Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl Heading Back to U.S.

[flowers]

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/sgt-bowe-bergdahl-heading-back-u-s-n129796

Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is scheduled to fly back to the United States early Friday, NBC News has learned.

Two senior defense officials say the freed Taliban prisoner will arrive at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio sometime after midnight local time.

Bergdahl will not make any public appearances during Phase 3 of his reintegration process and there will be no media coverage of his return or during his stay at Brooke Army Medical Center.

After being freed from three years of Taliban captivity in a controversial prisoner swap, Bergdahl was sent to the U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany.

[Rivergirl]

bowe is O's problem now.  Who will explain how someone discharged from the Coast Guard gets to jeopardize the lives of his fellow troops in Afghanistan.

This administration's chickens are coming home to roost, but it's us, the patriotic Americans who are paying the price.

[mystery-ak]

Heading back in the dead of night...

[mountaineer]

Heading back in the dead of night...

The White House is frantically working to come up with some other news item to distract from Bergdahl's return, I'd wager.

[mountaineer]

American Thinker: Bowe Bergdahl Back in the USA[/url:

Bowe Bergdahl arrived in the US this morning, transported from a German military hospital to a military medical center. in San Antonio.

CNN:

Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the last American prisoner of war, returned home early Friday morning, his hero's welcome supplanted by a controversial prisoner swap and his reputation tarnished by accusations he was a deserter.

He arrived in San Antonio, Texas, from a military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, where he'd been recuperating since his release May 31 in exchange for five Taliban figures held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The 28-year-old Bergdahl, the longest held American soldier since the Vietnam War, was taken to the San Antonio Military Medical Center.

"The Army will continue to ensure that Sgt. Bergdahl receives the care, time and space he needs to complete his recovery and reintegration," Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby said.

Bergdahl's full physical recovery may take months; his public rehabilitation will likely take longer.

The swap that freed Bergdahl has stirred up a political storm in Washington. And almost-daily revelations about Bergdahl's time in Afghanistan have not helped matters.

"Everybody has a piece of the story, and very few people have the whole story," a Defense Department psychologist told reporters.

The backlash has gotten so bad that a public celebration in his hometown of Hailey, Idaho -- one that the 8,000 residents there had waited five years for -- has been scrapped for fear of protests.

"It isn't over for us," Bergdahl's father, Bob, told reporters last week. "In many ways, it's just beginning for Jani and I, and our family. There's a long process here."

[...]

On Thursday, The Daily Beast published two letters the solider reportedly wrote to his family while imprisoned by the Taliban.

In the letters -- dated 2012 and 2013 -- Bergdahl discusses his life and partially explains why he disappeared.

"Leadership was lacking, if not non-existent," he wrote.. The conditions were bad and looked to be getting worse for the men that where actuly (sic) the ones risking thier (sic) lives from attack," he wrote.

"If this letter makes it to the U.S.A., tell those involved in the investigation that there are more sides to the cittuwation (sic)," Bergdahl said. "Please tell D.C. to wait for all evadince (sic) to come in."

A timeline shows  that these letters were written after it became apparent that Mr. Bergdahl was going to be exchanged for Taliban prisoners. He knew he was going home and was already thinking about his defense against charges of desertion.

And a pretty lame defense it is. "I deserted  my post because there was no leadership..."? "I deserted because conditions were bad..."? I hope he wasn't expecting four star acccommodations.

I don't know what his defense is going to be if he's brought up on charges, but he better find something better than this.

Editor Lifson wondered when he would be made available to the press. My guess is never, although some carefully selected, sympathetic reporter - Barbara Walters coming out of retirement for the interview of a lifetime? - might be given access to him. If not, then we will be treated to daily doses of wisdom from his father Robert Bergdahl, telling us, no doubt, that his son should not be punished for following his conscience, or something.

[EC]

Dear presstitutes.

Back the bleep off, right now. Want to talk to Bergdahl - you can bloody well wait until he's a/ recovered and b/ dealt with in an appropriate manner.

This is an internal problem. A family problem if you will. The public's right to know is minimal in this case. First priority id his family - and I ain't talking about his mom and dad. I'm talking about his unit. Questions need to be asked and answered, and not one of them is your damned business right now.

You whine about his father - there is a simple solution. Do your jobs. Don't give him a bully pulpit. This is not some public relations bit of fluff, this is a serious breach of duty, etiquette and oath by a serving soldier. Uless you can grab a journalist who was a few tours under their belt on the sharp end - you got no damned right to anything.