The Army has decided to charge Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl with a number of offenses, including desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. I don’t know what the evidence will show but this whole decision smells political. Over the last several years, we have seen the Army bring a number of court-martial cases for political reasons. Is the Bergdahl decision just one big political move or is Bergdahl a traitor as many have claimed? We know very little about what really happened. From news reports, we have learned that Bergdahl appears to have left his post in Afghanistan, leaving his weapon and gear behind. We have heard from several fellow soldiers who have given their opinions about why Bergdahl may have disappeared from his post. But we also know that Bergdahl was held, presumably against his will, for five years. We have learned that he was tortured. We have seen videos of him in the hands of the enemy and have recently learned that he attempted to escape numerous times. Is Bergdahl a traitor who needs to be punished to the full extent of the law? Or is he simply a victim of a brutal enemy and now being persecuted for political reasons? I suspect that the truth will fall somewhere in between. We will have to wait until we hear the actual evidence of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy.
There has also been a lot of criticism of the administration regarding the swap of Guantanamo detainees for Bergdahl. However, there should be no debate. Regardless of whether Sergeant Bergdahl is guilty of some offense, we, the United States of America, do not leave soldiers behind, no matter whether they are a hero or a goat. If someone has committed a crime, then we must get him home and subject him to the law. Our American laws.