I read this story and could not help but agree with just about every word of it. However, here is the part of it that hit me in the gut:
I want to give this punishment some context. A squad leader I am close friends with once made a huge error in judgment. He was our best squad leaders, but one day, in a safe province, he took 12 guys out on patrol, went about 600 meters from the base, and each man drank two beers. Someone told higher, and the staff sergeant faced a special court martial for it, and was reduced from E6 to E1, spent some time in a military prison, and then got a bad conduct discharge. Now, I won't defend what he did and say he deserved nothing, but no one got hurt, and no one even knew about it for about a week. That friend of mine is now going to apparently have served a longer prison sentence and harsher punishment than a guy who literally left his rifle behind and abandoned his troops
There is much more @ Understanding the Bergdahl Court Martial
I want to give this punishment some context. A squad leader I am close friends with once made a huge error in judgment. He was our best squad leaders, but one day, in a safe province, he took 12 guys out on patrol, went about 600 meters from the base, and each man drank two beers. Someone told higher, and the staff sergeant faced a special court martial for it, and was reduced from E6 to E1, spent some time in a military prison, and then got a bad conduct discharge. Now, I won't defend what he did and say he deserved nothing, but no one got hurt, and no one even knew about it for about a week. That friend of mine is now going to apparently have served a longer prison sentence and harsher punishment than a guy who literally left his rifle behind and abandoned his troops
There is much more @ Understanding the Bergdahl Court Martial