it was was... Do you see the President of the United States greeting everyone and congradulating them on surviving their prison sentence? Its absurd!
 
jonny5 said:
Ad hominem.
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Nice non-response.

Seriously. A POW has been released. If you want to be pissed off about that, then whatever.
 
Helix said:
Nice non-response.

Seriously. A POW has been released. If you want to be pissed off about that, then whatever.
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We don't even know if he was a POW yet. Based on what evidence there is, its possible he was not being held against his will.
 
Helix said:
and you're so influenced by the conservative entertainment media
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Says the guy that pushes the 'fox bad' angle. How about Rolling Stone magazine, that almost two year ago printed:

In the early-morning hours of June 30th, according to soldiers in the unit, Bowe approached his team leader not long after he got off guard duty and asked his superior a simple question: If I were to leave the base, would it cause problems if I took my sensitive equipment?

Yes, his team leader responded — if you took your rifle and night-vision goggles, that would cause problems.

Bowe returned to his barracks, a roughly built bunker of plywood and sandbags. He gathered up water, a knife, his digital camera and his diary. Then he slipped off the outpost.
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Seems this information has been out there for quite a while… not a Fox invention. Care to comment on that reality?
 
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