Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Was Bowe Bergdahl a deserter.

That's a long but very good read.

My head is swirling after reading it.

This is one part that was very disturbing.

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Bowe Bergdahl had a different response. He decided to walk away.

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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I'm having difficulty with the way his team leader reacted ... if it's true.

WTF? Shouldn't that have been red flag?

Walking of in a combat mission sounds like desertion to me.

Naturally, it is always worse than first thought.

No doubt. He deserted and it's all on him.

BB was an ideological nutcase that shouldn't have been in combat though.



I'm thinking about this from the perspective of the man fighting next to him. Would you want be in combat with somebody that isn't 100% committed to the cause and on the verge of going rogue?

I was in Afghanistan just one province over when he walked away from his FOB. I was in Paktia and he was in Paktika. The information we got was he was ticked off at a senior NCO and just decided to walk away. There was another story he got drunk and walked away. I find that hard to believe because of the Army's attitude toward alcohol being smuggled into Afghanistan. I also heard this was a habit of his, walk away from a problem instead of dealing with it. Since I don't know the kid personally I cannot confirm any of this.

I think he just didn't know what he was getting into and ended up getting traded to the Taliban and not back to his FOB when he was stopped by some locals. There was a lot of concern at first but it seemed to die down pretty quick so the leadership knew early he was in the hands of the Taliban or Haqqani's.

Since he was a Spec4 at the time he left he didn't have any classified information to reveal to the Taliban and they simply waited for the right time to do the trade. Just my take on it. kwg

Please accept my thanks for standing a watch for me and mine. I truly appreciate your service.

Well if he was not abused like they abused Russian POW's, then its all very very suspect. As for the trade, I hope to heck they were then ambushed and all of them killed but with the current leadership in place its doubtful.

I believe he accomplished his mission...

Thank you CT. I was a contractor at the time. I was getting paid well to be there. I'd give it all back to be young again so I could do it all over again. Does anyone know a company that will hire an old retired fart to go back over? I'm available. kwg

Here is a link to Stormbringer's blog from his ties in U.S. Special Forces. In it another S.F. operator lays out what followed Bergdahl's desertion and what the U.S. Military had to do to try and rescue him. A number of U.S. Army soldiers were killed in the rescue attempts. Stormbringer is a retired Special Forces operator and posts a "back door" bit of information.

Valid information?? Maybe. Maybe not, but it sounds reasonable to me.

http://seanlinnane.blogspot.com/2014/06/prisoner-exchange.html#comment-form

L.W.

And, there is the Stockholm Syndrome in which prisoners (regardless of their inner-strength) eventually bond with their captors, the ones on which they are totally dependent.

Regardless of his motivations when walking, is there anyone else who really wants to leave any American behind, especially in that hell-hole?

if leaving him there means other American troops down the road will be safer, yeah.
Doing deals with the Taliban, negotiating with them for this fellow's release, will come back to haunt us.

http://joeforamerica.com/2014/06/u-s-release-5-jihadists-get-jihad-convert-trade/

I wouldnt trust that chickensh-t BB any further than I could throw my house.

Gunner

He simply did not agree with American Policy and left his post. Yes he is a deserter and definitely not worth 5 valuable Taliban prisoners and to even think a US soldier died "rescuing" this POS is pretty revolting to me.

Nothing but politico posturing on the eve of an election year, kinda reminds me of the bullspit Benghazi atrocities.

Gunner

The guy and his father are both likely American Taliban..

+1 to both posts

+1000000000000

Gunner