Five for one

[Jarlaxle]

What do you think about the fact that he's being celebrated as a hero when he deserted his post (after telling his parents he was ashamed to be an American) and that at least a half dozen soldiers died in subsequent missions to locate him?

Should he be court martialed once he recovers, as some of his unit are insisting?

He should ALREADY have been court-martialed!

[rubato]

Right, why bother with evidence, facts, a trial, all of that nonsense.


yrs,
rubato

[Jarlaxle]

Try him in absentia.

Were you too stupid to figure that out, or did you just feel like being a jackass?

[Big RR]

Jarl--I'm not sure that is possible; from what I can see, while the UCMJ is looser on in abstentia trials than the civilian courts, it does require that the person be present for arraignment. Do you know if any other exceptions might apply here?

[Lord Jim]

There's no need to try him in abstentia, he's in Texas technically back on duty; he's not going anywhere.

[Big RR]

True; I think jarl was referring to what happened before he came back.

[Lord Jim]

Ah, hence the use of the word "ALREADY" in all caps...

[Lord Jim]

As I was looking for an update about this yesterday, one thing struck me...

He is still refusing to see or even speak with his parents...

What's puzzling about this, is from that long press conference the parents had right after he was released, one would get the impression that they were very close, (especially in the father's case)

One of the things that has come out about the emails they exchanged prior to his deserting his post, is that when he told his father that he was thinking about leaving , his father, (rather than doing what he should have done, and tell him not to do it that it would ruin his life, and then contacting someone in the command chain to let them know that his son was having psychological problems and needed help) emailed him back telling him to "follow his conscience"....

I wonder, based on that, if Bergdahl doesn't somehow blame his father for his decision to leave and his subsequent five years as a prisoner of the Taliban...

Even though that was a stupid way for his father to handle the situation, it still wouldn't be fair to blame him, but I can see where a young guy who was used to relying on his father's advice might see it that way...

It's not unusual for a child (even an adult child) to blame their parent when they follow their advice and things go badly, even though it was their decision to make...

[Big RR]

Ah, hence the use of the word "ALREADY" in all caps...

Ya think?

[Jarlaxle]

True; I think jarl was referring to what happened before he came back.

Spot on.

[Lord Jim]

Bowe Bergdahl, once missing U.S. soldier, charged with desertion

Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the U.S. soldier who was recovered in Afghanistan last spring after five years in captivity, faces charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy, according to his lawyer.

Eugene Fidell, Bergdahl’s attorney, told The Washington Post that his client was handed a charge sheet on Tuesday. Army officials announced they will provide an update in his case at 3:30 p.m. at Fort Bragg, N.C., but declined to discuss new developments ahead of the news conference.

Bergdahl, 28, went missing from his base in Paktika province on June 30, 2009, and is believed to have grown disillusioned with the U.S. military’s mission in Afghanistan. He was held captive in Pakistan by the Haqqani network, an insurgent group allied with the Taliban, until a deal brokered through the government of Qatar was reached last year.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/chec ... desertion/

[RayThom]

Who couldn't see this coming down the pike.

Maybe there were some odd extenuating circumstances regarding his desertion but, at least, it will not go unpunished. Especially since a few of Bergdahl's comrades died in an effort to save his sorry ass. I hope President Obama has the intestinal fortitude to now denounce this disgraced soldier and to correct some of the earlier glowing remarks he made about him.

I'll not be surprised if Bergdahl eventually stands in front of a firing squad but I feel 25 years to life will be something we can all live with. Good riddance to bad rubbish.

And may God bless America.

[Big RR]

the fact that it has taken this long to decide what to do makes me think that this case is not as open and shut as some think--there must be some strange circumstances; e.g. I recall he was promoted while he was "away"--I don't think the army does that to persons who are AWOL, let alone desert their posts, so something strange is going on. eta: It could be pressure from the administration, but I think something is likely involved. Time will tell.

Also, I just heard the army is not pursuing the death penalty, and that the last execution for desertion was in the 1940s.

[rubato]

Private Eddie Slovik.

Strange case. He really forced the issue.


Yrs,
Rubato

[Lord Jim]

the fact that it has taken this long to decide what to do makes me think that this case is not as open and shut as some think

I have a completely different reaction to that...

I think the reason it took so long was because of the "political sensitivity" of this case, (starting with the Administration first sending Susan Rice out to say this guy had "served with honor and distinction" and then the CIC himself foolishly getting way ahead of the facts with his Rose Garden photo op with Bergdahl's parents) the Army command chain wanted to make damn sure that they had absolutely every "T" crossed and "I" dotted on this before proceeding...

And the fact that he is being charged with the far more serious crime of "misbehavior before the enemy" (which could earn him a life sentence) in addition to simple "desertion" (which carries a maximum prison sentence of five years) tells me that they must think they have a very strong case....

[oldr_n_wsr]

It appears we did not get our monies worth in the trade.

[rubato]

As to "political sensitivity";

A president in his second, and you will recall, final, term is relatively free from that kind of trivial political calculation. Although even in a 1st term that would be very small beer.



yrs,
rubato

[Crackpot]

It appears we did not get our monies worth in the trade.

Considering they were people that would have been released anyway at the end of the conflict I still don't see an issue.

[Lord Jim]

Considering they were people that would have been released anyway at the end of the conflict I still don't see an issue.

I couldn't agree less...

There's a huge difference between returning senior commanders during a war when they can return to the battle, and after a war when they only return to loving arms of their families...

I agree with Lindsey Graham (who was an active duty Air Force JAG attorney, and has served in the reserves as both a JAG attorney and judge since, and probably knows more about military law than anyone on The Hill) when he said:

"I wouldn't have done this trade for a Medal of Honor winner," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told CNN Wednesday. "No military member should expect their country to turn over five Taliban commanders to get their release."

Politically, this horrible deal (which I believe was fueled to a certain extent by Obama's obsession to empty Gitmo by the end of his Presidency at virtually any cost) has been one of a series of atrocious foreign policy decisions and miscalculations that currently undermines confidence among both the political class and the public that he can negociate a good deal on nuclear weapons with Iran.

[Crackpot]

Give me a break this is yet another case of everyone wanting something until it happens. The same people that were howling for Bergdahls release were the same ones complaining the second he was released