The Army did the right thing: Bowe Bergdahl deserves desertion, misbehavior charges

Posted 2015-03-27 12:20 by Grunt Report with 0 comments

The Army announced Wednesday it was charging Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl with desertion and misbehavior. The announcement comes as one of the five key Taliban released nearly a year ago in exchange for Bergdahl is reportedly engaged in militant activities.  Two other Taliban are under grave suspicion.  The timing is ironic, and the charges are only the first step in a series of legal proceedings still to be played out.

The Army has been roundly criticized for its lengthy investigation into Bergdahl’s conduct and then its subsequent deliberations about whether or not to charge him. But in all fairness, Army leaders knew they were walking through a potential minefield. Even at this stage of the process there are no guarantees that Wednesday’s charges will stand.  The next step is akin to a grand jury proceeding, and a decision could still be made that would let Bergdahl walk free.

It was clear from the outset that any charges against Bergdahl would be potentially embarrassing to the Obama White House. That includes the president, who publicly embraced Bergdahl’s parents in the Rose Garden after telling the world of his release and National Security Adviser Susan Rice who claimed on various Sunday talk shows that Bergdahl served his country with “honor and distinction.”

Against the backdrop of the White House, the Army had a responsibility to its own — to the thousands of soldiers who actually did serve with honor and distinction in Iraq and Afghanistan, none of whom walked off their combat outpost into the waiting arms of the enemy. Taking its time to come to this decision was the right thing to do.

In reviewing the 1,200 pages of investigative material related to Bergdahl’s disappearance and captivity, General Mark Milley, head of U.S.Army Forces Command at Fort Bragg, had a number of options open to him, ranging from no charges whatsoever to the charge of treason, a capital offense.  The desertion charge, somewhere in the middle, was a reasonable one which is likely going to be easy to prove.  The misbehavior charge is likely to be more difficult in that evidence will certainly involve intelligence gleaned from sources and methods the government will not want to disclose.

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