Missing/Captured: Bowe Bergdahl

What. The. Fuck?

Why was he even allowed to be on leave? Isn't this guy still facing a court martial?

http://www.foxnews.com/politic...leased-by-officials/

Bowe Bergdahl, the U.S. soldier who was released in a prisoner exchange in Afghanistan for five Taliban detainees, wound up in the middle of a pot raid earlier this week in northern California.

Captian Greg Van Patten with the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office told Fox News Thursday that the county’s marijuana eradication team encountered Bergdahl on Tuesday while serving a search warrant on a home in Redwood City, Calif.

Van Patten said Bergdahl was detained, but ultimately was “determined not to be connected to the operation, at least there was no evidence to suggest he was involved.”

When Bergdahl encountered the law enforcement team, Van Patten said he identified himself while the sheriff’s office reached out to the Department of Defense. The agency confirmed Bergdahl was on leave, and asked for their assistance in getting him back.
 
What. The. Fuck?

Why was he even allowed to be on leave? Isn't this guy still facing a court martial?

http://www.foxnews.com/politic...leased-by-officials/

Bowe Bergdahl, the U.S. soldier who was released in a prisoner exchange in Afghanistan for five Taliban detainees, wound up in the middle of a pot raid earlier this week in northern California.

Captian Greg Van Patten with the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office told Fox News Thursday that the county’s marijuana eradication team encountered Bergdahl on Tuesday while serving a search warrant on a home in Redwood City, Calif.

Van Patten said Bergdahl was detained, but ultimately was “determined not to be connected to the operation, at least there was no evidence to suggest he was involved.”

When Bergdahl encountered the law enforcement team, Van Patten said he identified himself while the sheriff’s office reached out to the Department of Defense. The agency confirmed Bergdahl was on leave, and asked for their assistance in getting him back.

Commanders have the ability to put Soldiers on leave or pass if they determine the Soldier not to be a flight risk or detrimental to the unit. Given the toxic nature of his charges, it is doubtful SGT Bergdahl can do much of anything at his unit e.g. lack of access to facilities and systems, etc. Sometimes, it is better to have the Soldier away, especially if a) the rest of the unit is on a block leave period or b) there is nothing at work he is able to do that is productive or c) it'll help good order and discipline for the Soldier to have minimized contact with others.

I've done this twice with no regrets. If the Soldier decides to go AWOL, he's just given the hangman more rope to stifle whatever military career he has left. The consequences of going AWOL are worse and more swift than the consequences of facing the music.
 
Military selects rarely used charge for Bowe Bergdahl case
Observers wondered for months if Bergdahl would be charged with desertion after the deal brokered by the U.S. to bring him home. He was — but he was also charged with misbehavior before the enemy, a much rarer offense that carries a stiffer potential penalty in this case.
Military selects rarely used charge for Bowe Bergdahl case

His lawyer is suggesting that it is just piling on.
 
"misbehavior before the enemy"

Considering the enemy - and what those gents are known to do with each-other on their down time, kinda gotta wonder what kind of "misbehavin" was going on ! :-"
 
Military selects rarely used charge for Bowe Bergdahl case

His lawyer is suggesting that it is just piling on.

Good article

statistics show the U.S. Army prosecuted about 1,900 desertion cases between 2001 and the end of 2014

That's quite interesting.

A soldier in Iraq was charged with cowardice in 2003 under Article 99 after he saw a mangled body and sought counseling, but the charges were later dropped.

WTF? Sounds like an asshole CoC in that unit!
 
Since when is idealism an excuse to violate the UCMJ? Or a defense against charges incurred by doing so? You'd expect that the demise of conscription would have reduced the "need" to be so sensitive to the eccentricities of the Platoon Whack Job.
 
Defense claims:

-Bergdahl wasn't deserting; he left his post to walk 19 miles through Taliban-held territory to the nearest FOB
-he wanted to report his chain of command for "doing bad things"
-some of those bad things include the Sergeant Major's use of the term "plunder and pillage" and the Bn Cdr "kicking rocks" (wtf?)

source
 
Defense claims:

-Bergdahl wasn't deserting; he left his post to walk 19 miles through Taliban-held territory to the nearest FOB
-he wanted to report his chain of command for "doing bad things"
-some of those bad things include the Sergeant Major's use of the term "plunder and pillage" and the Bn Cdr "kicking rocks" (wtf?)

source

Semantics maybe but those were the claims of the investigating officer testifying for the defense - and were not challenged by the prosecution. Does that not make them facts, at least within the context of the trial?
 
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