We need to think a little harder about Bowe Bergdahl. As much fun as it is to watch the President of the United States squall and thrash on the carpet in frustration that he can’t have people shot on command, all the silly childishness left many of us lost in the woods.
I see a positive side, albeit painfully thin. At least we know that most of us with “We Support Our Troops” stickers and the “POW/MIA” flag wavers are simple hypocrites/ Not that it was a surprise, but when push came to angry shove, we got to see, truly and clearly, how much these people really do support the troops, and how hard they really want the POW’s back. I just wish we hadn’t paid such a terrible cost to show these miserable lies.
So, about Bowe Bergdahl. Everyone admits he was a man with emotional issues. There was undisputed testimony that he had schizotypal personality disorder (like schizophrenia) and Post-Traumatic Stress before he walked away from his post. Trouble was, he was in Afghanistan, in the military, in a war zone, so he was in a culture that favors toughing it out.
Just days before he walked, Bergdahl wrote a long, heartfelt email to his dad, saying that the people running things there were really bad at it, and he was deeply concerned. His dad wrote back, telling his son to “OBEY YOUR CONSCIENCE!” (original was all-caps), and he emphasized how important it was to act according to your principles.
On June 30th, 2009, the 23-year-old Private decided to walk back from his outpost to the nearby base without permission. Bergdahl wanted to make a fuss, he testified under oath, so that he could get someone in authority to see how badly things were being managed.
Was he guilty? Of course. Private Bowe Bergdahl walked away from his battalion while in a war zone. That’s pretty bad. He never pretended that wasn’t true, thankfully. In his trial, he pleaded guilty to desertion and misbehavior before the enemy charges. So he’s been honest about that, a characteristic in short supply these days. Still, that’s a crime, and for good reason.
Everyone agrees that was an idiotic choice. Bergdahl included. He was always clear about that, too You’re free to decide whether he was morally correct, mentally failing, or just a moron. That’s your pick. Either way, though, he didn’t intentionally ‘get captured’. He was going to report wrongdoing, not a self-inflicted imprisonment and torture. And all those rumors about his supposed sympathy for Afghan people, and how he might have thought this or that? Notice that none of that was shown to be either true, or even relevant, in court. There were no other crimes.
Instead, Private Bergdahl was taken by the Taliban within a day. So, let’s be clear: an American solder in uniform was captured by the enemy in a war zone. Should he have been captured? Same answer as before: very few people get deliberately captured. Call him an idiot if you want, but ‘stupid’ is not a crime. No, not even in the military.
Once the Taliban captured him, Bergdahl was a POW. That almost sounds better than the reality of them torturing him and keeping him locked in a tiny cage. Like before, the Taliban making him a POW isn’t a crime. Are we still in agreement about that part?
We sent more solders out to find him. We do that pretty much whenever our people are captured by the enemy. Does anyone really want to suggest we only rescue the solders we like? Anyone? I’ve heard people say that, but it speaks more to their own honesty and honor. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey had to issue a statement that included, “The questions about this particular soldier’s conduct are separate from our effort to recover ANY U.S. service member in enemy captivity.” It’s America: we rescue our own.
Private Bergdahl acted honorably during his captivity, despite savage treatment. He tried to escape his captors several times. Each time his captors caught him, they beat him savagely, and his treatment got worse. He tried again anyway. He managed to keep himself sane and alive during those five years, all while receiving horrific treatment that included beatings, sometimes with copper wire, burns to his feet, disease, more beatings for his almost constant diarrhea, bedsores from bindings and blindfolds he had to keep on for days and weeks, being kept in isolated in total darkness for weeks on end, and more.
After five years – yes, five years – the US traded Taliban prisoners for now-Sargent Bergdahl’s release. A certain segment of our population shrieked about that, too. I’m hoping their reaction was just hysteria, and not how adults really conduct themselves, but I suspect I’m being optimistic. Either way, we know that getting our POW’s back isn’t really a priority for that crowd.
Both before and after the actual trial, Candidate Donald Trump declared his own personal belief that Bowe Bergdahl was guilty of treason, and Trump wanted him executed. Right away. He claimed that even summary execution – shot or thrown from a plane – would be a fine alternative. You can see the picture at the top of the post.
The audience applauded loudly.
Trump repeated that red-meat line several times during the campaign, each time to heavy audience applause by his base. When asked about this later, now-President Trump reiterated his prior position. He recently lamented that, despite being President, he couldn’t simply order Bergdahl’s execution.
And his people still applauded.
I’m amazed that Bergdahl hasn’t been crushed by all this. But now he’s back here, partisans still attacking and calling for his jailing and/or summary execution. A military court heard the evidence and issued their punishment, and zealots are even more offended. Trump weighed in:
The decision on Sergeant Bergdahl is a complete and total disgrace to our Country and to our Military.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 3, 2017
Because having the President and Commander-in-Chief clearly and obviously lean his elbow on the scales of justice isn’t at all prejudicial.
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but we need to support our troops better than we are. We need to make sure we get back the POW’s from enemy hands. I didn’t think that was something Americans were debating, and it leaves me ashamed.
