Thursday, June 19, 2014

Bowe Bergdahl Lodged False War Crimes Allegations Against His Platoon

Boy, Lt. Col. Ralph Peters is going to be pissed!

At the Washington Post, "Soldier: Bowe Bergdahl lodged false war crime allegations against his unit":
An Army veteran who served alongside Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in Afghanistan said Wednesday that the long-captive soldier was deeply frustrated with the mission and had lodged false allegations that their unit had carried out atrocities.

Bergdahl “didn’t understand why we were doing more humanitarian aid drops, setting up clinics, and helping the populous instead of hunting the Taliban,” former Spec. Cody Full told lawmakers during a hearing on the exchange of Bergdahl for five Taliban detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. “He wanted to hunt and kill.”...

Full, who was honorably discharged and served with Bergdahl in the same fire team, the military’s smallest type of organized unit, railed against Bergdahl’s attitude during his deployment in 2009 and rejected media reports that he was a sensitive young man trying to define himself during a time of war. His handwritten journal, along with essays, stories and e-mails provided to The Washington Post, painted him as a soldier full of worry about his own mental health and the situation in Afghanistan.

“Bergdahl was complaining to his parents that our platoon was committing atrocities instead of helping the local populous,” Full told members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “But he was telling our platoon that we needed to stop trying to win hearts and minds and focus more on killing the Taliban.”

Full also dismissed suggestions that Bergdahl’s platoon had discipline issues.

“It’s a ridiculous charge,” Full said. “Security was always in place. These acts of common sense survival did not jeopardize the security or put anyone in danger.”

Bergdahl, who is not believed to have spoken to his parents since his release, is currently recovering in San Antonio, Tex., after a brief stay at Landstuhl Medical Center in Germany. He is set to be released in the coming weeks following the completion of reintegration treatment.
Video: "Bergdahl SPC Cody Full June 18, 2014."

Also at London's Daily Mail, "Bowe Bergdahl's platoon-mate testifies before Congress that he should face EIGHT criminal charges including desertion."

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