How would a 'guilty' verdict affect your view of Bergdahl's total time in service?

CPT Aaron Kletzing — Mon, 26 Jan 2015 22:46:28 -0500

New information may be breaking from inside Army circles: new reports allegedly state that the Army has formally decided that it will charge Bowe Bergdahl with desertion.

My apologies if this is late news to you (just catching up with news now). I grabbed a news clip I quickly found and included it below...the fact that it's Fox News is not meant to be political in any way for the purposes of our RP discussions. I am not stating that this is 100% certain; just relaying what several people have sent me by now.

Video clip from Fox News: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2X0Z02xTvCs

Poll question for all RP members: If Bergdahl is indeed charged with and found guilty of desertion, how does that affect the way you perceive the earlier period of time during which he presumably served honorably?

Choices:
1- Even if he is found guilty, I will always respect his earlier service.
2- If he is found guilty, that basically erases his other service in my eyes.

Response by SPC(P) Jay Heenan made Jan 26 at 2015 10:49 PM

SPC(P) Jay Heenan — Mon, 26 Jan 2015 22:49:57 -0500

Eff this guy...

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 26 at 2015 10:53 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 26 Jan 2015 22:53:46 -0500

You're behind the curve on this one CPT Aaron Kletzing! There's already at least two other topics floating around on this story lol. People just couldn't wait to talk about how much they despise this guy.

Response by TSgt Joshua Copeland made Jan 26 at 2015 10:58 PM

TSgt Joshua Copeland — Mon, 26 Jan 2015 22:58:27 -0500

He basically didn't have "earlier" service.

Response by PO2 Steven Erickson made Jan 26 at 2015 11:03 PM

PO2 Steven Erickson — Mon, 26 Jan 2015 23:03:05 -0500

I'm going to apologize ahead of time, CPT Aaron Kletzing, for fouling your admirable attempt at a serious discussion.

I will answer with one smart-ass remark, and toss a rhetorical flash-bang...

"Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?"

Viewing his overall service record on a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 as "Unequivocally Exemplary"), please rate the service record of General Benedict Arnold.

Response by SFC Collin McMillion made Jan 26 at 2015 11:08 PM

SFC Collin McMillion — Mon, 26 Jan 2015 23:08:20 -0500

You can not be a hero and a coward at the same time. Us see and hear the facts before passing judgement. Let us prove we truly do vindicate the innocent and publish the guilty to the fullest extent either way!

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Jan 26 at 2015 11:40 PM

SFC Mark Merino — Mon, 26 Jan 2015 23:40:46 -0500

I'm sorry, but I always felt like I was going to be judged by my latest screw up. That internal feeling made me work at full steam even through the worst of times. Was I perfect? Of course not, but I NEVER considered walking off int the sunset and abandoning my unit, my family, and my Nation. I didn't have my fellow service members go looking for me under fire and have letters written to family members explaining that they died because of my decision. What kind of pre-desertion service did this "soldier" have that would make his action less heinous? I know Jesus commanded "judge not lest ye be judged", but this is where I struggle with my faith. I am friends (and served under) Officers who went on these search missions and their character is above reproach. Facts are facts and it doesn't matter what your politics are. The boots on the ground people have been telling the truth about this for all this time. No one can say "they didn't have all the facts." He was a deserter then and he is a deserter now. So as I get down from my soap box, I unequivocally say, his prior service achievements mean booger squat.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 26 at 2015 11:54 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 26 Jan 2015 23:54:32 -0500

We refer to him as SGT Bergdahl... however it's important to remember that when all this happened he was a PFC who had been discharged from the Coast Guard for psychological reasons and who had been in the Army for less than 2 years. It seems to me that his psychological problems were resurfacing and that his chain of command should have recognized that there was a problem. We don't really know what his intent was when he left that day, did he want to be captured... did he think we was just going to walk home, did he just need to be alone for a few hours. I imagine the court marshal will get to the bottom of that and hopefully justice will be served.

Response by CSM Johnny Baldwin made Jan 27 at 2015 4:02 PM

CSM Johnny Baldwin — Tue, 27 Jan 2015 16:02:07 -0500

Since he was discharged from the Coast Guard for psychological issues, I have no doubt that his defense will raise the issue that the Army took many candidates in that should not have been accepted due to the expansion during that time.
In no way am I defending his actions. I do not agree with the terms we have to bring him home but I am pleased that we are going to charge him. He should spend many, many years and possibly the rest of his life in Leavenworth. There he will be reminded everyday about the sacrifices of his brothers who tried to find him. If he stayed there, yes he would have been in a shithole place, but he would have been free. He should never know freedom again.

Response by CW5 Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 27 at 2015 5:22 PM

CW5 Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 27 Jan 2015 17:22:06 -0500

Fox News now says the Army denies this report:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/01/27/bergdahl-to-be-charged-with-desertion-ex-military-intel-officer-says/

Ex-military intel officer says White House delaying announcement of Bergdahl desertion charge

The Army has decided to charge Sgt.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 27 at 2015 6:49 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 27 Jan 2015 18:49:30 -0500

He didn't have any 'earlier' service, and by all reports was a turd at Bragg even before the unit deployed. I would expect that even if charged, an Article 32 hearing will go nowhere. Or if it does go to Courts Martial, and he is convicted, I see a pardon n his future....

Response by COL Jason Smallfield, PMP, CFM, CM made Jan 28 at 2015 3:13 PM

COL Jason Smallfield, PMP, CFM, CM — Wed, 28 Jan 2015 15:13:05 -0500

- Too soon to tell. SGT Bergdahl has not yet been tried, let alone, convicted.
- If found guilty of desertion, however, I don't really care what else he did in his short Army career.
- Goes to old saying "one aw shit overwhelms one hundred atta boys".
- Some mistakes are recoverable, even understandable, assuming they are not illegal, immoral, or unethical. Desertion while serving in a combat theater and thus placing your fellow Soldiers at risk is neither recoverable nor forgiveable.
- Reasons for the application of military justice include: punishment, deterrence, good order and discipline, and rehabilitation. If SGT Bergdahl is convicted of desertion then he MUST receive a lengthy sentence (if not executed) for all these reasons but for the last one. Desertion is not something that one gets rehabilitated from. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.

Response by Sgt Adam Jennings made Jan 28 at 2015 3:16 PM

Sgt Adam Jennings — Wed, 28 Jan 2015 15:16:56 -0500

However true I would like this to be, didn't the Army come out officially on Tuesday that they have not made any decision yet on whether to court martial him or whether any charges would be levied against him?

To me it seems they're dragging their feet a lot min this one.

Response by SSG Richard Reilly made Jan 28 at 2015 3:22 PM

SSG Richard Reilly — Wed, 28 Jan 2015 15:22:02 -0500

First I have an issue with Article 85, Desertion being thrown around in this case. More specifically "with intent to remain away therefrom permanently; " as part of that Article. Proving that is hard and will be even harder for the prosecution since he was captured. His service prior to his departure does count and may even go to prove against the desertion charge more. He is being accused of a crime. he will have his tiem like anyone who commits a crime. Whether it's one crime or many he will be judge and all matters should be taken into play on sentencing or judgement.

Response by Sgt Tom Cunnally made Sep 21 at 2015 6:05 AM

Sgt Tom Cunnally — Mon, 21 Sep 2015 06:05:37 -0400

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Tex. — Army Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl was fed up. He was five weeks into a deployment in southeastern Afghanistan and frustrated with his mission and his leaders. He and his fellow soldiers weren’t going after the Taliban as aggressively as he wanted, and his sense of disillusion added to the disgust for the Army that he had begun developing while still in basic training.

Looking to make a stand, Bergdahl hatched a plan: He would run away from his platoon’s tiny outpost in Paktika province late on June 29, 2009. He would stay away from the Army a day, maybe two, and then reappear about
19 miles away at a larger installation and demand to air his grievances with a general. He knew that the region was crawling with insurgents, but he had “outsize impressions of his own capabilities,” according to an investigating officer, and was determined to create enough chaos to get the attention of senior commanders.