Finally!

Leni · May 31, 2014

Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is finally coming home. We are trading 5 detainees from Gitmo for him. I'm not happy about that part of it but delighted that he is free.

Now we need to get our Marine in Mexico home.

Galvatron · Jun 1, 2014

5 years is a long time mentally, i wish him a speedy recovery from his ordeal and salute his courage.

As for the trade off....hard call so lets just look at the joy this will bring for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl and his loved ones.

leadarrows · Jun 1, 2014

I wonder how many now will die at the hands of those let free.

Doc · Jun 1, 2014

I am glad he is home. I heard he cannot speak English.

but.... we don't negotiate with terrorists so how could this happen?
Also, congress was to be notified 30 days in advance about any changes with the detainees at Guantanamo, congress was left out of this deal. The deal is being called illegal, but it's done so now what will happen? Rhetorical question ...just like with everything else nothing will happen. :bonk:

Leni · Jun 1, 2014

I heard he cannot speak English.
That's weird. Maybe a mental block after five years. A hot shower, a cold drink, and a thick steak should help. Even more his mom and dad. I can't even imagine how tough it would have been.

road squawker · Jun 1, 2014

Leni said:
... A hot shower, a cold drink, and a thick steak should help. Even more his mom and dad. I can't even imagine how tough it would have been.

I was personally involved with each of the 83 U.S.S. PUEBLO crew members after they were released.

we had a compound up on the hill in Point Loma (San Diego).
if you were not a member of the team, you didn't get into the compound, period.

those men went thru pure hell. many recovered quickly, some never did

Danang Sailor · Jun 1, 2014

Doc said:
I am glad he is home. I heard he cannot speak English.

but.... we don't negotiate with terrorists so how could this happen?
Also, congress was to be notified 30 days in advance about any changes with the detainees at Guantanamo, congress was left out of this deal. The deal is being called illegal, but it's done so now what will happen? Rhetorical question ...just like with everything else nothing will happen.

Probably a canard. After he boarded the chopper he is reported to have written a note in English.

Danang Sailor · Jun 1, 2014

road aquawker said:
I was personally involved with each of the 83 U.S.S. PUEBLO crew members after they were released.

we had a compound up on the hill in Point Loma (San Diego).
if you were not a member of the team, you didn't get into the compound, period.

those men went thru pure hell. many recovered quickly, some never did

I imagine they felt rather betrayed by the chain of command, since they were guaranteed protection by air assets that
didn't actually exist. But, I will always remember their grit and that "Hawaiian good luck gesture"!

Danang Sailor · Jun 1, 2014

When I first heard about the five-for-one swap, it concerned me. When I heard that Obama totally ignored the "30-day
notice to Congress" law, it angered me. Now, it appears that Sgt. Bergdahl's father tweeted, "I am still working to free all
Guantanamo prisoners. God will repay for the death of every Afghan child, ameen!” If that is true, it will both enrage and
frighten as it calls the entire episode into question.

There are two separate stories about how Bergdahl ended up with the Taliban: one, apparently "official", says he was
captured during a nighttime raid into his compound, and the other, purportedly from other soldiers in his outfit, is that
he deserted and sought out the Taliban. If there is any truth to the desertion story (and the Taliban are not known for
kidnapping raids into U.S. compounds), we may have traded five know terrorists for one "sleeper", and that is just about
the worst possible scenario.

Getting our people back is a moral obligation of the first order, but this case has enough problems to make it questionable
as to how it should have been handled.

And of course, there is the little matter of Susan Rice hitting the Sunday TV to push the official story ... and we all
remember how reliable her "Sunday stories" are!

Leni · Jun 1, 2014

I agree DS. There is a lot of this that does not sit well, especially turning loose those murderous Taliban.

Jim_S · Jun 1, 2014

Danang Sailor said:
When I first heard about the five-for-one swap, it concerned me. When I heard that Obama totally ignored the "30-day
notice to Congress" law, it angered me. Now, it appears that Sgt. Bergdahl's father tweeted, "I am still working to free all
Guantanamo prisoners. God will repay for the death of every Afghan child, ameen!” If that is true, it will both enrage and
frighten as it calls the entire episode into question.

There are two separate stories about how Bergdahl ended up with the Taliban: one, apparently "official", says he was
captured during a nighttime raid into his compound, and the other, purportedly from other soldiers in his outfit, is that
he deserted and sought out the Taliban. If there is any truth to the desertion story (and the Taliban are not known for
kidnapping raids into U.S. compounds), we may have traded five know terrorists for one "sleeper", and that is just about
the worst possible scenario.

Getting our people back is a moral obligation of the first order, but this case has enough problems to make it questionable
as to how it should have been handled.

And of course, there is the little matter of Susan Rice hitting the Sunday TV to push the official story ... and we all
remember how reliable her "Sunday stories" are!

I just saw these links on another forum

Tweet removed from page

http://www.ijreview.com/2014/06/143...tages-father-deletes-a-very-disturbing-tweet/

Dad's twitter page:

https://mobile.twitter.com/bobbergdahl

Mom and Dad with Obama at the White House
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XeUqBNtWpig&feature=youtu.be

Jim_S · Jun 1, 2014

More on the prisoner trade:

Taliban Statement Boasting ‘Victory’ Regarding Afghan War POW’s Release Raises Serious Questions

By Michael Hausam 5 hours ago

Mullah Mohammad Omar, the former Taliban leader of Afghanistan released a statement, according to AFP, describing the negotiated release of 5 Guantanamo Bay detainees as a big win. The statement:

I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the entire Afghan Muslim nation, all the mujahideen and to the families and relatives of the prisoners for this big victory regarding the release of five Taliban leaders from Guantanamo prison.
I thank the government of Qatar, especially its emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad (Al Thani), who made sincere efforts for release of these leaders and for their mediation and for hosting them.

The implication is that the value of the 5 Taliban prisoners is very high.

Concerns about the nature of the prisoner swap were voiced in a joint statement issued yesterday from Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) and Representative Buck McKeon (R-CA), members of the Senate and House Armed Services committees:

Like all Americans, we celebrate the release of Sergeant Berghdal from terrorist captivity. When one of our own comes home to us, we all rejoice. We are relieved that the ordeal and sacrifice of the Bergdahl family has come to a happy conclusion.

In the days ahead however, we must carefully examine the means by which we secured his freedom. America has maintained a prohibition on negotiating with terrorists for good reason. Trading five senior Taliban leaders from detention in Guantanamo Bay for Berghdal’s release may have consequences for the rest of our forces and all Americans.

Our terrorist adversaries now have a strong incentive to capture Americans. That incentive will put our forces in Afghanistan and around the world at even greater risk.

In executing this transfer, the President also clearly violated laws which require him to notify Congress thirty days before any transfer of terrorists from Guantanamo Bay and to explain how the threat posed by such terrorists has been substantially mitigated. Our joy at Sergeant Berghdal’s release is tempered by the fact that President Obama chose to ignore the law, not to mention sound policy, to achieve it.

Was this negotiated release unwisely done in order to gain political points for the President? If these detainees were as important as the Taliban indicates, can we be sure that they will be kept in Qatar as promised?

Why and how was the CIA station chief in Kabul outed just a week prior to this big announcement? Was Bergdahl in fact a deserter, as some fellow soldiers have asserted? Hopefully, answers to these questions will be immediately forthcoming. What questions does this news raise in your mind?

Link:

http://www.ijreview.com/2014/06/143...e-bergdahls-release-raises-serious-questions/

Leni · Jun 1, 2014

His father is beginning to sound like Hanoi Jane.

Jim_S · Jun 1, 2014

Leni said:
His father is beginning to sound like Hanoi Jane.

Looks like there is something going on :hammer:

AP March 2, 2014, 10:49 AM
Is Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl a hero or a deserter?

WASHINGTON - The case of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, held by the Taliban since 2009, has arisen again as the U.S. and other countries engage in diplomatic efforts to free him.

But if he is released, will America's only prisoner of the Afghan war be viewed as a hero or a deserter?

While tattered yellow ribbons still adorn utility poles in his native Hailey, Idaho, others are expressing conflicting thoughts about Bergdahl's plight as the war winds down, with President Barack Obama threatening to withdraw all U.S. troops by year's end unless the Afghan government signs a crucial security agreement.

They are convinced that on June 30, 2009, just a few months after he arrived in Afghanistan, Bergdahl willingly walked away from his unit, which was deployed in Paktika province in eastern Afghanistan, adjacent to the border with Pakistan. While they do want Bergdahl home, they think he should have to answer allegations that he deserted his unit.

Bergdahl was last seen in a video the Taliban released in December.

Much more at the link
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/is-sgt-bowe-bergdahl-a-hero-or-a-deserter/

jimbo · Jun 1, 2014

According to Yahoo, the WH is now agreeing that they broke the law, but there were "unique and exigent circumstances" that forced them to bypass the law. my guess is that if the law had been followed, the true story would have been made public. Can't have that.

Meanwhile, there are now 5 formerly imprisoned Taliban leaders now free to be recycled by the enemy. A list that was chosen by the enemy. We got a former soldier of suspect character in exchange, and the administration now gets hours of face time on MSM touting O's heroic and compassionate foreign policy.

We are truly fucked.

grizzer · Jun 1, 2014

Daddy speaking Pashtun http://pamelageller.com/2014/05/name-god-gracious-merciful-bergdahl-said-arabic.html/

here is his promotions list: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world...3f6dbe-e8fc-11e3-a86b-362fd5443d19_story.html

Daddys full 2009 video message https://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play?p=Bergdahl&vid=b6ceb45fd9976eb967ceee89babe7798&l=3%3A10&turl=http%3A%2F%2Fts1.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DVN.608046916921199116%26pid%3D15.1&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DyJmmZQ3byKQ&tit=Captured+American+Soldier+in+Pakistan&c=17&sigr=11a2063lf&sigt=115a61hfc&ct=p&pstcat=politics&age=0&fr=yfp-t-414&tt=b

Face the Nation had McCain on poo poo'd the criminal content but admitted the 5:1 exchange was on the table 4 YEARS ago.

Smells like the oval office usurper is siding with the muslims when safe to do so.

Leni · Jun 2, 2014

The Huffington Post has reprinted an article by Rolling Stones about this guy. I haven't read all of it but it is an interesting read. It gives you an idea as to why he would do such a dumb thing as to leave his base unarmed.

muleman · Jun 2, 2014

This will lead to open season on kidnapping Americans. They should have let the special forces go in and get him.

grizzer · Jun 2, 2014

The Father spoke more Pushtan at the WH Rose garden on tape --- opening words of the Quoran

This story has nothing to do about a deserters health and all about celebrating the muslim conquest of the White House and western infadels...

http://allenbwest.com/2014/06/bombs...ather-white-house-arabic/#tDSQTLBGVgyZqEUo.99

grizzer · Jun 2, 2014

Watch the usurpers shit eatin smirk face in the video as the father goes Quoran

mla2ofus · Jun 3, 2014

Seems to be a lot of,so far, unanswered questions. I guess we'll find if Josh Earnest is as good at spinning, dodging and weaving as Carney when he's at the podium.
Mike

Leni · Jun 3, 2014

The more I hear about this situation the madder I get. Members of his unit are speaking out. Obama may have been hoping to come out of this looking like a good guy who seized the opportunity to free a POW but it is blowing up n his face. Good thing too.

First he negotiated indirectly with the Taliban which he has said he wouldn't do.

Second he has turned loose very dangerous men that have had a long time to plan how to get revenge.

Third we lost good men capturing those fanatics and also looking for Bergdahl.

My thoughts right now tend towards he got what he deserved. Not nice but that's how I feel. I'm glad we got him out of there because we do not leave anyone behind but he needs to man up to what he did and what he caused to happen.

Galvatron · Jun 4, 2014

When the news first broke of this soldier returning home after 5 years it gave me a warm fuzzy feeling, now the more i hear about it i just feel like i have eaten something out of date with a sprint to the toilet to vomit being fast approaching :bsflag2:

Leni · Jun 4, 2014

The latest is that the failure to notify Congress 'was an oversight.' Yeah, sure.

jimbo · Jun 4, 2014

Leni said:
The latest is that the failure to notify Congress 'was an oversight.' Yeah, sure.

Originally it was an emergency and exigent situation, or something like that.

At one point, the WH admitted that it broke its own law.

My guess is that next it will be the fault of some video.

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