Bergdahl not responsible

I remember the reports when this first took place and it seems to me that most are getting wrong as far as responsibility goes for the men killed in the days following his desertion. Of coarse he deserted and walked off his post and he is responsible for that and any actions the enemy based on intell from him he needs to own.

With that said there are many that want to blame him for the six or so deaths that took place looking for him but in no way is this on him. There is a chain of command and decision makers that decided to label him as missing and not awol. Those are the ones responsible for the deaths and should be held accountable.

A search of reports at the time will prove that many of americans were dumbfounded by our military response in looking for this deserter and knew full well that someone was dropping the ball at the time. The way it should have went when he left base and left a note behind is that if anyone had a clear shot at him from post should have taken it. however any further actions for his behalf should have been deemed not advisable at the time due to the location of the post and the surrounding scene.

The word somehow started spreading that they were not for sure if he was a deserter and that is just laying down on the job. A full assesment should have been taken immediatly and the findings should not have changed everytime someone different assesed the situation. Current investigations should be focused on tracking down who changed the facts if they were ever reported in an official manner.

a reply to: deadeyedick

No he left and forced their hand to go get him. He has their blood on his hands, end of story imo.

In the world of law-enforcement any deaths that occur as a result of a crime being committed or the pursuit as the result of that crime are on the one committing the crime. He was criminally negligent in abandoning his post. People died in response to his actions. His fault...Period.

a reply to: deadeyedick

His actions are what caused those brave men and women to lose their lives.

So yes he is responsible.

originally posted by: Metallicus
In the world of law-enforcement any deaths that occur as a result of a crime being committed or the pursuit as the result of that crime are on the one committing the crime. He was criminally negligent in abandoning his post. People died in response to his actions. His fault...Period.

are you talking about George bush? sounds like it to me. if the shoe fits, so to speak

a reply to: jimmyx

What the hell are you talking about?
Why do you do this in every thread?
What does George have to do with Bergdahl?

a reply to: jimmyx
off topic political trolling.


To the OP ... Yes Bergdahl is responsible.
His actions caused the deaths of many patriotic Americans.
And the five terrorists who were let free will kill again.
So he's responsible for those future deaths as well.

a reply to: jimmyx

What on earth does George Bush have to do with the handling of a POW/deserter that didn't even join the military until after Obama took office?

He hasn't been our President for over 5 years now.

a reply to: jimmyx

So since dubya decided to sent us to Afgan, he is responsible for that this solider did???

I don't like bush very much either, but that is just insane if you really think that

It's easy to sit back and play armchair quarterback long after the play has ended.

Is he responsible for their deaths? Well, let's just say that if he had not left his post....we wouldn't be talking about this right now.

Cause and effect....chain of events.

This man is a hero? And snowden a criminal?

Honestly, I want to know who recruited this guy in the first place.

I think that's who I'd hold responsible.

This guy was weird before he ever entered the Army.

originally posted by: symptomoftheuniverse
This man is a hero? And snowden a criminal?

You just crystallized how messed up this country is with that single comparison. A deserter/traitor is a "hero" and a whistle blower who outs illegal Government activities is a criminal. It would be laughably stupid if it weren't so damn sad.

a reply to: Annee

Those recruiters could care less as long as you can pass all the test needed to qualify.
They will even bend over backwards to get the waivers you need in case you fail one of those test or prerequisites.
It is a number to them, simple as that

No questions asked he was a traitor/deserter

He'll claim mental health issues and get away with it.. He would also be a very useful tool for many things

originally posted by: Sremmos80
a reply to: Annee

Those recruiters could care less as long as you can pass all the test needed to qualify.
They will even bend over backwards to get the waivers you need in case you fail one of those test or prerequisites.
It is a number to them, simple as that

I know. I had a business in a military town. Young recruits, maybe after a year of service, would "joke" about what the recruiters offered them.

I would not be surprised if recruiters told this guy he could be in a group that worked with the Afghan people. If that's what he told them he wanted to do.

At least the French Foreign Legion was smart enough to reject him.

Reading stories on his behaviors prior to him "walking off" -- should have been a red flag to someone.

I just don't think this person should ever have been put in the situation he was in, in the first place.

So, I'm personally not sure how much direct responsibility I would put on him.

He ABSOLUTELY has their blood on his hands. 100%. Unlike him, his platoon and any others that were sent to find him did not desert their posts and had no choice but to follow the orders that were handed down to them. Had he not deserted his post, they would have never been sent to look for him. The ones that were aware of what he had done would not have risked their lives voluntarily to save such a scumbag... but in the military they had no choice but to do as they were commanded.

If it were your child that had died after being sent to find this.... guy (I hesitate to even utter "man") you may feel slightly different.

The deaths were absolutely unnecessary. When he deserted his post, the military AND the US should have deserted him IMO.

He knew before he left, that people would be sent to look for him. He knew what kind of area they were in. He knew that their safety would be compromised if they had to go out in search for him. He knew all of these things. That to me makes him responsible. Their blood is indeed, on his hands.

Bergdahl Had Left Base Before

The exact circumstances that led to Bergdahl's capture in Afghanistan are not known to the public, but a classified 2010 Army investigation concluded he had “willfully walked off base,” two senior defense officials told Fox News. The report, known in the military as a 15-6 investigation, cited testimony from Bergdahl’s fellow soldiers who said he had walked off the base alone before -- out of “boredom” – according to this official

Just wandering off base into a war zone ... 'out of boredom'.

So it's not the first time he's abandoned his post.

I agree with all the points made here pretty much but was just trying to show you where the true cause of the problem lies and continues to be a problem and that is the managment side of things. I very much stand by my thought that any commander that sends troops after a deserter that left a note should be held responsible. In my mind when he left post he accepted a death sentence and by blaming every other death on him will only serve to hide the truth about an awol cover up that is very much responsible for deaths of those searching. They are gonna say that he did not leave a note and was captured or some bs and the ones that increased ops in that area knowing what would happen will never be held accountable.

originally posted by: deadeyedick
I very much stand by my thought that any commander that sends troops after a deserter that left a note should be held responsible.

The Army HAS to go after deserters. They have to. The Army can't let them run off and join the enemy and start blabbing. Deserters are a security risk. So yes, any soldier that died going after the deserter, died because of the deserter. They wouldn't be dead if the guy hadn't walked away from his post. This isn't on commanders ... this is on the deserter and only him.