P.o.w. Has His Freedom After 5Years

[Call me bubba]

an american soldier held by the Taliban has been released

now the story w/link

 

 

WASHINGTON — The lone American prisoner of war from the Afghan conflict, captured by insurgents nearly five years ago, has been released to American forces in exchange for five Taliban prisoners held at the Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, detention facility, Obama administration officials said Saturday.

The soldier, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, was handed over to American Special Operations forces inside Afghanistan about 10:30 a.m. Saturday by a group of 18 Taliban, officials said.

 

American officials said that Sergeant Bergdahl was in good condition and able to walk.

The five Taliban prisoners at Guantánamo were being transferred into the custody of officials from Qatar, who will accompany them back to that Persian Gulf state,

where they will be subject to security restrictions, including a one-year travel ban.

Talks on the exchange resumed in earnest about a week ago with Qatari officials who were acting as intermediaries for the Taliban.

 

President Obama personally telephoned the soldier’s parents on Saturday, shortly after Sergeant Bergdahl was transferred to the American military; the Bergdahl family was in Washington after a visit here for Memorial Day, officials said.

“Sergeant Bergdahl’s recovery is a reminder of America’s unwavering commitment to leave no man or woman in uniform behind on the battlefield,” President Obama said in a statement.

Sergeant Bergdahl is believed to have been held by the militant Haqqani network in the tribal area of Pakistan’s northwest frontier, on the Afghan border. He was captured in Paktika Province in Afghanistan on June 30, 2009.

 

The circumstances of how he was separated from his unit and captured have remained a mystery.

The latest evidence indicating that Sergeant Bergdahl, who was promoted twice while held prisoner, was still alive came in January, when a video was obtained by the American military showing him alert but also apparently in declining health.

 

One Defense Department official said that once Sergeant Bergdahl was safely aboard the American military helicopter flown to the rendezvous, he wrote on a paper plate with a pen — because it was so loud — “S.F.?” seeking to find out if his rescuers were American Special Forces.

 

One soldier yelled back, “Yes, we’ve been looking for you for a long time,” at which point, the Pentagon official said, Sergeant Bergdahl broke down crying.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/01/us/only-american-pow-from-afghan-war-is-freed.html

 

[ITGeek]

The Obama Administration has just declared open season on kidnapping American's abroad.

[Mike S]

The Obama Administration has just declared open season on kidnapping American's abroad.

 

Yes I agree whole heartily ..... while I sympathize with the parents and the solider we were and still are at war with the Taliban and as such if you are captured as a soldier you can expect to face imprisonment and what ever else they try ..... it has been no different from any other war or conflict were soldiers have been captured .... some of the worst were Japan and Vietnam were torture was the norm .....

 

So now what .... every idiot with a grudge and a gun can capture a US service man and demand either ransom or a trade of 5 to 1 for prisoners .... and who in their right mind would offer 5 know terrorists responsible for 100's of people's lives for just 1 US soldier .... and just who were these 5 released terrorists ...... high ranking ..... you can bet your butt they weren't rank and file members ........ sorry but there is more to this than meets the eye ..... but to keep this from becoming political I'll just let the rest of my thought ride .... for now ....

:cheersty:  

[Mike S]

Here is something interesting ..... he apparently wonder off from his base and was captured not taken in battle ...... and no one seems to know why ........ and now we have the military guy in Mexico who took a wrong turn and landed in jail ...... what's with these military personal these days with their lack of direction ..... maybe they should be required to carry a map and compass at all times ...... 

 

Also the 5 terrorists he was traded for are 5 high ranking Taliban terrorists ..... so now we will have to take them down again and no telling how many lives they will take before they are killed or recaptured ..... but remember the Prez has said that ALL troupes will be out of Afgan by the end of 2016 so the newly released prisoners will have little to worry about with the drone strikes being cut nearly in half and everything winding down and what do you suppose takes place at the end of 2016 ..... I wonder ..... :hystery:  :hystery: ...... JMHO

:cheersty:

Edited June 2, 2014 by Mike S

[scott h]

Ya I was still in when this chucklehead got "captured". Smart money is that he had a connection outside the wire, and went once to often. Everything I got was that he was a substandard soldier. What gets me is that I believe he was a PFC/E3 when he got caught. I bet the ink on his promotion orders isn't even dry yet.

[Mike S]

There'll be more coming out shortly as his buddies claim he was a deserter rather than just out for a stroll ..... if that can be proven he would have been better to have stayed with the  Taliban as I believe in the time of war or armed conflict a deserter is shot ...... and so why after 5 years was he suddenly used as a bargaining tool by this administration .... especially for the five Taliban high ups who are ..... 

 

Abdul Haq Wasiq ..... Wasiq served as the Taliban deputy minister of intelligence ....

 

Mullah Norullah Noori is a senior Taliban military commander ........

 

Mullah Mohammad Fazi is the Taliban’s former deputy defense minister ......

 

Mullah Khairullah Khairkhwa ....... Khairkhwa is the former governor of the Herat province ......

 

Mohammad Nabi Omari is a senior Taliban leader,

 

The above are the men traded for what could turn out to be a soldier accused of desertion ..... even some of his old platoon members said the following...... this from CNN .... and I quote the following .....

 

What are the soldiers who served with him saying?

 

Bluntly, they resent any talk of Bergdahl as a hero. They say he's a deserter who should be put on trial, especially in light of the deaths of at least six U.S. soldiers killed while looking for him.

 

"I was pissed off then and I am even more so now with everything going on," said Matt Vierkant, who was in the same platoon as Bergdahl. "Bowe Bergdahl deserted during a time of war and his fellow Americans lost their lives searching for him."

 

"I don't understand why we're trading prisoners at Gitmo for somebody who deserted during a time of war, which is an act of treason," Vierkant said.

 

Hummmmm .... I wonder if this will be covered up or just swept under a rug ..... damn ..... that rug is getting awfully full .... not to many area's to sweep stuff now ..... :hystery: :hystery: :hystery:  ...... JMHO

[OnMyWay]

There are so many things wrong with this that I can't really comment without getting very political.  Read the comments on this yahoo article to see what many Americans think.  Apparently P.O.W. means prisoner of walkaway in his case.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/us-concluded-2010-bergdahl-walked-away-185047684--politics.html

Edited June 3, 2014 by OnMyWay

[Call me bubba]

. sorry but there is more to this than meets the eye

 

 

 humm. let me see,(simply its all about MONEY$$)

 

the "war " is drawing down,

1,the technology thats being used , the $$ will be cut back

what better way to keep the money flowing,, CREATE a new "threat".

2. those 5 are very high ranking, correct? releasing  them they go back to their old ways.(possible yet very likely)

 track those 5 then. either your problems will be reduced or more would be made.

 

3

when we had a lawn. and that lawn had weeds , we used "weed killer" to kill those weeds and that poison went back to to the roots so all of the other weeds was killed , correct?

 

[Mike S]

They are already making ready the broom and rug ..... a top US pentagon official said that no matter what the reason was he left his unit ..... being held as a prisoner for 5 years was payment enough ..... and that came from an Navy Admiral ..... unbelievable .... boy do they look at things differently now than they did when I was in 30 years ago ..... but then I guess in 30 years they look at everything differently now .... and that is really a shame .... JMHO

:cheersty:

[scott h]

I remember as a young Jarhead in the early '80s. Ole Vietnam deserters would be brought into the base at camp Pendleton. They would be made to sit outside BN HQ for hours, put in an old ratty set of camis. taken to the barber and the long hair and beard went poof. taken to a court martial. found guilty, fined all pay and allowances, sentenced to time served (8 hours or so) put in a jeep and taken to the gate at Las Pulgas road. That's the gate that was 15 miles from the nearest town. And no bus stop there,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,JUST SAYING