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Freed US soldier celebrated Xmas, played Badminton with Captors.....

Should Bowe Berdahl Be Court Martialed?

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MMC

MMC

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Miranshah (Pakistan) (AFP) - Freed US soldier Bowe Bergdahl developed a love for Afghan green tea, taught his captors badminton, and even celebrated Christmas and Easter with the hardline Islamists, a Pakistani militant commander told AFP Sunday. Bergdahl, the only US soldier detained in Afghanistan since war began in 2001, was released Saturday in exchange for the freeing of five senior Taliban figures held at Guantanamo Bay, in a dramatic deal brokered by Qatar.

A commander of the Haqqani network, a militant outfit allied with the Taliban with ties to Al-Qaeda, on Sunday painted a picture of a man who adjusted to his new life by engaging with his captors while clinging to aspects of his own identity.

"He was fond of kawa (Afghan green tea). He drank a lot of kawa all day, which he mostly prepared himself," the commander told AFP by phone from an undisclosed location in Pakistan's tribal areas. Over time, Bergdahl, now 28, grew fluent in Pashto and Dari, he said.

Militant sources disagree over the circumstances surrounding his capture, but several -- then and now -- described him as being "drunk".

US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel demurred Sunday when asked by reporters if Bergdahl had gone AWOL (absent without leave) or deserted his post, saying only that "other circumstances that may develop, and questions -- those will be dealt with later".

"Sangeen kept him in Paktika, Paktia and parts of Khost before bringing him to the Pakistan-Afghanistan border," the Haqqani commander said, referring to districts located in eastern Afghanistan.....snip~


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Freed US soldier celebrated Xmas, played badminton with captors


Should Bowe Bergdahl Be Court-Martialed? What say ye?
 
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Bergdahl will now remain at the Landstuhl centre in Germany while he continues his "reintegration process," the army said. Officials had said Saturday he was in "good" condition.

"This is a guy who probably went through hell for the last five years," Hagel told NBC's "Meet the Press".....snip~

Freed US soldier celebrated Xmas, played badminton with captors


Hagel and Rice have focused on his Health was beginning to deteriorate.....according to what I am getting he walked and got up into the helicopter without any help. After they had removed his blindfold. Anything else.....is all about how they didn't want to leave one of ours behind.

Again this guy was Promoted not once......but twice in captivity. Now he will stay in Germany until his reintegrated back into speaking English, and to also check and see if he has turned.
 
Hardline Islamists celebrating Easter and Christmas while playing Badminton. THERE'S a picture!
 
Not based on playing badminton, learning the language in 5 years or celebrating holidays. Other than the mention of being drunk and AWOL, am I missing something?
 
Manc Skipper said:
Hardline Islamists celebrating Easter and Christmas while playing Badminton. THERE'S a picture!
Click to expand...

I didn't see it saying that Skipper. :2wave: It says he was allowed to celebrate his religious beliefs. Not that the Islamists were celebrating his events.

But they did learn to play Badminton.....now those pics I want to see.
 
X Factor said:
Not based on playing badmitton, learning the language in 5 years or celebrating holidays. Other than the mention of being drunk and AWOL, am I missing something?
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Heya X :2wave: ......he deserted. Its not just going AWOL.

Also this Administration is stating his health was an issue. So therefore they had to act.
 
MMC said:
and even celebrated Christmas and Easter with the hardline Islamists,
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You know the BS detector light flickered a little when I read that line.
 
Crosscheck said:
You know the BS detector light flickered a little when I read that line.
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Mornin' Crosscheck......I wouldn't trust all the Pakistani have to say. Makes me think they knew where he was, and that's no BS.
 
Based on what? Is there evidence that he committed such an offense?
 
ttwtt78640 said:
Based on what? Is there evidence that he committed such an offense?
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Yes Ttwtt.....he walked off. He says off of a patrol. But.....he asked his CO what Military equipment would we not want to fall into the Enemies hands. The CO told him the night Vision Goggles and his weapon. So he left them.....took a knife canteen camera and diary. Made off to cross over the Mountains into Pakistan.

One thing all were clear on is.....they know he was drunk. When he disappeared. Which I doubt he would be drunk......and out on Patrol.
 
Most of the Military calling in on Radio stations are tearing Bergdahl up.....also others are questioning if BO is trying to use this with Peace talks with the Taliban since they are not talking with us and using Qatar as an intermediary.

The issue is should he be court martialed. People can show whatever they need to back why they think so or not. The article OP I presented was info released this Morning on him, based on what those in Contact with the Taliban are saying.

They also know he sent his father a letter telling him he was going to take off from the US military.....and talking about how the Military sucked and then he went off into some speil about how we treat the Afghans.
 
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Now that we've started negotiating with terrorists, no American is safe. 5 bad asses for one idiot. Sounds like another Obama bad decision.
 
Smartmouthwoman said:
Now that we've started negotiating with terrorists, no American is safe. 5 bad asses for one idiot. Sounds like another Obama bad decision.
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We've started negotiating with terrorists *behind the backs of Congress. A clear breaking of the law.

Also, we have a Marine in Mexico who is being imprisoned that the FedGov is doing nothing about while we trade terrorists for a sympathizer in Pakistan.
 
Smartmouthwoman said:
Now that we've started negotiating with terrorists, no American is safe. 5 bad asses for one idiot. Sounds like another Obama bad decision.
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Mornin' SMW. This is not a good move.....period. Plus the MS Media is all over Rice and Hagel about the health issue now. Especially After those in Germany reported he was in good health considering his ordeal.


Moreover.....the Z Man for AQ is luving this. Considering in April he told his followers to start kidnapping and capturing Americans so they can get their people released. Now.....ANY Americans going overseas into any of these regions. Now have a target on their backs.
 
WCH said:
We've started negotiating with terrorists *behind the backs of Congress. A clear breaking of the law.

Also, we have a Marine in Mexico who is being imprisoned that the FedGov is doing nothing about while we trade terrorists for a sympathizer in Pakistan.
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Heya WCH :2wave: ......yep, we have that Marine in Mexico. Which all know Kerry's office was contacted. Can't leave him behind.....isn't that what Susan Rice was trying to Preach?

Did she forget Benghazi so soon as well as her past history? She is a joke before the International Community and a fool advising BO.
 
Here is some info that gives us a little insight into the BO play with the Taliban. Obama is Hoping for a Peace Plan with the Taliban.



US prisoner swap ignites criticism, hopes for peace talks.....


Kabul (AFP) - The dramatic deal to free soldier Bowe Bergdahl in exchange for Taliban prisoners ignited criticism after the insurgents' leader declared a "big victory", but also raised hopes for peace as the US prepares to leave Afghanistan.

Washington has defended the swap as critical to saving Bergdahl's life, as his health had deteriorated sharply after five years spent as the only US soldier held captive by the Taliban since the war began in 2001.

Senator John McCain, who was himself a prisoner of war in Vietnam, called them the "hardest of the hard core" and said it was "disturbing that these individuals would have the ability to re-enter the fight".

Mullah Mohammad Omar, the spiritual leader of the Taliban, issued a rare statement praising the release of the Guantanamo five as a "big victory", and congratulating "all the mujahideen"......snip~

US prisoner swap ignites criticism, hopes for peace talks


What does it say when the Taliban and all of AQ are Celebrating?
 
Absolutely be tried by court martial under the UCMJ....He deserted his post, and aided the enemy...That is according to at least one person that says they were there at the time....

"I WAS THERE. I'm sick of all the lies. Here is the TRUTH, from someone on the ground. 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."

Bowe Bergdahl’s Father on Twitter: “I Am Working to Free All Guantanamo Prisoners… ameen” | The Gateway Pundit

If this is true...Then the man should answer for his actions.
 
j-mac said:
Absolutely be tried by court martial under the UCMJ....He deserted his post, and aided the enemy...That is according to at least one person that says they were there at the time....

"I WAS THERE. I'm sick of all the lies. Here is the TRUTH, from someone on the ground. 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."

Bowe Bergdahl’s Father on Twitter: “I Am Working to Free All Guantanamo Prisoners… ameen” | The Gateway Pundit

If this is true...Then the man should answer for his actions.
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Mornin' JMac. :2wave: I agree.. This goes with what they were saying he asked his CO. Others keep talking about how he was constantly bashing the Military. They promoted this Deserter twice. Not once.....Twice. There is no way any Should be calling him SGT.

BO is using this politically to deal with the Taliban who refuse to talk to our people. There was no health problem as Germany reported.
 
This is probably a forlorn hope, but let's not rush to judgment just yet.
 
Here is what the NY Post says:

Bergdahl’s parents, who had lobbied continuously for his *release, had not seen him by Saturday night, but intimated that he faces an arduous recovery from his ordeal.

Bergdahl is speaking in what appears to be Pashto, said his dad, Bob Bergdahl. It was not clear whether his son can still even speak English, Bob said.

When the father spoke to his son — for the first time in five worried years — it was to say both in Pashto and English, “I am your father, Bowe.” The bizarre tale of America’s last known POW | New York Post
 
WCH said:
We've started negotiating with terrorists *behind the backs of Congress. A clear breaking of the law.

Also, we have a Marine in Mexico who is being imprisoned that the FedGov is doing nothing about while we trade terrorists for a sympathizer in Pakistan.
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Well, I mean, the guy in Mexico is a totally different situation. He broke the law, and he's in prison. Surely you don't think Americans should be exempt from other countries' laws? That would set an awful precedent!

As for Bergdahl being a sympathiser, I think it's absurd. Where's your evidence? That he had human interaction with his captors, who are also normal people? That he played badminton with them?

If you think captured soldiers just repeat their dog-tag ID over and over again for five years in captivity, you've been playing too many WWII videogames.
 
nota bene said:
This is probably a forlorn hope, but let's not rush to judgment just yet.
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Mornin NB.
hat.gif
Here is some background on this. The deal has been in the making for some time. What Team BO is saying about Bergdahl is BS. Check this out and the date. Oh and this isn't the first time we have agreed to release prisoners. Just the first time from Guantanamo.

This is being done for political reasons.....as even Team BO knows he walked away from his post.



U.S. seeks prisoner swap with Taliban to free Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.....


In an effort to free American captive Bowe Bergdahl before the bulk of U.S. forces leave Afghanistan this year, the Obama administration has decided to try to resume talks with the Taliban and sweeten an offer to trade Taliban prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for the Army sergeant, current and former officials said.

To refresh the American offer, which has been on the table for more than two years, senior officials from the White House, the Pentagon, the State Department and other agencies decided within the past month to allow the simultaneous release of all five men. Taliban representatives had objected to the previous plan to release the prisoners by ones or twos as a test of Taliban and Qatari intermediaries’ ability to make sure the men did not return to militancy.

Two people familiar with the decision stressed that it was the Taliban that broke off negotiations nearly two years ago and that the U.S. door to talks has been open since. The renewed offer has not been formally made, and no State Department or other officials have immediate plans to travel to Doha, Qatar, where any contact facilitated by the Qatari government would take place.

The mid-January decision by officials at the level of deputy secretary would confine any new talks to the prisoner issue. Negotiations would not attempt wider engagement with the Taliban on a host of issues related to the future of Afghanistan. U.S. officials had once hoped to use the prisoner exchange as a means to build confidence for those larger discussions, which would also have involved the Afghan government. Now, the United States is primarily focused on getting Bergdahl home.

Bergdahl, an Army infantryman assigned to a unit from Alaska, was taken captive after walking off his base in the eastern province of Paktika, a decision that confounded his comrades and commanders in Afghanistan. The U.S. military launched a massive manhunt, fearing it would be nearly impossible to find him if his captors smuggled him into Pakistan. The Taliban soon took credit for capturing him and offered to release him in exchange for $1 million and 21 Afghan prisoners.

The Taliban broke off talks before they ever really began in 2012, and an effort to resurrect negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government last year ended in an embarrassing shambles. A political office promised to the Taliban was readied in Doha but closed two days after it opened in June amid a row over the raising of a flag the Taliban used when it ruled Afghanistan prior to the 2001 U.S. invasion.

Taliban representatives remain in Doha, and the office is a de facto political headquarters.....snip~

U.S. seeks prisoner swap with Taliban to free Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl - The Washington Post
Feb 17, 2014 <<<<< !
 
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Smartmouthwoman said:
Now that we've started negotiating with terrorists, no American is safe. 5 bad asses for one idiot. Sounds like another Obama bad decision.
Click to expand...

Imagine how you could have partied if a video showing him having his head sawed off with a knife had shown up? There'd be a horde outside the White House with torches and pitchforks.
 
Ad_Captandum said:
Well, I mean, the guy in Mexico is a totally different situation. He broke the law, and he's in prison. Surely you don't think Americans should be exempt from other countries' laws? That would set an awful precedent!

As for Bergdahl being a sympathiser, I think it's absurd. Where's your evidence? That he had human interaction with his captors, who are also normal people? That he played badminton with them?

If you think captured soldiers just repeat their dog-tag ID over and over again for five years in captivity, you've been playing too many WWII videogames.
Click to expand...



What evidence? You mean when he walked off Post. Its been reported since 2009. He just walked off. Any MS Media source covered it. They do have a timeline on him. You don't think that with all reporting that he walked off. That the Press didn't speak to those whom knew?
 
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