AgentSparky
Registered Independent
Bergdahl's Defense Is He Was Planning to Come Back
Former Taliban prisoner and U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl told military investigators that he left his base in June 2009 to report on misconduct in his unit and always intended to come right back. That will also be his defense if and when he faces a court-martial for desertion, according to his lawyer.
“He had concerns about certain conditions in the unit and things that happened in the unit and he figured that the only way to get any attention to them would be to get that information to a general officer,” Bergdahl’s lawyer, Eugene Fidell, told me Thursday. Based on that, Fidell could argue that Bergdahl was thus technically "absent without official leave" (AWOL), rather than a deserter. The distinction could mean the difference between one month of confinement or life in prison for his client.
Bergdahl himself put forward this account of events in an interview with Major General Kenneth Dahl, whose report formed the basis for the Army’s decision to charge Bergdahl this week with desertion, an offense that holds a maximum penalty of five years, and misbehavior before the enemy, a charge that could earn him life in prison if convicted. Bergdahl claims that he didn't feel he could raise his concerns about his unit with his direct supervisors and needed to speak with a higher-ranking officer. Bergdahl always intended to return to his base, says Fidell.
Bergdahl s Defense Is He Was Planning to Come Back - Bloomberg View
This is getting interesting.
Former Taliban prisoner and U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl told military investigators that he left his base in June 2009 to report on misconduct in his unit and always intended to come right back. That will also be his defense if and when he faces a court-martial for desertion, according to his lawyer.
“He had concerns about certain conditions in the unit and things that happened in the unit and he figured that the only way to get any attention to them would be to get that information to a general officer,” Bergdahl’s lawyer, Eugene Fidell, told me Thursday. Based on that, Fidell could argue that Bergdahl was thus technically "absent without official leave" (AWOL), rather than a deserter. The distinction could mean the difference between one month of confinement or life in prison for his client.
Bergdahl himself put forward this account of events in an interview with Major General Kenneth Dahl, whose report formed the basis for the Army’s decision to charge Bergdahl this week with desertion, an offense that holds a maximum penalty of five years, and misbehavior before the enemy, a charge that could earn him life in prison if convicted. Bergdahl claims that he didn't feel he could raise his concerns about his unit with his direct supervisors and needed to speak with a higher-ranking officer. Bergdahl always intended to return to his base, says Fidell.
Bergdahl s Defense Is He Was Planning to Come Back - Bloomberg View
This is getting interesting.
