FINDING BERGDAHL - PART 2
INSIDE THE SEARCH FOR THE LAST PRISONER OF AMERICA’S LONGEST WAR
By Robert Young Pelton
Events following the mysterious disappearance of Private Bowe Bergdahl from his Army base in Afghanistan were investigated thoroughly in 2009—but without Bergdahl providing any input. The report is still classified, but what we can be certain of is that, up until this point, the Army hasn’t uncovered anything serious enough to prevent Bergdahl from returning to active duty at a desk job in San Antonio, Texas. Then again, keeping him as an active duty soldier means he remains squarely under the auspices of the military justice system. But despite his new job and promotion to Sergeant (as well as more than $350,000 in back pay), intense public and political scrutiny and outrage over the prisoner swap of the Taliban Five—as the five mullahs from the Taliban’s inner circle came to be known—means that Bergdahl now is facing another exhaustive military investigation to endure alongside his pro bono attorney.
Discerning the truth—or at least an agreeable version of his motivation—about Bergdahl’s disappearance on June 30, 2009, is now wrapped up with outrage over the exchange of five Taliban mullahs for the safe return of the last American POW. What we will learn is that the seemingly opportunistic and hasty release of the Taliban Five from Guantánamo was going to happen regardless of Bergdahl’s fate.
What is acutely apparent is that many are passing judgment on Bergdahl without all the facts, including those regarding this young man’s life before his service in the military. This is exemplified by a court case currently under review in Hailey, Idaho, where as of today a judge will determine whether CNN has any merit in its suit against the Blaine County Sheriff Office and its decision to withhold, according to the prosecuting attorney, an “inactive law enforcement record” from November 1999 that did not result in any charges filed.
The record in question was requested by the CNN last month, along with three other law enforcement records related to the Bergdahls that were released. The request for the fourth has been twice denied on grounds that releasing it would constitute an “unwarranted invasion of personal privacy,” according to Blaine County Sheriff Gene Ramsey and the prosecutor assigned to the case. But will a 20-year-old police record regarding Bowe Bergdahl as a minor teach us anything relevant about his kidnapping, or will it only serve as more fodder for the 24-hour “Two Minutes Hate,” as George Orwell described the generic focusing of hate on an individual?
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http://www.vice.com/read/finding-bergdahl-part-2-411