We free 5 Terrorists, for 1 American wilful deserter

We were at OP Mest, Paktika Province, Afghanistan. It was a small outpost where B Co 1-501st INF (Airbone) ran operations out of, just an Infantry platoon and ANA counterparts there.

The place was an Afghan graveyard. Bergdahl had been acting a little strange, telling people he wanted to "walk the earth" and kept a little journal talking about how he was meant for better things. No one thought anything about it. He was a little “out there”. Next morning he's gone. We search everywhere, and can't find him.

He left his weapon, his kit, and other sensitive items. He only took some water, a compass and a knife. We find some afghan kids shortly after who saw an american walking north asking about where the taliban are. We get hits on our voice intercepter that Taliban has him, and we were close. We come to realize that the kid deserted his post, snuck out of camp and sought out Taliban… to join them.

We were in a defensive position at OP Mest, where your focus is to keep people out. He knew where the blind spots were to slip out and that's what he did. It was supposed to be a 4-day mission but turned into several months of active searching. Everyone was spun up to find this guy. News outlets all over the country were putting out false information.

It was hard to see, especially when we knew the truth about what happened and we lost good men trying to find him. PFC Matthew Michael Martinek, Staff Sgt. Kurt Robert Curtiss, SSG Clayton Bowen, PFC Morris Walker, SSG Michael Murphrey, 2LT Darryn Andrews, were all KIA from our unit who died looking for Bergdahl. Many others from various units were wounded or killed while actively looking for Bergdahl. Fighting Increased. IEDs and enemy ambushes increased.

The Taliban knew that we were looking for him in high numbers and our movements were predictable. Because of Bergdahl, more men were out in danger, and more attacks on friendly camps and positions were conducted while we were out looking for him. His actions impacted the region more than anyone wants to admit. There is also no way to know what he told the Taliban: Our movements, locations, tactics, weak points on vehicles and other things for the enemy to exploit are just a few possibilities.

The Government knows full well that he deserted. It looks bad and is a good propaganda piece for the Taliban. They refuse to acknowledge it. Hell they even promoted him to Sergeant which makes me sick. I feel for his family who only want their son/brother back. They don’t know the truth, or refuse to acknowledge it as well.

What he did affected his family and his whole town back home, who don’t know the truth. Either way what matters is that good men died because of him. He has been lying on all those Taliban videos about everything since his “capture”. If he ever returns, he should be tried under the UCMJ for being a deserter and judged for what he did.

Bergdahl is not a hero, he is not a soldier or an Infantryman. He failed his brothers. Now, sons and daughters are growing up without their fathers who died for him and he will have to face that truth someday."



Youtube video of this disgusting press conference. www.youtube.com...




my thoughts? this piece of trash sought out the Taliban to become one, his father is CLEARLY radicalized aswell.

it gets better!

Youtube video of him talking freely with his "hostage holders" or for better terms his buddys. www.youtube.com...

Who knows how many soldiers and Marines were killed in the subsequent efforts to search for him after he knowingly walked off post without his weapon, radio or kits. We know of a few, but i'm sure the impact was far greater than what was reported above.

This whole deal is certainly questionable.

Anything involving Obama and Co. is always suspicious.

Who knows what evil is behind this.

This is definitely not normal.

originally posted by: xuenchen
This whole deal is certainly questionable.

Anything involving Obama and Co. is always suspicious.

Who knows what evil is behind this.

This is definitely not normal.

I Agree with You ! ... ( plus Star-n-Flag the O.P. ).

OPINION:

If it Walks like a Duck and Talks like a Duck ???

( well, this one smells like one ... too )


(further?) Evidenced By:

Did Sgt. Bergdahl’s Dad Delete Disturbing Tweet About Fight to Free Gitmo Prisoners?
.

a reply to: ThinkYouSpeak

I agree, this man needs charged for desertion in wartime, the charge carries a penalty of life in prison or death I believe depending upon the court martial court.

I want to see him tried to the fullest extent because of the men who died looking for him.

After reading this, what is your point? have not ever heard don't leave a comrade behind no matter what. I understand the though process of looking for some one, but if we released the 5 guys, who knows maybe we tagged them and they don't know, or how about the insight of how they been working from someone that has been captive for all these years.

Its easy to criticize if you have never been on the other side of the fence.

I haven't heard of this guy until recently, but the first thing I thought was 5 years? I don't think the Taliban let american soldiers go at all so he obviously was feeding them information...My opinion

a reply to: Thisbseth

No opinion needed. From 2010:

Captured US soldier has joined our cause, say Taliban

Private Bowe Bergdahl disappeared from an American military base in southeastern Afghanistan in June 2009

A Taliban deputy district commander in Paktika province said the 24-year-old American had converted to Islam in the months after his capture. He said Bergdahl, from Idaho’s Sun Valley, had trained Taliban fighters in bomb-making and ambushing convoys.

“When I saw him for the second time, he had totally changed. He had a beard and he treated all of us very respectfully. He seemed very relaxed in our company. He was no longer scared,” said the commander, who called himself Haji Nadeem.

www.thesundaytimes.co.uk...

originally posted by: ThinkYouSpeak
We were at OP Mest, Paktika Province, Afghanistan. It was a small outpost where B Co 1-501st INF (Airbone) ran operations out of, just an Infantry platoon and ANA counterparts there. The place was an Afghan graveyard. Bergdahl had been acting a little strange, telling people he wanted to "walk the earth" and kept a little journal talking about how he was meant for better things. No one thought anything about it. He was a little “out there”. Next morning he's gone. We search everywhere, and can't find him. He left his weapon, his kit, and other sensitive items. He only took some water, a compass and a knife. We find some afghan kids shortly after who saw an american walking north asking about where the taliban are. We get hits on our voice intercepter that Taliban has him, and we were close. We come to realize that the kid deserted his post, snuck out of camp and sought out Taliban… to join them. We were in a defensive position at OP Mest, where your focus is to keep people out. He knew where the blind spots were to slip out and that's what he did. It was supposed to be a 4-day mission but turned into several months of active searching. Everyone was spun up to find this guy. News outlets all over the country were putting out false information. It was hard to see, especially when we knew the truth about what happened and we lost good men trying to find him. PFC Matthew Michael Martinek, Staff Sgt. Kurt Robert Curtiss, SSG Clayton Bowen, PFC Morris Walker, SSG Michael Murphrey, 2LT Darryn Andrews, were all KIA from our unit who died looking for Bergdahl. Many others from various units were wounded or killed while actively looking for Bergdahl. Fighting Increased. IEDs and enemy ambushes increased. The Taliban knew that we were looking for him in high numbers and our movements were predictable. Because of Bergdahl, more men were out in danger, and more attacks on friendly camps and positions were conducted while we were out looking for him. His actions impacted the region more than anyone wants to admit. There is also no way to know what he told the Taliban: Our movements, locations, tactics, weak points on vehicles and other things for the enemy to exploit are just a few possibilities. The Government knows full well that he deserted. It looks bad and is a good propaganda piece for the Taliban. They refuse to acknowledge it. Hell they even promoted him to Sergeant which makes me sick. I feel for his family who only want their son/brother back. They don’t know the truth, or refuse to acknowledge it as well. What he did affected his family and his whole town back home, who don’t know the truth. Either way what matters is that good men died because of him. He has been lying on all those Taliban videos about everything since his “capture”. If he ever returns, he should be tried under the UCMJ for being a deserter and judged for what he did. Bergdahl is not a hero, he is not a soldier or an Infantryman. He failed his brothers. Now, sons and daughters are growing up without their fathers who died for him and he will have to face that truth someday."



Youtube video of this disgusting press conference. www.youtube.com...

my thoughts? this piece of trash sought out the Taliban to become one, his father is CLEARLY radicalized aswell.

it gets better!

Youtube video of him talking freely with his "hostage holders" or for better terms his buddys. www.youtube.com...

Who knows how many soldiers and Marines were killed in the subsequent efforts to search for him after he knowingly walked off post without his weapon, radio or kits. We know of a few, but i'm sure the impact was far greater than what was reported above.

You were in his platoon?

Have you contacted media with your credentials and story? If not, why not?

There could be a possibility he had orders to do what he did ... To infiltrate and learn from the Taliban, how expansive there network is, supply lines, connections, all sorts he could have also passed on false information... These sorts of things are not uncommon but they're generally carried out by special forces troops or agents, I wonder if his dad has a military past also ?

It seems odd the US gov would request his release? Or he would be willing or allowed to be release and as a POW? Doesn't make sense... Perhaps they also want him to interrogate and give him a good slap... Or download from him what he has learned from the Taliban... These sorts of incidents where very common during the empire days learning from tribes etc

OR Maybe he really was a traitor and quickly realised Afghanistan is the ass of the world and Islam "extremist Islam" is medieval brutal barbaric and backwards and would rather go back to the US and die in a prison than live another year in hell ?

It's all questionable and we don't really know what may be the case tbh, but thanks for bringing this to our attention S&F

sorry that's not a quote from me, i would never serve this nations military to advance the desires of rich and wealthy businessmen in their illegal wars

sourced from patdollard.com... on-by-traitor-whose-actions-killed-u-s-troops/

Outside conspiracy possibility;

Maybe Bergdahl was part of an operation to pass false info to enemies?

We know the "search" resulted in deaths, but maybe that was a "sacrifice" ?

The "Agencies" operate in odd ways many times.

And maybe the 4+ year timeline indicates the operation was bungled somewhere?

Long shot but possible.

a reply to: ThinkYouSpeak

All I know is, American doctrine has always been to not negotiate with terrorists, especially over hostages, as doing that just encourages more hostage taking in the future. Today it's 1 for 5. Next year, it might be 1 for 10. In ten years, it might be 1 for 100, like Israel does now. The price of doing business with terrorists always goes up after time.

The whole thing with the soldiers father's tweets is disturbing, but I guess he might have just been pissed off that nothing had been done, and figured maybe he'd get some sympathy if he sounded sympathetic towards the Taliban? Who knows. I'm glad he got his son back, but no matter the facts around his son, the act of exchanging prisoners in this fashion just gaurantees more in the future, not less, now that Obama decided to open up that can of worms.

a reply to: xuenchen

I'm glad you can make excuses for the SOB. I wont.

You just ask yourself just whose fatigues he was wearing in that video from 2010 or 2011.... he was in fatigues... and they were not his, his were taken from him and burned because they were afraid he was wearing a wire...

so whose body did those fatigues come from - and why the # did he put them on...

Make excuses all day long.. I wont. There is no conspiracy other than our government has been infiltrated and your being played.

a reply to: OpinionatedB

Relax.

It was just a simple conspiracy theory.

LOL

The strategy should be clear now, the Obama administration wants to end the war in Afghanistan, and to appease the Taliban, which will certainly return to power in that region. Basically undoing the whole war, and having our forces leave in disgrace, all who fought there fought for nothing in the end.

This captive was a willing participant in a plot to free Taliban detainees, it took years, and in the end Susan Rice claims they didn't have 30 days, it was that urgent to make this swap.

Just like that, soon we are right back where we were the day after 9/11.

The price for appeasment and weakness will eventually be high.

IMO

Maybe he had some kind of breakdown, not all people can handle army life.

We got a deal, we don't have to take care of those 5 people anymore, a great financial savings, and we get one man back who doesn't want to fight anymore, he probably will make a good worker and never challenge our government. On top of that, they don't have to pay him any money since he deserted.

I can't judge this person, I do not have enough knowledge about him. Maybe the people working with him would know more about him. A Soldier leaving without any weapons in the middle of that country can't be all there. Maybe he was suicidal.

If the guy wasn't all there, he could have been convinced to join with the Taliban possibly.

Haven't they made a TV show about this?

Oh yeah, Homeland. Great show. Seems a little weird. If I remember right, they really only wanted to get him back to use him for propaganda purposes. Can't wait to see his first interview.

a reply to: rickymouse

He knew the deal before he joined up... he joined up anyway.

Did all the soldiers who went deal with it the way they thought they would? No, I'm sure not...

but that is not any excuse.. desertion is punishable with imprisonment for a reason... it costs lives, it puts others in jeopardy, it puts the mission at risk... it messes up just a whole lot of stuff.

All that "stuff" means men died and will never see their children grow up, their wives have no husband and their children no fathers. He deserves to pay for that.... he needs punished for that. It's NOT nothing.

He needs to stand court martial for that, and let the courts decide whether or not it was desertion and at what level. But he needs to stand accountable for his own actions.

a reply to: OpinionatedB

The article says that the guy wanted to "walk the earth" and carried a journal about better things he was meant for. Nothing in there implied that he had any idea that his comrades would die looking for him later. There have been many many cases where military guys do much worse and harmful things to each other. Not everyone is meant for the service, even some that wind up there. We should wait a while before we start throwing stones.

Regardless of the original motivation for his desertion for one moment, and lets analyse Obama's action.

"We will not negotiate with terrorists!". Thats always been the catch-cry. so why is this instance different?

We may or may not find out, but one thing is for certain.....expect the number of American kidnappings in Pakistan and Afghanistan to increased sharply now since the result, swap 1 for 5, you would say is a successful result from the perspective of the taliban.


Yes, this whole story is straight out of the series "Homeland". There was another story recently about a CIA agent that went rogue in Iran onna secret mission too, which also sounded rediculously like the previous seasons plot on Homeland.


Note: Why was this marine swapped, when I heard on the weekend theres another marine being tortured i na Mexican jail for accidently crossing the border......(sorry, cant find link).