SGT Bowe Bergdahl Freed

[Mark1]

I'd say the five years he spent in captivity were more than enough punishment for his alleged screw-ups. Welcome back.

I agree. But you still bring him up on charges, sentence him to 'time served' (which would just be a no-confinement judgement with it made explicit as to why the judgement included no confinement) and a bad conduct/dishonorable discharge.

But I wouldn't be surprised to see him gracefully moved along with all the commensurate lifelong medical care and benefits that will come along with a normal discharge, plus a lump sum of back salary that he earned at a rank he was promoted to while in captivity. A slap in the face to those who put their lives on the line to try and get him back.

[Lawman]

He's back. And to those thinking we don't negotiate with terrorists or anybody else it's a movie line not a reality. The state department does it under the table all the time. We did it for Durant in Somalia, we did it for guys we know broke the faith in Vietnam. The important precedent is the enemy will never have to sit there and think "will this guy be worth anything to them or should I just kill him," when it's the next guy.

Would I rather a dozen snake eaters come get him in the middle of the night, absolutely but sometimes it doesn't work out that way.

What he did or didn't do, that will come out a the debrief. What happens because of it will play out after all the political show is over. The important thing is we are deciding the fate of one of our own and not some goat fucking shit head in some god forsaken shithole village. It's like the rule of I can hit my kids... You do it and I will f'ing murder you.

[KState_Poke22]

Good article about the whole situation. (Obviously written before the release, but still relevant)

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/is-sgt-bowe-bergdahl-a-hero-or-a-deserter/

[HeloDude]

Good article about the whole situation. (Obviously written before the release, but still relevant)

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/is-sgt-bowe-bergdahl-a-hero-or-a-deserter/

Agreed.

Irrelevant--we'll never hear about it. I'm still waiting to hear what happened with ol' Jill Metzger...anyone?

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/is-sgt-bowe-bergdahl-a-hero-or-a-deserter/

I won't comment on the media released specifics of negotiating for his release...5 years after being captured. ln the the end, I'm glad he is back and gets to be with his family again.

War is ugly.

[KState_Poke22]

Agreed.

SA fail on my part...blame Sierra Nevada Brewing Co for that...and the ugly Thunder loss...

[HeloDude]

He's back. And to those thinking we don't negotiate with terrorists or anybody else it's a movie line not a reality. The state department does it under the table all the time.

It's a little more than a movie line:

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/state-dept-us-does-not-negotiate-terrorists

I don't disagree that the federal government does things that they say they do not do--Snowden, anyone? But now it's kind of hypocritical to even say they don't do it with a straight face.

This is also interesting. Laws...what laws?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/bergdahl-release-arrangement-could-threaten-the-safety-of-americans-republicans-say/2014/05/31/35e47a2a-e8ff-11e3-afc6-a1dd9407abcf_print.html

SA fail on my part...blame Sierra Nevada Brewing Co for that...and the ugly Thunder loss...

It's all good, man.

[Lawman]

It's a little more than a movie line:

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/state-dept-us-does-not-negotiate-terrorists

I don't disagree that the federal government does things that they say they do not do--Snowden, anyone? But now it's kind of hypocritical to even say they don't do it with a straight face.

This is also interesting. Laws...what laws?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/bergdahl-release-arrangement-could-threaten-the-safety-of-americans-republicans-say/2014/05/31/35e47a2a-e8ff-11e3-afc6-a1dd9407abcf_print.html

It's all good, man.

Political posturing and garbage.

You know how we got Durant back, direct negotiation with a non state actor (ie warlords). You know how we got our guys back who got lost in a Humvee in Bosnia, Jessie Jackson went their with the support and backing of he state dept. we have negotiated before and we will again. We negotiated to get our men back after Vietnam, including the ones that gave aid and comfort to the enemy for favors. We do that because they are our citizens and nobody else's.

This political bickering on "it'll endanger troops," and "it's against long standing policy," is exactly that, bickering. We do not put a price on the lives of our citizens. To do so sets a precedent that there is a price we won't pay. How do we tell our service members or our civilians supporting us that there is a limit to the price we will pay to get you home. Is the Rated aircrew an worth 4 Taliban LTs? Is the Truck driver only worth an IED emplacer? What are you worth, what am I worth?

I'm sure everybody here is familiar with all the stupidity of Ogrady's actions as an isolated person. Despite that we risked how many lives to bring him home because that's our part of the bargain.

What happens when we tell them "nah you keep that guy Bergdahl he was an idiot/traitor/coward/etc and we don't want him back." Now you set a precedent that some people aren't worth it to us. What happens to the crew chief that isn't a high enough rank to be important, or the lone kid who wandered too far off an OP taking a piss and gets rolled up. Now they aren't worth keeping alive and instead are only worth a bullet (or worse).

[theSituation]

Ladies and gentlemen, this last post was brought to you by our good friend (I assume...) jack Daniels.

On a serious note, I think you're making some very valid points.

Hope Sunday morning doesn't hurt too much.

[Lawman]

Ladies and gentlemen, this last post was brought to you by our good friend (I assume...) jack Daniels.

On a serious note, I think you're making some very valid points.

Hope Sunday morning doesn't hurt too much.

Bristol brewing company actually.

[HuggyU2]

I don't care if we had to release 100 of those f**kers. We got our guy back. The US says it will do whatever it takes and they did.

Of course, I'm pleased he is free.

However, I do not share in your enthusiastic willingness to free 100 Al Qaeda terrorists to do it. Sounds like you'd support him making statements against the US, as long as it serves his interests to get free. Again, there is a reasonable limit.

Whether he was very stupid, or just in the wrong place at the wrong time may be determined in the near future. But that has no bearing on whether he should be freed. Capitulating to our enemy by giving in to whatever works for them is not acceptable. Welcome to the military. (Surprisingly, you may even die.)

Keep in mind that 3 Americans died looking for him, and the amount of resources used to find him was astronomical. For his sake, I hope his capture wasn't a result of him doing something really dumb.

Ask the JPRC folks what their take on this is.

Edited June 1, 2014 by Huggyu2

[Fuzz]

Isn't it believed he walked out the front gate of his FOB? I'm glad this guy is back but unlike O'Grady, the Vietnam guys or the humvee, they were put into enemy hands or jeopardy by hostile actions or being near hostile territory. If he was on a patrol and was captured that's one thing, if he walked out the front gate then I don't believe he or anyone should receive special treatment even if he was held for five years. Its like the idiots who go hiking on the dispited Iranian border and then complain about being picked up by Iran. Yes because of who we are we will move heaven and earth to bring you home, but once you are home you may still have to face the music for your stupidity.

I'm sure though he'll be touted a hero regardless of the actual circumstances anything negative will be swepped under the rug.

[SurelySerious]

Its like the idiots who go hiking on the dispited Iranian border

without a map, nonetheless.

//derail over

[BFM this]

Ask the JPRC folks what their take on this is.

"Someone is missing? Wait...WTF? Why didn't somebody tell us? We have a right to know, goddammit!"

Posted from the NEW Baseops.net App!

[Lawman]

Isn't it believed he walked out the front gate of his FOB? I'm glad this guy is back but unlike O'Grady, the Vietnam guys or the humvee, they were put into enemy hands or jeopardy by hostile actions or being near hostile territory. If he was on a patrol and was captured that's one thing, if he walked out the front gate then I don't believe he or anyone should receive special treatment even if he was held for five years. Its like the idiots who go hiking on the dispited Iranian border and then complain about being picked up by Iran. Yes because of who we are we will move heaven and earth to bring you home, but once you are home you may still have to face the music for your stupidity.

I'm sure though he'll be touted a hero regardless of the actual circumstances anything negative will be swepped under the rug.

Oh of course he will be a hero for the sake of a political message. Just like Lynch was a Hero or Pat Tillman was a dead war hero who died "gloriously in combat".... Till we knew better. I can't fault a specific administration for making a political show out of it when each side has done it before. Hell if you watch the Pat Tillman story it'll piss you off just how much and many things were done to make they story a political victory.

And I agree with you coming home does not change the actions and consequences you might face on the back end. But we decide what happens to you. We start letting the bad guys know that there are actions where we won't move heaven and earth for our people and they will start trying to determine what that is when they have our people. That puts all of us in the future at greater risk during isolation because our seemingly priceless value has been diminished.

[discus]

Of course, I'm pleased he is free.

However, I do not share in your enthusiastic willingness to free 100 Al Qaeda terrorists to do it. Sounds like you'd support him making statements against the US, as long as it serves his interests to get free. Again, there is a reasonable limit.

Whether he was very stupid, or just in the wrong place at the wrong time may be determined in the near future. But that has no bearing on whether he should be freed. Capitulating to our enemy by giving in to whatever works for them is not acceptable. Welcome to the military. (Surprisingly, you may even die.)

Keep in mind that 3 Americans died looking for him, and the amount of resources used to find him was astronomical. For his sake, I hope his capture wasn't a result of him doing something really dumb.

Ask the JPRC folks what their take on this is.

Huggy, although the line is extremely thin, technically we did not negotiate with terrorists on this. The Taliban is a political party, so much so that they even hold seats in the Afghan parliament. Al-Qaeda are terrorists who the Taliban likes to harbor because they agree with what they are doing. I see no difference between negotiating with the Taliban or negotiating with the Iranian or Pakistani government. Both of them are quite good at harboring terrorists as well.

As for releasing the detainees, only history will be able to tell if that was a good move or not. These guys could be so screwed up after their detention that they would go crazy if they hurt an ant...or they could mastermind the next 9/11. As for now, as an American Armed Forces member, I have to believe what they did was in the best interest of the Sgt. And the country. Without that belief, my effectiveness as a fighting member is severely degraded. God, I hope I am right.

[brickhistory]

As for now, as an American Armed Forces member, I have to believe what they did was in the best interest of the Sgt. And the country. Without that belief, my effectiveness as a fighting member is severely degraded. God, I hope I am right.

As American history vividly illustrates; good luck with that belief.

[HuggyU2]

Huggy, although the line is extremely thin,......

You make some good points. I appreciate your response.

And yes... I hope you are right too.

Edited June 1, 2014 by Huggyu2

[matmacwc]

Anybody see what his dad tweeted out?

[M2]

Anybody see what his dad tweeted out?

Copied from another forum...

His father is a Muslim sympathizer. Look at the (now deleted) shit he posted on Twitter. If you can make sense of all that Twitter garbage, check one of the entries on May 28th. According to him by way of Bowe, the US was unjustly killing Afghan children.

[MD]

Another PFC Robert Garwood?

[Skitzo]

So why would we give up so many high level guys? I'm all for his return but this doesn't add up.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ForgotPassword]

Anybody see what his dad tweeted out?

Yeah reading his twitter feed is unnerving. He wrote(since deleted) on 28 May "I am still working to free all Guantanamo prisoners, God will repay for the death of every Afghan child. Amen".

He seems like a gitmo, islamist, taliban, pakistan sympathizer.

[brickhistory]

So why would we give up so many high level guys? I'm all for his return but this doesn't add up.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Current Administration's first order, the very first, signed the day after the 2009 Inauguration, was an EO to close Gitmo.

Six years later, it still hums along because Congress - House/Senate/Republican/Democrat - said "hell no!"

Last week, more rumblings about closing Gitmo.

Coincidence? Of course, I'm just a tad cynical...

[HeloDude]

Current Administration's first order, the very first, signed the day after the 2009 Inauguration, was an EO to close Gitmo.

Six years later, it still hums along because Congress - House/Senate/Republican/Democrat - said "hell no!"

Last week, more rumblings about closing Gitmo.

Coincidence? Of course, I'm just a tad cynical...

GOP was damn near powerless in 2009-2010, hence we got Obamacare without a single Republican vote, so it was all Dems keeping it open/not closing it in the beginning of the Obama administration. You are correct though, both parties want to keep it open because no one wants to be responsible for the potential crap storm that could come from closing it.

This is what happens when the government gets as big as it is right now (it's been this way for a very long time)--politicians do not want to show real leadership and risk doing something so damaging that they'll lose power. Political power allows politicians of both parties to further their agenda, which is often more focused at home than abroad.

To tie it back to this thread--so now that we got Bergdahl back, why not declare the Afghan War officially over/completed and start a rapid withdrawal? Why wait until 2016?

[matmacwc]

It wouldn't be much of a stretch to be "captured" and trade yourself home for your friends. It might be a but tinfoil hat, I hope I'm wrong and he is happy to be home.