The Briefing Room
General Category => National/Breaking News => Topic started by: flowers on June 01, 2014, 02:00:58 pm
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http://www.cbsnews.com/news/bowe-bergdahl-us-soldier-held-by-taliban-was-ashamed-to-be-american-emails-show/
(AP) WASHINGTON - Emails an American soldier reportedly sent to his parents before he was captured by the Taliban three years ago suggest he was disillusioned and considering deserting.
Bowe Bergdahl told his parents he was "ashamed to even be American" and was disgusted with the U.S. mission in Afghanistan and with the Army, according to emails quoted in Rolling Stone magazine.
Bergdahl, a 26-year-old Army sergeant from Hailey, Idaho, was taken prisoner on June 30, 2009, in Afghanistan.
The military has never detailed circumstances of his disappearance or capture, and he is not classified as a deserter. He was initially listed as "duty status unknown" and is now considered "missing-captured." He is the only U.S. prisoner of war from the Afghanistan conflict, and U.S. officials say they are actively trying to free him.
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I see dad spoke in afgany language at presser last night.
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(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BpA4mwUIUAA9rei.jpg)
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(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BpA4mwUIUAA9rei.jpg)
**nononono*
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Five years? He's under duress.
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I see dad spoke in afgany language at presser last night.
Yes. Dad looks like quite a tool.
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I saw this first hand. We were training for a raid on an enemy village. There were 7 of us and one Muslim guy. We were lined up in the trench and the villiage was playing some kind of Allah Akbar music at full blast. The Muslim guy began singing along with it.
We got the go order and moved up to the first door. We lined up like we were trained and started rocking. The kicker kicked the door in. The Muslim guy was second to the door. As soon as the door swung open the Muslim guy turned on us all. We were not using live rounds at the time but if we had been, he would have killed us all. Not to mention he would have let everyone in the village know we are there.
He was red-faced, clenched teeth, drooling, and foaming. Even without rounds, he still beat the crap out of the nearest guy to him. And the rest of us beat the crap out of him, right back at cha buddy.
The facilitators captured him, handcuffed him, and took him away. I never saw him again. Thank God it happened in training. We would have killed him in the field, but not before he had taken two or three of us out.
I think America should rethink this politically correct idea of sending Muslims to fight fellow Muslims. From my experience, it adds additional risk and could compromise any mission in which they are involved.
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:patriot:
You got lucky - for which I am profoundly grateful. Anything seem slightly hinky with him beforehand, or was it a sudden rabid change? If I have to guess, something triggered your caution and made you put him on entry. He'd have caused a lot more problems as back door. He'd have had a perfect killing field in that position, with your guys in an enclosed space with no exit and minimal sight lines.
We'd use natives from time to time. Not often, but sometimes you need someone who can sling the lingo faster and better than you can. They invariably had one of the squad sticking to them like a Siamese twin, with orders to drop the sod with 2 to the head if anything even smelled wrong. Can't trust them, ever.
Odd bleep, they are.
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It was two things that caused him to trigger. First indication was when he heard the music. I guess it was call to prayer, but I don't know. That was when we saw him change. But the secondary trigger was when the door got kicked. That was when he flipped.
What he did made sense from an enemy point of view. He may have wanted to wait and make sure the door was open, then distract the squad so everyone inside can either get away or come out to join him in the fight.
It was the duration, realism, and intensity of the exercise that cause him to pop. Had he made it to mission, I have absolutely no doubt he would have done it there.
He was not role playing. That guy went rabid, and he did want to kill us. You could see it in his eyes. That was not part of any drill. The guy flipped out. We had been training for several days by then, and you could hear the Muslim music all night long. My guess is, he just couldn't hold it in any longer. His true self took over.
The worst part is that we had been live fire with this guy. He could have seriously hurt us. Gives me shivers. He just happened to pop when we were not actually shooting. The music and the door kick did it.
BTW, the guy was American. He was American Muslim.
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You guys lucked out, big time. Again - totally grateful for it, and one reason why drills and exercises should be as real as possible. You don't always get someone going loco, but you will get people - even damned good people - clutching when the shit hits the fan. You need to know that can happen and kick asses accordingly.
I guess he showed no signs prior to this then? If he had, you'd have said, you report accurately (it's a nasty habit!). Not going to ask for details - one doesn't, but I am only semi retired. Anything that covers my guy's asses is helpful at the moment.
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Are we talking Manchurian Candidate here?
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Are we talking Manchurian Candidate here?
Right now - with what has come up but without judging:
He decided to flip sides. Possible. Not many low value people are kept alive for 5 years, and his head is still firmly attached to his shoulders. Maybe he did decide to assist the Taliban. That does depend on a local commander understanding the benefits of keeping him alive.
He flipped out. Burn out, couldn't take it any more, call it what you will. He decided to go home (the kit he took with him does suggest that to me) and got caught by the Taliban who figured he'd make a neat little bargaining tool.
He were unlucky. While leaving your station or your post is unforgivable - it isn't exactly unknown for it to happen. Walk out beyond the wire just to get a bit of peace and privacy. Privacy is the one luxury that is simply not available in a small base. That gets stressing, fast, and most decent CO's will make sure everyone gets some quiet down time on their own.
I don't know which it is. Yet. I want to listen to the guy and watch his eyes before judging.
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You guys lucked out, big time. Again - totally grateful for it, and one reason why drills and exercises should be as real as possible. You don't always get someone going loco, but you will get people - even damned good people - clutching when the shit hits the fan. You need to know that can happen and kick asses accordingly.
I guess he showed no signs prior to this then? If he had, you'd have said, you report accurately (it's a nasty habit!). Not going to ask for details - one doesn't, but I am only semi retired. Anything that covers my guy's asses is helpful at the moment.
The only signs before then was curiosity. He had an Arab wife, I think from Palestine. He used to talk to her in front of us and he would describe to her, the music, and all of what he had heard that week in Arabic. He seemed a fairly devout Muslim, and we were as I said 'curious' what he was doing with us. So, yes, to answer you directly we were kind of watching him. But it was nothing direct or overt. It was just a general feeling that something was not quite right with this chap. He just seemed not to be a full part of the squad. A loner, so to speak.
He had spoken to his wife just before we set out on that particular exercise. I think another part of it was possible influence from listening to and also missing his wife. I do not know what was going on between them.
Initially it was probably something he wanted, and thought he could do, but once he was in it, the pressure and the mission got to him. Before he joined us he was a military mortician. He had seen combat, but from a different point of view.
Yes. We were lucky and grateful to the Sergeants and trainers. The stress and pressure of the training worked. It did exactly what it was supposed to do. It got rid of the weaker links. And we are all the better for it.
Cheers EC. I thank you for your concern and sympathies.