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The night Bergdahl disappeared, C. and some of his crew were at the Special Operations op-center on a base in Afghanistan. C. was handed a sheet with details on Bergdahl. As C. remembers it, the paper was pretty clear: that he had gone AWOL. There was still some confusion surrounding the events, but Bergdahls buddies were saying pretty decisively that he had walked off the base and deserted his post, says C. We were informed that hed gone into town, where he was asking people if they spoke English, and hed gotten himself captured by Taliban.
Having read the report, C. remembers turning to a member of his crew and saying, This kid is going to get people hurt or killed trying to get him back.
A few days later, C. and his team convened in a small shack at their base. They had been told by their leaders there was now a good indication of where Bergdahl was. And C.s unit was being tasked with a rescue mission to get him.
On the night of the Bergdahl rescue mission, I was angry, C. recalls, because I knew he had walked off his base, and the conditions we were going out in to get him were not in our favor. When we operate, its always an away game. Were going to their neighborhood. We like to have certain atmospheric conditions that are helpful. Without getting into tactics, let me just say that the atmospheric conditions that night were not what we would typically choose to use. So as were heading out in the helicopters, Im angry because our targets a deserter and all of usmy buddies and the helo crewsare putting our lives at risk because this kid did something stupid.
The objective was to retrieve Bergdahl before he was taken to a part of the territories where we were not allowed to go, says C. We knew he was likely at a staging point, from which folks would courier him over the border and take him somewhere we couldnt get him. That staging point was where C.s unit was headed, and they knew it would be an exceedingly hostile place. In short, C. says, he and his guys were heading into a bad neighborhood.
"At this point who cares" right?
The DESERTER will never take a breath of air that's not in a Federal facility for the rest of his pathetic life. He will spend 23 hours a day in solitary confinement. He will however be able to subscribe to all the ballet magazines his daddy the terrorist-hiding-in-plain-sight will pay for.
If daddy grew the beard to show support for his son while said son was being trained to come back to the US and commit a terrorist act the DESERTER is back in US custody now so when is the beard disappearing? Never.
The judge, Army Col. Jeffery Nance, wrote the risk is too great that such evidence would spur military jurors to act on emotion, rather than logic, unfairly biasing them against Bergdahl during a court martial scheduled for April 2017. Nance issued the written ruling hours after hearing oral arguments on the matter. "The accused is not to be convicted because, while searching for him, his comrades were horrifically injured. Even (perhaps especially) hardened combat veterans of many deployments who might sit on this panel would be hard pressed not to be affected by the horrific injuries to SFC Allen, in particular," he wrote, referring to a soldier shot in the head. "Since the danger can be avoided, I deem it should be." Bergdahl is charged with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy; the latter could put him in prison for life. Bergdahl has said he walked off his post in Afghanistan in 2009 to alert higher-ups to what he felt were problems with his unit.
A member of the Afghan National Army provides security with a soldier from the U.S. Army during a patrol near Command Outpost AJK in Maiwand District, Kandahar Province
Nance said the defense has plenty of other evidence it can use to argue that Bergdahl's actions endangered his comrades. He noted that prosecutors have "ample evidence" that numerous search operations were undertaken, and many of them brought service members in contact with enemy forces. Questions about whether soldiers were injured or killed searching for Bergdahl have long surrounded the case, with critics such as President-elect Donald Trump repeating claims that lives were lost. However, a general who investigated Bergdahl's disappearance has testified that he found no evidence that service members died searching for Bergdahl. Prosecutors have focused on soldiers wounded during a firefight involving a half-dozen U.S. service members embedded with 50 members of the Afghan National Army. Another officer involved in that mission, about a week after Bergdahl left his post, has testified that its sole purpose was to find him.
The group was attacked near a town in Afghanistan on July 8, 2009. U.S. Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Mark Allen was shot in the head, and prosecutors say he uses a wheelchair and is unable to communicate. Another soldier had hand injuries because of a rocket-propelled grenade. But Nance wrote that "the accused is not charged with causing anyone's injury or death. He is charged with endangering the command. While there are similarities in those consequences, they are distinct." Prosecutors have argued the injuries are the strongest evidence that Bergdahl endangered his comrades by triggering dangerous search missions.
An Afghan National Army soldier stands guard outside Jalalabad Airport
One of the prosecutors, Army Maj. Justin Oshana, told the judge Friday that military jurors, compared to civilians, are "much less likely to be susceptible to unfair prejudice." But defense attorney Army Maj. Oren Gleich said many factors — some having little or nothing to do with Bergdahl — coalesced in the mission that left the men wounded. Defense attorneys have presented evidence that the mission was shoddily planned, even by the standards of the missing-soldier alert Bergdahl caused. "You have to factor in all the intervening causes as to what created a dangerous situation," Gleich said.
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Is that good or bad?Judge won't allow evidence of injuries to soldiers lookin' fer Bergdahl...
Bergdahl judge won't allow evidence of injuries to soldiers
December 16, 2016 — The judge overseeing the military trial of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl ruled Friday that he won't allow evidence that any service members were injured while searching for him.
The judge, Army Col. Jeffery Nance, wrote the risk is too great that such evidence would spur military jurors to act on emotion, rather than logic, unfairly biasing them against Bergdahl during a court martial scheduled for April 2017. Nance issued the written ruling hours after hearing oral arguments on the matter. "The accused is not to be convicted because, while searching for him, his comrades were horrifically injured. Even (perhaps especially) hardened combat veterans of many deployments who might sit on this panel would be hard pressed not to be affected by the horrific injuries to SFC Allen, in particular," he wrote, referring to a soldier shot in the head. "Since the danger can be avoided, I deem it should be." Bergdahl is charged with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy; the latter could put him in prison for life. Bergdahl has said he walked off his post in Afghanistan in 2009 to alert higher-ups to what he felt were problems with his unit.
A member of the Afghan National Army provides security with a soldier from the U.S. Army during a patrol near Command Outpost AJK in Maiwand District, Kandahar Province
Nance said the defense has plenty of other evidence it can use to argue that Bergdahl's actions endangered his comrades. He noted that prosecutors have "ample evidence" that numerous search operations were undertaken, and many of them brought service members in contact with enemy forces. Questions about whether soldiers were injured or killed searching for Bergdahl have long surrounded the case, with critics such as President-elect Donald Trump repeating claims that lives were lost. However, a general who investigated Bergdahl's disappearance has testified that he found no evidence that service members died searching for Bergdahl. Prosecutors have focused on soldiers wounded during a firefight involving a half-dozen U.S. service members embedded with 50 members of the Afghan National Army. Another officer involved in that mission, about a week after Bergdahl left his post, has testified that its sole purpose was to find him.
The group was attacked near a town in Afghanistan on July 8, 2009. U.S. Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Mark Allen was shot in the head, and prosecutors say he uses a wheelchair and is unable to communicate. Another soldier had hand injuries because of a rocket-propelled grenade. But Nance wrote that "the accused is not charged with causing anyone's injury or death. He is charged with endangering the command. While there are similarities in those consequences, they are distinct." Prosecutors have argued the injuries are the strongest evidence that Bergdahl endangered his comrades by triggering dangerous search missions.
An Afghan National Army soldier stands guard outside Jalalabad Airport
One of the prosecutors, Army Maj. Justin Oshana, told the judge Friday that military jurors, compared to civilians, are "much less likely to be susceptible to unfair prejudice." But defense attorney Army Maj. Oren Gleich said many factors — some having little or nothing to do with Bergdahl — coalesced in the mission that left the men wounded. Defense attorneys have presented evidence that the mission was shoddily planned, even by the standards of the missing-soldier alert Bergdahl caused. "You have to factor in all the intervening causes as to what created a dangerous situation," Gleich said.
MORE
We know there were attempts to get the traitor back. Six men died in these attempts.
Yes this G/I Azzhole put others at great risk.It turns out that there were actual attempts to rescue Bergdahl.
The night Bergdahl disappeared, C. and some of his crew were at the Special Operations op-center on a base in Afghanistan. C. was handed a sheet with details on Bergdahl. As C. remembers it, the paper was pretty clear: that he had gone AWOL. There was still some confusion surrounding the events, but Bergdahls buddies were saying pretty decisively that he had walked off the base and deserted his post, says C. We were informed that hed gone into town, where he was asking people if they spoke English, and hed gotten himself captured by Taliban.
Having read the report, C. remembers turning to a member of his crew and saying, This kid is going to get people hurt or killed trying to get him back.
A few days later, C. and his team convened in a small shack at their base. They had been told by their leaders there was now a good indication of where Bergdahl was. And C.s unit was being tasked with a rescue mission to get him.
On the night of the Bergdahl rescue mission, I was angry, C. recalls, because I knew he had walked off his base, and the conditions we were going out in to get him were not in our favor. When we operate, its always an away game. Were going to their neighborhood. We like to have certain atmospheric conditions that are helpful. Without getting into tactics, let me just say that the atmospheric conditions that night were not what we would typically choose to use. So as were heading out in the helicopters, Im angry because our targets a deserter and all of usmy buddies and the helo crewsare putting our lives at risk because this kid did something stupid.
The objective was to retrieve Bergdahl before he was taken to a part of the territories where we were not allowed to go, says C. We knew he was likely at a staging point, from which folks would courier him over the border and take him somewhere we couldnt get him. That staging point was where C.s unit was headed, and they knew it would be an exceedingly hostile place. In short, C. says, he and his guys were heading into a bad neighborhood.
Saving Private Bergdahl - Christian D?Andrea - POLITICO Magazine
