Army charging Bowe Bergdahl with desertion

Posted 2015-03-25 19:00 by Grunt Report with 0 comments

Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was taken captive by the Taliban after abandoning his post in Afghanistan and later freed in exchange for five Guantanamo detainees, will be charged with desertion, a senior U.S. official told Fox News.

The development comes nearly one year after his May 2014 release — which initially was a joyous occasion, with his family joining President Obama in celebrating the news in the Rose Garden. But that gave way to controversy in Washington as Bergdahl was accused of putting his fellow soldiers in danger by abandoning his post five years earlier. The trade of five hardened Taliban fighters for his freedom raised deep concerns on Capitol Hill that the administration struck an unbalanced deal.

The military plans to address the case at a press conference Wednesday afternoon at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.

Fox News has learned he will be specifically charged with desertion and misbehavior toward the enemy. A senior U.S. official said he will face a court martial and likely trial.

Bergdahl walked away from his post in Afghanistan and was captured, then released by the Taliban in a prisoner exchange.

Gen. Mark Milley, head of U.S. Army Forces Command at Fort Bragg, has been reviewing the massive case files and had a broad range of legal options, including various degrees of desertion charges.

A major consideration was whether military officials would be able to prove that Bergdahl had no intention of returning to his unit — a key element in the more serious desertion charges.