For Bergdahl, It's Over

  By Florida Bill  

                                   Bowe Bergdahl will be returning to his home town in Hailey, Idaho, a disgraced ex-soldier, dishonorably discharged. 
                                   Along with an indelible stigma as a deserter of his regiment in war-torn Afghanistan, he has been singled out and branded as a "traitor" by the President  of the United States.
                                   The name, Bergdahl, is known to millions of Americans who followed the story of his desertion from his post, to his capture by the Taliban terrorists, and to his return home in an exchange deal in which America released five high level terrorists who were being held in Guantanamo prison in Cuba.
                                    Five years after he walked away from his fellow soldiers, and was captured by the enemy,  there were questionable negotiations with terrorists by Obama administration officials which led to his release. President Obama, despite his having been briefed on Bergdahl's apparent desertion, held a ceremony attended by the sergeant's parents in the Rose Garden of the White House to welcome and salute repatriation of the soldier.   National Security Adviser Susan Rice added to the Obama "spin" by saying in television interviews that Sgt. Bergdahl had served his country with "honor and distinction."  
                               The city fathers in the community of Hailey where Bergdahl had grown up and was home schooled by his mother, Jani, began gearing up to welcome the sergeant home with fanfare and  jubilation.  But the enormity of the Obama administration misrepresentation and Rice's bold lie, soon became known and officials in the city with 7,960 residents abandoned its plans, and yellow ribbons were removed from trees and city property. 
                                         Formal charges of desertion and of misbehavior before the enemy were placed against Bergdahl, and last month, after three years in which he drew his salary and performed clerical work at an army base, he pled guilty to all charges.  Prosecutors recommended imprisonment for 14 years together with a dishonorable discharge. He faced a maximum sentence of life in a military prison. 
                                         The conclusion of the sad Bowe Bergdahl matter came on November 3 as the military judge, Col. Jeffrey Nance, imposed the sentence of dishonorable discharge, a fine of $10,000 and a stripping from him of any and all benefits for having served in the army.  
                                          Before revealing the sentence, Bergdahl took the stand and with emotion recounted that he deeply regretted what he had done and the sadness and hurt he had brought to the family of a soldier who had been shot in the head while searching for him. He made mistakes and wrong decisions which he must now live forever with, he said. 
                                          Bergdahl was 23 when he walked off his post in June, 2009, in the faraway mountains of the Middle East. Military desertion is not a misdeed easily overlooked, and critics believe that the young soldier should have been sent to prison for many years, maybe even executed. Some believe that he assimilated voluntarily into the Taliban life, learning the Arabic Pashtu language. Bergdahl, however denies this and says that he was beaten regularly by the terrorists and made to live and sleep for long periods in an eight-foot by eight- foot cage.
                                          Citizens reacted angrily when President Obama negotiated with terrorists for the deal to bring the sergeant home. The anger grew when the administration arranged a welcome home ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House with the National Security Adviser lying to the nation that the sergeant had served with "honor and distinction."  Congressmen charged that Obama had violated an existing statute when he not only negotiated with the enemy, but also freed five terrorists from Guantanamo without informing Congress of the plans. Some congressmen even demanded the impeachment of President Obama.
                                           The USA has always come down hard on deserters, particularly in a time of war, and America is at war with the Taliban and radical Islam which seeks to kill Americans in its quest to create a global caliphate.  In 1945, America executed by firing squad Army Private Eddie Slovik who had deserted his fighting comrades in Europe. 
                                          While President Trump has characterized the sentence as a "disgrace," and other hard nosed citizens wanted Bergdahl to spend his entire life behind bars, Judge Nance saw it differently. He gave him a door to a new life.  His dishonorable discharge can never be changed, but the USA is a great nation and a patriotic nation; It is fair and just, but it is forgiving.  Judge Nance did the right thing.  
           
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