Bergdahl scandal; a Veteran's perspective

Which is what he promised to do, so what's the beef?
In fact, we should get the (*)(*)(*)(*) out of Gitmo altogether.
Or are you copacetic with Putin turning Tampa Bay into a Russian naval station?

 

As a Veteran:
I disagree with the first statement, besides I have seen your leanings before now, you would not care what the reason right or wrong, you could not beat him in a open election, twice, so now you keep betting on empeeching him, do you really want Biden as your President? Really?
I agree with the next three which are really all the same statement.
Why would the President apologize is he is not tried under the UCMJ, that is the Armys business and not that of the President. Not to worry he will end up on trial and no the Army will not suffer because of this.
Look at this way, the only way to put him on trial was to get him back, and there ya go, the trial will come next.
So much for that, hopefully you feel better now that you got that out.

 

Which is way overdue, put the ones we have evidence against on trial and either sentence them or let them go and those, like the five just released that we have no evidence on we simply let go. Why on earth would you be against the rule of law, is it because justice might not work out the way you want it to?

 

So you are right, this is for legacy building instead of what is good for the soldiers still out there.

 

That is your interpretation of military law which is different.

Here is why you don't do it.

Freed Taliban Commander Tells Relative He'll Fight Americans Again

 

At today's solemn, tear jerking D-Day commemoration speeches in Normandy, President Obama listened intently while smacking is chewing gum. Some will probably say it was his subtle way of showing contempt for veterans. No matter what, you'll have to agree that our playful president was kinda cute.

 

As a vet, and someone who thinks Obama is the same trash as Bush, all I see is the return of a POW. That is a victory.

 

I also agree except for the impeachment. Although Obama did break the law, impeachment is a political process, and although Republicans were willing to join Democrats in a bipartisan fashion to consider impeaching Nixon, Democrats won't do the same as we saw with Clinton, who actually committed felony. So he's President until his term expires. If anything, impeachment would galvanize the Democrats.

And yeah, Joe Biden. It's dangerous to turn over the nuclear football to a half wit racist uncle.

 

I'm against any movement to impeach the President. Too messy this late in the game. It will only serve to galvanize the left in 2016. We gave up 5 Afghani thugs for a head case soldier who will go on to Oprah interviews, book signings and movie scripts. I doubt he will face an Article 32 hearing, instead the Army will attempt to save face and give him an other-than-honorable discharge and wash their hands of it.

 

They don't use the term POW any longer, Technically Bergdahl's status was missing/captured. The POW medal is still given out, but the term itself is not used when defining a serviceman's listing.

 

Same thing. Seems to be an acknowledgement of the fact that we are fighting NGOs and so as far as we are concerned the rules of war no longer apply. Not that we are trying to dodge the rules of war in the field, but we don't treat detainees as POWs.

 

No, it's what's good for America.

 

Surfer Joe,

Please do not mistake me for a right-winger sir.
I am fiercely independent, and I reject ANY man's nonsensical 'left versus right' characterizations.
I have voted for an equal number of Democrat presidential candidates as Republican presidential candidates over the years, and even one Independent.

Please also refrain from EVER casting dispersions on my honesty and integrity.
All you will ever get from me is the straight-up, honest truth.
Uncolored and unflavored by any sort of partisan-political influence.
(Can you say the same? I doubt it.)

You are mistaken to believe that I wanted Obama to leave Bergdahl over there to rot.
I would rather that Obama had left it to the professionals, and years ago, they had gone in and extracted the deserting son of a b#%ch from the camp where he languished for the past few years.

You are also egregiously mistaken to believe that I don't know jack-$hit about the circumstance of Berghahl's desertion.
I know plenty, sir.
I may be out of the Active Army now, but I still have friends and former team-mates who work in Washington DC, in the five-sided puzzle palace, and there is no doubt regarding Bergdahl's desertion.

Right now, it's just a matter of the senior military leaders going thru the paces of 'allowing him to heal', then 'visiting his family', then 'conducting a thorough inquiry', and then finally, reading him his rights under the UCMJ, and trying him for the crime of desertion.

Was he disillusioned with what he was doing?
Certainly. He said so himself, in letters and emails.
But don't kid yourself; he just didn't go AWOL, he deserted.
There's a big difference.

A young soldier stationed at Fort Bragg who has no leave balance who takes off for a sister's wedding in Ohio, without his commander's permission.
He is guilty of AWOL (Absent Without Leave).

A young soldier who leaves his camp in a combat zone, leaving behind his gear and weapon, and without any sort of permission or blessing from his commander, walks off in a quest to find the Taliban;
He is guilty of DESERTION.
It's a death-penalty offense.
And if it is determined that he collaborated with the Taliban, and that collaboration cost American lives?
He will definitely get the death penalty.

Listen Joe.
This isn't a left versus right, nonsensical issue.
This is a right versus wrong, serious, UCMJ issue.

I myself have sat on military justice boards.
I have testified, over the years, on AR 15-6 boards.
I have prosecuted lesser offenses than this under the provinces of the UCMJ.
I served 26 years active, and work proudly for the Army to this day.

Please describe for me your years of military service, and how much YOUR experiences with the UCMJ have colored your present day opinions.
I eagerly await your response, sir.

 

Husky,
Bergdahl committed the crime of desertion.
He was a US Soldier, and he abandoned his post in a combat zone.

Defection is different.
A citizen of any given nation, NOT necessarily a combatant, who slips across borders to seek asylum in another (potentially hostile) nation is a defector.

When you are a military combatant, you don't just 'defect', you also desert.

When a Soviet Mig Pilot Viktor Belenko flew his jet to a Japanese air base and gave himself up to the authorities there, he defected.
His nation was not at war with Japan. The man wanted asylum elsewhere.
He ultimately found it.

When US Soldier Bowe Bergdahl set down his weapon and all his protective gear and then walked out of camp in search of the enemy, against the wishes of his commander and team-mates, in violation of the UCMJ, he deserted.
He probably also collaborated, but that has yet to be demonstrated in a military court.

The year is young though.
We'll see how that charge pans out.

 

The President is not violating any trust here.
In fact he is keeping the trust of the american people and its military.

There are checks and balances in constitutional structure of government - it is the principle brilliance of the document.
As you may be aware the tension between the congress/senate, the executive and the judiciary has ALWAYS created instances where one or the other is accused of overstepping their authority.

I personally would welcome the republicans attempting to bring the President of the United States to trial for obtaining the release of the sole remaining American POW. Especially over such a mickey mouse rules regarding big hairy scary muslim "detainees" who have actual legal status or rights and have been held without trail for 12 years.

I guess the principles of constitution regarding human and legal rights ONLY apply to those that republicans like. Seems like the right thinks "them different ferriners ain't merkin so we can forget our principles to deal with them."

As to the absurdly ridiculous position that partisans on the right are pushing to their base about King Obama, ruling by fiat etc., has taken hold in certain segements of the population that are ignorant of the actual mechanisms of government and fully prepared to think the worst. Seems executive priviledge is only reserved for republican presidents, even if some on the right don't even know what that bit of executive power means. Funny but I can't find that particular qualification in any constitutional article or clause or SCOTUS ruling.

I can't comprehend how some americans believe the enemy is their President - truly amazing paranoid partisan pap.

 

Sorry, buddy, but if it walks like a duck...
The notion that you, or anyone else on the planet, has "straight-up, honest truth, uncolored and unflavored by any sort of partisan-political influence" is self-delusional nonsense and suggests a disturbing naiveté for someone with such a supposedly illustrious internet persona.
But internet personas are a dime a dozen, and we can only go by the actual things people post to determine their particular prejudices and ideology.
From where I sit, your post is no different than all the other right-wing partisan hackery I read here.

 

The O.P. nailed it 100%.

Bump.

- - - Updated - - -

^^^^ If it is not lock step Obama love fest, then this fake surfer living in land lock country does not approve.

However, real surfers who live the life like me favor honest exchange. Thanks for your contribution sparquelito.

 

LMAO...So, do you want to compare your board size or your dick size, kid?
What are you, 12?

 

All these purported ex military and serving military guys responding to this thread are just mad because Bergdahl did not want to freely participate in killing Afghans like his buddies did. They are angry because it makes their past military service seem to have no value.

All of them appear to get their information from Fox.

 

You have to remember that the military is like every other group of people. 49% of them are below average.
I suspect that the ones throwing this latest right-wing political football around belong in the 49% bracket.
The above-average ones will show more class.

 

The number below average is higher in the military because most are there because it is a better paying job than they can get elsewhere or because they get to wear a uniform that earns them respect in public.

They are also strongly right wing and obedient by training which makes them easy prey for right wing media.

 

Joe,

I understand where you are coming from, and I get it. Really I do.
You, like many other people I have met on the internet, automatically assume that any person who criticizes President Obama is a right-wing Republican conservative.

In this case, you are simply wrong.

I have no use for EITHER of the two political parties who are currently taxing and spending this nation into crippling debt.
If I could wave a magic wand, and cause each and every greedy, useless, morally-bankrupt politician in Washington DC (from BOTH political parties) to drop instantly dead, I would.

Also dropping like flies (after I wave my magic wand) would be the lobbyists, the old-guard money men, the influence-peddlers, and the frivolous litigators.

But back to the point of the original posting;
As a military Veteran who has served with fine and noble warriors in combat, I have no use for deserters and collaborators.
And as a man of high integrity, I have no use for a slimy, crooked, deal-making politician posing as the Commander in Chief.

It's that simple, really.
I have no reason to lie to you.
There's no agenda here.

 

Denizen,
You have offered up an absurd hypothesis.
I reject it.

PM me sir.
If you live anywhere within a hundred miles of where I currently serve the Army, I will gladly meet with you and your friends and family, and I will give you a guided tour of the base.
You will have a chance to meet many fine Soldiers, Army Civilians, and support contractors.
You will get to mingle with dedicated professionals. Hard working war fighters, pilots, engineers, and technicians, most of whom have served multiple tours in combat.
You will be able to put a human face to the men and women who you currently and gleefully denigrate.

The experience just might be an eye-opener for you.
I think you would get a lot out of it, really.

I'm serious. PM me.

 

And there's the crux of your problem.
Your assumptions are not facts.
And name me one potus (apart from possibly Carter) who was not also "a slimy, crooked, deal-making politician posing as the Commander in Chief", as you so unbiasedly put it.

 

If he says Reagan I will burst out laughing.