The truth as opposed to the preconceptions...

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-bow ... story.html

freeman3 wrote:The truth as opposed to the preconceptions...

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-bow ... story.html

Actually, that's very one-sided. The story contains no hints of the deaths of servicemen lost during the searches for Bergdahl. It also has no contrary testimony--is the Army not disputing this account?

Unfair/imbalanced--the Los Angeles Times.

He knew better.

The testimony at the hearing was that there were no lives lost during the search. An ill-advised decision on his part to be sure...but not traitorous. Personally, I think he paid in full for his bad decision by five years of captivity.

The account came primarily came from an army general assigned to investigate the matter who interviewed 57 witnesses so not sure how the Army would dispute it.

freeman3 wrote:The testimony at the hearing was that there were no lives lost during the search. An ill-advised decision on his part to be sure...but not traitorous. Personally, I think he paid in full for his bad decision by five years of captivity.

The account came primarily came from an army general assigned to investigate the matter who interviewed 57 witnesses so not sure how the Army would dispute it.

I think there are more shoes to drop. Obama has something at stake and I believe politics are in play.

I think Dahl is lying. Period.

http://time.com/2809352/bowe-bergdahl-d ... y-taliban/

Bergdahl went AWOL on June 30. The first death occurred August 18. According to this article active searches ended about a month after he went missing. This kind of squares with common sense.

http://www.newsweek.com/did-6-soldiers- ... ahl-253917

freeman3 wrote:Bergdahl went AWOL on June 30. The first death occurred August 18. According to this article active searches ended about a month after he went missing. This kind of squares with common sense.

http://www.newsweek.com/did-6-soldiers- ... ahl-253917

I'll wait.

Again, I think this reeks of politics. Obama feted the Bergdahls. Obama traded 5 terrorists for one deserter. Obama's chosen mouthpiece said Bergdahl served with "honor and distinction."

Doctor Fate wrote:I'll wait.

Again, I think this reeks of politics. Obama feted the Bergdahls. Obama traded 5 terrorists for one deserter. Obama's chosen mouthpiece said Bergdahl served with "honor and distinction."

Yes, there is a strong stench in your posts. You suggest lives were lost looking for him, but it seems none were. So why not accept that?

Face it, you want a body to tie to Bergdahl, and thence to hang on Obama

danivon wrote:

Doctor Fate wrote:I'll wait.

Again, I think this reeks of politics. Obama feted the Bergdahls. Obama traded 5 terrorists for one deserter. Obama's chosen mouthpiece said Bergdahl served with "honor and distinction."

Yes, there is a strong stench in your posts. You suggest lives were lost looking for him, but it seems none were. So why not accept that?

The stench emanates from the investigation. The men he served with said they lost friends searching for this idiot. He's portrayed like some naïf. However, he wasn't.

Face it, you want a body to tie to Bergdahl, and thence to hang on Obama

I'm patient. What I want will pop up. I've heard enough from those he served with and those who are familiar with the investigation. The truth will out.

Obama is an incompetent fool. I need no additional evidence of that.

Quite honestly, Bergdahl will be found guilty of crimes not including the fatalities of soldiers searching for him.

His actions were in violation of the UCMJ. Is anyone contesting that his actions were not in violation?

Brad, I 'm sure pretty he will be at least be found guilty of being AWOL. The political issue is that he was traded for five Taliban, so the Right wants to make him as bad as possible so that Obama can be criticized for the trade. Here is an article about it--the five Taliban do not appear to be particularly important.

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/ ... -bergdahl/

And unfortunately for the Right the army general who investigates Bergdahl for purposes of the court martial was pretty sympathetic to him, finding that he was trying to go another military base to complain about his superior, that he did not seek out the Taliban, that he suffered terribly in confinement, and that no lives were lost searching for him.

Hopefully, the court martial panel will give an appropriate punishment and Bergdahl will cease being used as a pawn in a political fight.

freeman3 wrote:Brad, I 'm sure pretty he will be at least be found guilty of being AWOL. The political issue is that he was traded for five Taliban, so the Right wants to make him as bad as possible so that Obama can be criticized for the trade. Here is an article about it--the five Taliban do not appear to be particularly important.

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/ ... -bergdahl/

And unfortunately for the Right the army general who investigates Bergdahl for purposes of the court martial was pretty sympathetic to him, finding that he was trying to go another military base to complain about his superior, that he did not seek out the Taliban, that he suffered terribly in confinement, and that no lives were lost searching for him.

Hopefully, the court martial panel will give an appropriate punishment and Bergdahl will cease being used as a pawn in a political fight.

Um, "unfortunately?"

He was hand-picked. A situation like this would not normally get a General to investigate. Again, this smells like politics.

bbauska wrote:Quite honestly, Bergdahl will be found guilty of crimes not including the fatalities of soldiers searching for him.

Well, the trial is not done yet.

How many soldiers died while searching for him?

His actions were in violation of the UCMJ. Is anyone contesting that his actions were not in violation?

His defence team is, but that is not the point. Whether he was a saint or a sinner, he was still a US serviceman and there used to be a tenet of "no man left behind".

I don't know if there are any who died. Fellow soldiers claim there are. I wasn't there, so I don't know.

As for being left behind, I would not have wanted him left behind. If only to slam him with charges against the UCMJ.

Do you think he violated the UCMJ, Danivon?

bbauska wrote:I don't know if there are any who died. Fellow soldiers claim there are. I wasn't there, so I don't know.

As for being left behind, I would not have wanted him left behind. If only to slam him with charges against the UCMJ.

So it's a good thing that he was returned to the US, so that he can face justice rather than being a

Do you think he violated the UCMJ, Danivon?

Seems he deserted his post, so yeah. there may be mitigation or even a reason why it was not really desertion, but frankly:

1) I don't actually care whether he is or is not guilty, more that he is treated justly.
2) I will defer to the decision of the court.
3) A lot of political BS has been spouted about him already, and that seems to be the issue for many - can we make him a hero (no, unless he's about to blow the whistle on something major he's probably a disaffected guy not suited to the heirarchical ways of the military). can we make him a villain (dunno, but I don't see much evidence that he intended to join with the Taliban which was the accusation made at the time).

Look, fellow soldiers will not like a "deserter". And perhaps he was already unpopular before he left his post, and the relationships were part of the drivers for him to act as he did. So I'd take what they say with a pinch of salt, and some understanding that they feel strongly about what they would perhaps see as betrayal or cowardice.