Bergdahl Set Free with Minimal Punishment

[tough old man]

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q ... j1vT4vNVp3

[bennyonesix]

I hope he has a terrible injury that renders him quadriplegic

[JimZipCode]

I mean, imprisoned for 5 yrs by the Taliban is kind of its own punishment.
Minimal ADDITIONAL punishment, I'd say.

[tonkadtx]

I mean, imprisoned for 5 yrs by the Taliban is kind of its own punishment.
Minimal ADDITIONAL punishment, I'd say.

Valid point. Situation was completely of his own making, however. It's not like he was captured in battle. Also, another soldier was shot in the head is permanently disabled because he's a d-bag.

[nafod]

I mean, imprisoned for 5 yrs by the Taliban is kind of its own punishment.
Minimal ADDITIONAL punishment, I'd say.

Valid point. Situation was completely of his own making, however. It's not like he was captured in battle. Also, another soldier was shot in the head is permanently disabled because he's a d-bag.

Seems like once he was captured and stuck in a small box he found his special purpose, living up to the POW Code of Conduct in trying to escape and generally being an asshole, and getting treated with Hanoi Hilton level of care in the process. Better that he be the first person to "spend a night" in the Haqanni network's barrel than some soldier or airman you really care about.

[Turdacious]

Mixed feelings on this- first time I've seen undue command influence end up working in favor of an enlisted guy.

[Sangoma]

Second-guessing the justice system is the favorite pastime of Australian public. In this case the court apoarently established no malicious intent, andvrather than being a deserter this guy was an AWOL. Does this negate everything good he did during his five years of service? Again, according to the court-martial it does not.

People do strange things, and I only hope I get some lenience when I do some shit I never knew I was capable of.

[Sangoma]

On the side note, I really don't envy soldiers in regards to their rights. As one example, during the battle of the Somme respectable general Haig kept throwing meat at the enemy positions. 57 thousand casualties in the first day alone (about 20 thousand dead). I can only imagine what the next ten thousand, being thrown in the mincer, felt. You go - you get shot, you refuse to participate in the meaningless slaughter - you get shot in the names of the country, brotherhood, people, freedom etc. And the general with the blood of 400 plus thousand soldiers stays in history as the goid guy.

[Turdacious]

In this case the court apoarently established no malicious intent, andvrather than being a deserter this guy was an AWOL. Does this negate everything good he did during his five years of service? Again, according to the court-martial it does not.

People do strange things, and I only hope I get some lenience when I do some shit I never knew I was capable of.

This is a complicated case for several reasons.
1. The consensus seems to be that he lacked the mental stability to be a successful soldier; that this was evident at every training level (basic training, AIT, unit level, and deployed); and that he was still deemed fit to serve. Lowered standards when the military is under pressure to get numbers up is a sensitive subject in the military.
2. He was having problems while deployed and apparently the problems weren't resolved effectively. I wasn't there and don't know the details, but this was viewed as a pretty serious leadership problem (my guess is that some otherwise promising careers among his leadership got cut short). Bergdahl is responsible for his own actions, but so is his leadership.
3. Soldiers were definitely seriously injured searching for him, perhaps even killed (it's hard to quantify which KIAs are related)-- most of the anger from the military is related to this.
4. My guess is that the MPs are breathing a sigh of relief-- supervising Bergdahl in military prison, considering all his mental issues, and knowing you are will be held accountable to ensure he stays safe-- would be a pretty rough task. If Bergdahl ever pulled an Aaron Hernandez in prison, a lot of heads would roll.
5. The issue of unlawful/undue command influence is a huge one here; President Trump's tweet apparently provided some of the justification for the decision not to jail Bergdahl. Talk of unlawful command influence was happening during the Obama administration as well, but for very different reasons.
6. The dishonorable discharge means he is ineligible for VA mental health benefits. That's not inconsequential; the testimony I've seen suggests that he really needs them. It's related to the 'bad paper discharge' issue, where military members who had PTSD issues were discharged in a way where they were ineligible for VA mental health care benefits. Bergdahl's dishonorable discharge is not a particularly sensitive issue in the military community; bad paper discharges are. The dishonorable discharge will also effectively kill his prospects of getting a decent job.

[bennyonesix]

Shoulda hung him.

More just and more kind.

[tonkadtx]

This is a complicated case for several reasons.
1. The consensus seems to be that he lacked the mental stability to be a successful soldier; that this was evident at every training level (basic training, AIT, unit level, and deployed); and that he was still deemed fit to serve. Lowered standards when the military is under pressure to get numbers up is a sensitive subject in the military.
2. He was having problems while deployed and apparently the problems weren't resolved effectively. I wasn't there and don't know the details, but this was viewed as a pretty serious leadership problem (my guess is that some otherwise promising careers among his leadership got cut short). Bergdahl is responsible for his own actions, but so is his leadership.
3. Soldiers were definitely seriously injured searching for him, perhaps even killed (it's hard to quantify which KIAs are related)-- most of the anger from the military is related to this.
4. My guess is that the MPs are breathing a sigh of relief-- supervising Bergdahl in military prison, considering all his mental issues, and knowing you are will be held accountable to ensure he stays safe-- would be a pretty rough task. If Bergdahl ever pulled an Aaron Hernandez in prison, a lot of heads would roll.
5. The issue of unlawful/undue command influence is a huge one here; President Trump's tweet apparently provided some of the justification for the decision not to jail Bergdahl. Talk of unlawful command influence was happening during the Obama administration as well, but for very different reasons.
6. The dishonorable discharge means he is ineligible for VA mental health benefits. That's not inconsequential; the testimony I've seen suggests that he really needs them. It's related to the 'bad paper discharge' issue, where military members who had PTSD issues were discharged in a way where they were ineligible for VA mental health care benefits. Bergdahl's dishonorable discharge is not a particularly sensitive issue in the military community; bad paper discharges are. The dishonorable discharge will also effectively kill his prospects of getting a decent job.

This is a fair analysis. Especially the first two points. He probably shouldn't have been there in the first place.

[dead man walking]

This is a fair analysis. Especially the first two points. He probably shouldn't have been there in the first place.

shoulda sent benny the warrior king in his place

[JimZipCode]

shoulda sent benny the warrior king in his place

He'd have wiped out ISIS in a week.

[powerlifter54]

Steve Bartman has a dream life compared to what this pos is about to experience.

[bennyonesix]

This is a fair analysis. Especially the first two points. He probably shouldn't have been there in the first place.

shoulda sent benny the warrior king in his place

When have I ever bragged about being a badass?

I'd hold myself or any family member to the same standard.