Bowe Bergdahl

TWD · Jun 2, 2014

This story has me so stunned I'm not sure where to even start. So I'm just going to provide references for every fact I've found about it so far, and let you guys sort it out. If you don't like my sources then get your own.

Bowe Bergdahl is a soldier who was "captured" by the Taliban. His fellow soldiers claim that he abandoned his post in Afghanistan in the middle of the night. Many soldiers died trying to get him back:

http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/01/us/bergdahl-deserter-or-hero/index.html

Here is a message making the rounds from an anonymous soldier claiming to be from Bergdahl's unit. It was originally posted at Free Republic, but obviously we can't confirm it's origin:

"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 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."

There's more from this Twitter user claiming to be from his unit:
https://twitter.com/CodyFNfootball

Here's a story from back when he was captured where they claim he just "walked off the base":
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/32007586/...arents-captured-gi-plead-privacy#.U40WtPldURp

In 2012 the Rolling Stone wrote an article about it too:
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/americas-last-prisoner-of-war-20120607

The CIA thought Bergdahl might be directly helping the Taliban
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/201...nce-community-investigated-bergdahls-conduct/

Anyways the big news is that the administration made a trade. They released 5 Taliban leaders from Gitmo in exchange for Bergdahl. Doing so directly violates a law that Obama signed several months ago that required the administration to give 30 days notice before releasing prisoners from Gitmo:

http://www.politico.com/story/2014/06/obama-guantanamo-bay-107333.html?hp=t1

The media asked Jay Carney about this specific swap a while ago, and this was his answer back then:

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs...ing-congress_794088.html#.U4zTbUANajs.twitter

As we have long said, however, we would not make any decisions about transfer of any detainees without consulting with Congress and without doing so in accordance with U.S. law.

cryptophreak · Jun 2, 2014

Where are you going with all of this?

Jacks:Revenge · Jun 2, 2014

well the story has him so stunned, that he doesn't actually know where to start.
so he's just going to provide references and let us sort it out.

because that's how all great discussions begin.

Big-Al · Jun 2, 2014

Vote republican 20 16 ! !

TWD · Jun 2, 2014

cryptophreak said:
Where are you going with all of this?

I guess it's no big deal. Obama only set lose five terrorists in exchange for a deserter, and broke his own law when he did it.

cryptophreak · Jun 2, 2014

Five people who may or may not have done anything wrong. (http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/...itmo-detainee-was-cleared-for-release-in-2009) And while we’re on the subject, since when does the United States give a fuck about the law?

Anyway, more bullshit that doesn’t matter. Let’s fix our shit locally and stay out of other countries.

TWD · Jun 3, 2014

cryptophreak said:
Five people who may or may not have done anything wrong.

Of course! I feel so stupid. These are clearly innocent bystanders. I should have done my research:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/201...ban-commanders-set-free-in-prisoner-exchange/

Abdul Haq Wasiq

Wasiq has been accused by Human Rights Watch of mass killings and torture. According to a report by the Joint Task Force Guantanamo, Wasiq “arranged for Al Qaeda personnel to train Taliban intelligence staff in intelligence methods.

Mullah Norullah Noori

Noori, who was named as the Taliban governor for the Balkh and Lagman provinces, is wanted by the United Nations for war crimes including the murder and torture of thousands of Shiite Muslims. [...] Noori has been implicated in the murder of thousands of Shiites in northern Afghanistan. When asked about the killings, Noori “did not express any regret and stated they did what they needed to do in their struggle to establish their ‘ideal state.’”

Mullah Mohammad Fazi

He’s also wanted by the United Nations on war crimes for the murder of thousands of Shiite Muslims in Afghanistan.

Mullah Khairullah Khairkhwa

Khairkhwa and his deputies are suspected of being associated with an extremist military training camp run by the Al Qaeda commander Abu Musab al Zarqawi, who was killed in 2006. U.S. authorities have also accused Khairkhwa of becoming a powerful opium trafficker.

Mohammad Nabi Omari

In August 2002, Nabi reportedly helped two al Qaeda operatives smuggle missiles in Pakistan. The weapons were smuggled in pieces and the plan was to reassemble the missiles once all of the pieces had been brought across. Nabi was caught in September 2002 and eventually moved to Guantanamo.

You could argue that they should be tried in some kind of court, but I guess we'll never see that now will we?

cryptophreak · Jun 3, 2014

Yes, I suppose I would like some manner of honest court-type proceeding to be involved. I know this is a radical assertion given it’s only based on 800 years or so of legal precedence, but I believe that perhaps there might be some advantage in some intermediary steps between accusing someone of something and throwing them in an offshore torture facility/internment camp.

But all of this is beside the point. I regard virtually every action of the United States as illegitimate given the recent record on domestic spying, the war on drugs, engaging in terrorism in Yemen and Pakistan, prosecuting whistleblowers, etc., and I’m currently looking for a more sane place to live. As far as I know there aren’t for-profit prisons or drone armies operating out of the Netherlands, for example.

ambershee · Jun 3, 2014

There are drones armies operating out of the Netherlands, just an FYI.

cryptophreak · Jun 3, 2014

ambershee said:
There are drones armies operating out of the Netherlands, just an FYI.

FUCKING HELL

Lichtenstein it is then.

Big-Al · Jun 3, 2014

Quick, sell them weapons!

DeathBooger · Jun 3, 2014

Anyone else find it comical that we can't defeat a bunch of lunatics that think blowing themselves up is a good move?

Balton · Jun 3, 2014

cryptophreak said:
FUCKING HELL

Lichtenstein it is then.

come to Berlin Germany

ambershee · Jun 3, 2014

DeathBooger said:
Anyone else find it comical that we can't defeat a bunch of lunatics that think blowing themselves up is a good move?

They were armed and trained (by the US, no less) to fight as guerillas against the Russians..

Al · Jun 3, 2014

Big-Al said:
Quick, sell them weapons!

cryptophreak · Jun 3, 2014

DeathBooger said:
Anyone else find it comical that we can't defeat a bunch of lunatics that think blowing themselves up is a good move?

Yeah, if they can’t properly control a small country of illiterate poor people after a decade, imagine the kind of difficulty they’d have suppressing a revolt spread across Detroit, Los Angeles, New York City, Boston...

BillyBadAss · Jun 4, 2014

TWD said:
I guess it's no big deal. Obama only set lose five terrorists in exchange for a deserter, and broke his own law when he did it.

Wait wait wait!!!! Did those five people ever have a day in court? No you say? In America you are innocent until proven guilty.

Plumb_Drumb · Jun 4, 2014

who care's, dude, or should I call you "lady".

people go through this **** all the time and it's called "government".
It's the thing that ****s you in the ass.

what you should do is stair at the sky.

TWD · Jun 4, 2014

BillyBadAss said:
Wait wait wait!!!! Did those five people ever have a day in court? No you say? In America you are innocent until proven guilty.

So we should just release them? If you want a trial then put them on trial. Now they will never be held responsible for their crimes. Instead we've given the Taliban leaders so that they can continue their reign of terror when the US leaves.

Furthermore, there is simply no excuse for Obama breaking the law by failing to give congress notice. This could be impeachable.

Al · Jun 4, 2014

When Obama sneezes, it's impeachable to the extremist right for spreading germs. Bergdahl may have done bad things, but he's still an American and he will be held accountable by the UCMJ and not the Taliban.

Also, if we had anything to charge those 5 enemy combatants (who we release when a war comes to an end) with, we would have by now.

It was a good deal. Now Bergdahl will face American Justice, not Taliban (or right wing extremist, which by the way, weren't you people complaining about Obama killing Anwar al-Awlaki without a trial and you want to leave an American soldier to be beheaded?) justice.

Bowe Bergdahl

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