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Associated Press/Photo by Gerry BroomeBowe Bergdahl (center) arrives Friday at the Fort Bragg courtroom facility in North Carolina.Bergdahl won’t serve prison time
by Lynde Langdon
Posted 11/03/17, 12:04 pm
A military judge decided Bowe Bergdahl should serve no prison time for abandoning his post in Afghanistan, which led to his capture by the Taliban. The judge gave Bergdahl a dishonorable discharge, reduced his rank to private, and ordered him to forfeit pay equal to $1,000 per month for 10 months. Bergdahl pleaded guilty to desertion and misbehavior before the enemy and faced up to life in prison. Prosecutors sought stiff punishment because some service members were wounded in the search for Bergdahl after he disappeared in 2009. But the defense argued Bergdahl already suffered harsh consequences during his five-year captivity, and his contributions to military intelligence and survival instruction mitigated the damage his actions caused.
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Lynde Langdon
Lynde is a WORLD Digital’s managing editor and reports on popular and fine arts. She lives in Wichita, Kan., with her husband and two daughters. Follow Lynde on Twitter @lmlangdon.
Comments
NEWS2ME
Posted: Fri, 11/03/2017 04:29 pmWhy did we rescue him from the Taliban? So we could spend millions to, what, say shame on you!
overdue
Posted: Fri, 11/03/2017 04:51 pmPersonally, I think being locked up might be easier to deal with. Where can he go where he won't be viewed as a traitor?
His best option might be to change his identity and move to a place where no one knows him.
Brendan Bossard
Posted: Fri, 11/03/2017 07:40 pmI am personally willing to give the judge the benefit of the doubt. Maybe someone with more experience can offer a different perspective, but I suspect that a military judge is much less likely to rule with a bleeding heart than a civilian one.
Brendan Bossard
Posted: Mon, 11/06/2017 02:15 pmAndrew McCarthy feels that Pres. Trump's comments may have put the judge in a difficult spot.
Cyborg3
Posted: Mon, 11/06/2017 01:47 amHe not only caused soldiers to be wounded but some to die! Bergdahl was a traitor and in days of old he would be shot. Today after Obama wrecked the military, a cowardly officer refuses to do his job of sentencing this traitor to do some hard time!
Hans
Posted: Mon, 11/06/2017 05:02 amWait, you were there? You heard the evidence? You are an expert in the UCMJ and qualified to make legal decisions? Then maybe you should just be quiet instead of denigrating a decorated military officer for no other reason than your political leanings. The judge joined the military long before Obama was elected and has continued to serve honorably. You have no reason to label him a coward because he handed down a decision you don't like. You ought to be ashamed of yourself.
OldMike
Posted: Mon, 11/06/2017 02:53 pmBergdahl’s actions disgust me, but I believe him to be (or was at the time) suffering from some sort of mental problems that caused him to be unable to determine what was real and what was not. Obviously, he was used by his captors for propaganda purposes and probably otherwise abused, so hopefully some of that jolted him back to reality.
Even as a combat vet, I am inclined to go along with the lenient sentence he received.
I actually regard President Obama’s actions to free Bergdahl as the most questionable part of this affair. Sad precedent that may inspire more kidnappings by Muslim extremists.