Newly released prisoner-of-war joined military so he could help Afghans
Friends say they were surprised when Bergdalh announced he had enlisted
28-year-old was described as being adventurous and fun-loving
By Associated Press Reporter and Joel Christie
Published: 21:33 EST, 31 May 2014 | Updated: 06:58 EST, 1 June 2014
From the beginning, Bowe Bergdahl was not your conventional US Army Sergeant.
Traveling extensively and trained in ballet, he had sailed across the Atlantic by his late teens, but was home-schooled in a small town in Idaho with a population of about 8,000.
His friends say he enlisted in the army to help the Afghan people and provide philanthropic support to the war effort.
As the Taliban's sole American prisoner was freed after five years, a portrait has been painted of an adventurous and idealistic seeker, who was known for his manners and would stop at nothing to test new experiences.
Sue Martin, his old boss at Zaney's Coffee House in Hailey, told MailOnline he had always had an adventurous spirit.
But as the U.S. government negotiated his release, in exchange for five members of the Taliban who were being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, many have asked whether the 28-year-old will be viewed as a hero or a deserter.
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