Bowe Bergdahl pleads guilty in desertion case

[txradioguy]

Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl pleaded guilty Monday at Fort Bragg to charges he endangered comrades by walking away from his post in Afghanistan in 2009 -- the court case wrapping up just three years after a stunning Rose Garden spectacle in which former President Barack Obama, flanked by Bergdahl's parents, triumphantly announced the soldier's release from captivity.

Bergdahl’s lawyer said the prosecution and defense have not agreed to a stipulation of facts in the case, which is an indication that they did not reach a deal to limit his punishment, The Associated Press reported.

The misbehavior charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, while the desertion charge is punishable by up to five years.
Bergdahl, 31, told the judge that he now understands what he did caused others to search for him.

Bergdahl was released in May 2014 after a highly-criticized deal in which five Taliban terrorists were set free. At the time, Obama administration officials said Bergdahl had "served with honor and distinction."

The U.S. Army said Bergdahl asked to enter his plea before the military judge, which brings the saga closer to an end eight years after Bergdahl's disappearance in Afghanistan set off search missions by scores of his fellow service members. President Obama was criticized by Republicans for the 2014 Taliban prisoner swap that brought Bergdahl home, while President Donald Trump harshly criticized Bergdahl on the campaign trail.


http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/10/16/bowe-bergdahl-expected-to-plead-guilty-in-desertion-case.html

[edpc]

Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was held by the Taliban after leaving his base in Afghanistan in 2009, has pleaded guilty to desertion and misbehavior before the enemy, according to multiple news outlets. Bergdahl was freed in 2014 in exchange for five Taliban detainees.

Bergdahl, a native of Idaho, pleaded guilty before the military judge in the case, Army Col. Jeffery R. Nance, at a hearing at Fort Bragg, N.C., on Monday, according to the Associated Press.

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/10/16/558050712/bowe-bergdahl-pleads-guilty-to-desertion-misconduct

[edpc]

Good people died looking for this traitor and bad men were released for his return.  One of the many terrible things never mentioned by the press when discussing the Obama legacy.

[ArneFufkin]

He should have demanded a sex change and Obama would have pardoned him.

[Suppressed]

He should go bunk with Eddie Slovik.

[Sanguine]

I hope he does get life.

[txradioguy]

I hope he does get life.

There's a LOT of people...including those wounded and the families of the ones who died looking for him that hope the same thing.

[Sanguine]

There's a LOT of people...including those wounded and the families of the ones who died looking for him that hope the same thing.

Yeah, my boys were over there when he went missing. 

Over on TOS, I remember some of the TOSsers there were accusing the military of not doing enough to rescue him.  I cautioned them to wait for more information because there was obviously something way wrong with his story.

[musiclady]

I hope he does get life.

Oh, me too!!

[dfwgator]

I hope he does get life.

In front of a firing squad.

[musiclady]

In front of a firing squad.

Or this......

[dfwgator]

He should go bunk with Eddie Slovik.

Eddie Slovik didn't get anybody killed looking for him.

[Mod1]

Merged two threads.

[txradioguy]

Yeah, my boys were over there when he went missing. 

Over on TOS, I remember some of the TOSsers there were accusing the military of not doing enough to rescue him.  I cautioned them to wait for more information because there was obviously something way wrong with his story.

What the TOSers don't understand and what your boys will tell you is that when a soldier goes missing...the acronym is DUSTWUN (duty status-whereabouts unknown)...everything stops in that sector and everyone in that area has one job at that point...find the missing soldier or soldiers.

A couple times they were fairly close to Berghdal according to some reports I've read...they could tell by the ferocity of the fighting in the search area where they were at the time.

[Right_in_Virginia]

[txradioguy]

@Right_in_Virginia the pictures of these soldiers need to be held up or somehow displayed inn court when the judge hands down his sentence.

[dfwgator]

@Right_in_Virginia the pictures of these soldiers need to be held up or somehow displayed inn court when the judge hands down his sentence.

This too!

[Right_in_Virginia]

@Right_in_Virginia the pictures of these soldiers need to be held up or somehow displayed inn court when the judge hands down his sentence.

I agree!!

[Suppressed]

Eddie Slovik didn't get anybody killed looking for him.

Exactly why this clown should be made to move in with Eddie soon.

[Cyber Liberty]

This Judge appears to be a no-nonsense kind of a fellow.  There's an article in Stripes about this case, and he was adamant Bergdahl knew what he was doing when he threw out a motion to dismiss the Misbehavior charge.

https://www.stripes.com/news/us/judge-won-t-drop-rare-misbehavior-charge-against-bergdahl-1.476089#.WeZL03ZlBzl

[txradioguy]

This Judge appears to be a no-nonsense kind of a fellow.  There's an article in Stripes about this case, and he was adamant Bergdahl knew what he was doing when he threw out a motion to dismiss the Misbehavior charge.

https://www.stripes.com/news/us/judge-won-t-drop-rare-misbehavior-charge-against-bergdahl-1.476089#.WeZL03ZlBzl

Yeah that misbehavior charge is the biggie...just step below a charge of treason.  It's the one that will ensure he spends the rest of his life at the DB at Ft. Leavenworth.

IF that one had been tossed...he could possibly have been out within a few years on just the desertion charge.

[Cyber Liberty]

Yeah that misbehavior charge is the biggie...just step below a charge of treason.  It's the one that will ensure he spends the rest of his life at the DB at Ft. Leavenworth.

IF that one had been tossed...he could possibly have been out within a few years on just the desertion charge.

Not quite.  The major insult would be they would have probably left him in Rank, and counted his time in captivity against his sentence so he'd have walked with Time Served.  Nothing at Leavenworth.  Now there's a good chance he can lead the kind of life Rambo had at the beginning of that second movie, where he was holding down a job of making big rocks into little ones, while being a buck Private.

[txradioguy]

Not quite.  The major insult would be they would have probably left him in Rank, and counted his time in captivity against his sentence so he'd have walked with Time Served.  Nothing at Leavenworth.  Now there's a good chance he can lead the kind of life Rambo had at the beginning of that second movie, where he was holding down a job of making big rocks into little ones, while being a buck Private.

Good point.  It angers me to no end right now to see him in uniform with a lot of rank and awards he didn't earn.  I'd like to be there when they remove those from him and toss them in the trash.

[DCPatriot]

Not quite.  The major insult would be they would have probably left him in Rank, and counted his time in captivity against his sentence so he'd have walked with Time Served.  Nothing at Leavenworth.  Now there's a good chance he can lead the kind of life Rambo had at the beginning of that second movie, where he was holding down a job of making big rocks into little ones, while being a buck Private.

I'd be interested on how he'd react to 'Marshall Murdock'.      ^-^

[Cyber Liberty]

Good point.  It angers me to no end right now to see him in uniform with a lot of rank and awards he didn't earn.  I'd like to be there when they remove those from him and toss them in the trash.

That will happen, at the very least.  This Judge looks tough, so there will probably be time given, but before that he'll be stripped of his medals and busted to Buck Private.  He may even be forced to pay back the cash he received for back pay and Sergeant's pay.