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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums"U.S. troops in Afghanistan ‘so happy’ Sgt. Bergdahl released by Taliban militants"
Last edited Mon Jun 2, 2014, 12:57 AM - Edit history (1)
snip//
To ensure troops stayed on the lookout for Bergdahl, commanders had installed a screen saver on every American soldier's computer in Afghanistan that carried a photo of the captured sergeant as a reminder
"I always wondered what happened to him," said Gloria Goomtam, 37, a US Army specialist. "I'm so happy for him."
But Bergdahl, held by insurgents for nearly five years, was never spotted by American forces or rescued in a raid.
Instead, his freedom was brokered by Qatar in a swap that required the United States to transfer five Taliban detainees out of the Guantanamo prison.
The deal has sparked an outcry among some lawmakers that President Barack Obama sold out to Taliban "terrorists," but Goomtam said the agreement was worth it.
snip//
"My wife told me that a soldier had been freed and I knew who it was,"said Mashburn, a member of the 101st Airborne.
That Bergdahl's release came at a price, with five senior Taliban figures allowed to leave the US prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, posed a difficult dilemma, he said.
"Letting them (Taliban militants) go, I don't want to see that happen. At the same time, I would do anything for that soldier, " he said.
snip//
Bergdahl's release was reassuring for troops as it showed the US government had worked relentlessly to secure his freedom, he said.
"Whatever your beliefs, if you think we should be here or we shouldn't be here, we have someone, an American, in captivity and we've got to get him. I think everyone can agree on that," he said.
"Someone was out there pushing for this. I'm thankful for that."
raw story
The Political Game @politicgame
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Hey Twitter, Bob Bergdahl grew out his hair & beard in solidarity with his captive son. Also learned Pashto & Arabic. Give the guy a break.
10:07 AM - 1 Jun 2014 21 Retweets 8 favorites
MOre "Bergdahl Tweets"..
TOD
More Pics & Vid..
TOD
Welcome Back, Sgt Bowe Bergdahl
Cha
(295,925 posts)Union Scribe
(7,099 posts)that these 5 Taliban guys are so critical. So critical we haven't charged them with anything, and so critical that the Taliban has apparently had no trouble whatsoever operating without them. What a joke!
The rest of us who actually care about our soldiers are plenty happy to have the Sgt. back. This is a victory.
Cha
(295,925 posts)treestar
(82,383 posts)The war is over.
Cha
(295,925 posts)Hekate
(90,202 posts)Cha
(295,925 posts)mwrguy
(3,245 posts)Cha
(295,925 posts)Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)The fact that they held a prisoner and negotiate makes them sound like people and not demonic monsters.
Cha
(295,925 posts)Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)With themselves as the heroes and defenders of all that is good and pure in the world.
It wasn't that long ago when even Tucker Carlson was claiming the demands from bin Laden were the same as the things Liberals and Democrats were saying which was PROOF that the Dems were working to destroy America from within.
That was back when they claimed to be the Party of National Security before the Neocons were tossed out on their asses.
Cha
(295,925 posts)is makeup a lie and know there will be a certain amount of idiots who will buy it lock stock and barrel.
Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)Cha
(295,925 posts)LOL, neither can I.
blackspade
(10,056 posts)It was a great trade. Democrats need to hang their opposition to the trade around the GOP like a lead weight.
Cha
(295,925 posts)freshwest
(53,661 posts)Cha
(295,925 posts)haters are frothing at the mouth to make this look bad for President Obama. If anything should blow back in their face.. this should.
NBachers
(17,007 posts)Sorry our guy came home, shitheads. Better luck next time.
Let's trade republicans for prisoners. Ten million repukeshits for one prisoner.
Airdrop 'em in cargo nets from C-130's
Cha
(295,925 posts)I'm feeling that anger, too.
steve2470
(37,457 posts)Thank you Cha, great pics !
Cha
(295,925 posts)defacto7
(13,485 posts)Cha
(295,925 posts)Cha
(295,925 posts)snip//
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Sgt. Bowe Bergdahls health was deteriorating and that his life was in danger, while White House National Security Adviser Susan Rice said the deal met a a sacred obligation to bring Bergdahl home.
snip//
Obama advisers fired back by saying Republicans would be in full attack mode if the U.S. government had squandered an opportunity to gain Bergdahls release.
Speaking to reporters traveling with him in Asia, Hagel also left open the possibility that the circumstances of Bergdahls capture might one day be investigated, but said that was not the Pentagons first priority. Bergdahl was first noticed missing from his base in Afghanistan June 30, 2009, amid allegations that he left the base voluntarily.
Sgt. Bergdahl is a member of the United States Army, Hagel said. He's a sergeant in the United States Army. Our first priority is assuring his well-being and his health and getting him reunited with his family. Other circumstances that may develop and questions, those will be dealt with later.
Miami Herald
TwilightGardener
(46,416 posts)than release 5 guys we can't seem to try and convict even after a decade, and have to release soon anyway because the war is almost over...how fucking stupid is he?
Cha
(295,925 posts)He's saying his "shutting down the government will lead to victory in Nov."
http://www.politicususa.com/2014/06/01/ted-cruz-thinks-government-shutdown-lead-gop-victory-midterms.html
IronLionZion
(45,261 posts)DustyJoe
(849 posts)All the comment blogs are already screaming that 6 US Soldiers were killed and many wounded in the months after he was taken prisoner in the search to try and rescue him.
How many more did they think needed to be lost ?
monmouth3
(3,871 posts)Cha
(295,925 posts)can sort it out here.
monmouth3
(3,871 posts)the english language but that may have been caused by his capture. I'm with you, get him home and let the rest of it work itself out..
Cha
(295,925 posts)freshwest
(53,661 posts)His story is one of a military that was stretched past the limit and his unit was in trouble from the onset, even during training stateside. The details reflect very badly on the army Bush sent to war. And the prosecution of that war in Afghanistan, quite insane to an average person.
It's a long read but I'll try to find it for you if you want. He sounded more depressed in his letters to his parents and preparing to die, and it seemed that he just finally went over the edge.
The amount of work through the years that the Obama administration went through to get him back, with the one clear goal to get him back alive and not as a digit on a casualty list to justify more hatred and war, was impressive, as well as the efforts of fellow soldiers who were always on alert. Yes, he apparently left but was likely in his mind trying to go home by an alternate route and was kidnapped.
He had been physically ill and he was unwilling to be with the Taliban, and they constantly threatened to kill him as an example. It was dangerous for his fellow soldiers and costly to go looking for him, but he'd been in despair for a long time, and one of his friends was just killed.
A mental breakdown, with mental wounds, IMO. Those soldiers are not supposed to be abandoned either, as they are our fellow citizens going about doing what they saw as the nation's needs. His father said he cannot speak English anymore. Seems he had a complete breakdown emotionally, physically and cognitively.
The GOP hates him because he destroys their narrative that war is glorious and that dying that way is also. Really they want these guys to die so they can do their talking for them, when I suspect the dead or wounded might have a very different tale to tell than they want us to hear.
Red Mountain
(1,705 posts)Too many choose suicide. I don't think the world would be a better place if he had.
The killed and wounded in the process of searching for him give the story a lot of moral ambiguity. I think that given a choice between a captured soldier and one that wandered off as a mental casualty the troops tasked with finding him would have done the same thing willingly. They would have gone to find him.
Grey areas don't compute in the Republican brain. That's why we're here to help them.
blackspade
(10,056 posts)Even if they thought he went AWOL, he already served his time.
Let that shit go, he has suffered enough.
Cha
(295,925 posts)Cha
(295,925 posts)They can sort the rest out later if need be, Cha. We had to bring him home, that is first an foremost.
Cha
(295,925 posts)Finally!
sheshe2
(83,349 posts)Sad that it had to take this long to undue the warmongering of Bush and The Chicken Hawks.
The fact that they feel that they have one ounce of credibility to speak out against Obama's foreign policies is unbelievable crap!
I hate their twisted souls.
Cha
(295,925 posts)hate!
msanthrope
(37,549 posts)Cha
(295,925 posts)Cha
(295,925 posts)bigtree
(85,919 posts). . .
Cha
(295,925 posts)flamingdem
(39,304 posts)Cha
(295,925 posts)Uncle Joe
(58,112 posts)Thanks for the thread, Cha.
Cha
(295,925 posts)sheshe2
(83,349 posts)Cha
(295,925 posts)sheshe2
(83,349 posts)spanone
(135,636 posts)k&r....