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Bergdahl arraigned on charges...are you surprised by this?

3K views 60 replies 39 participants last post by  Jaxson50 
#1 ·
#2 ·
Too bad the commander in chief isn't subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice. At the least he should be charged with aiding and abetting the enemy with the release of the five Gitmo detainees. But he is made of Teflon and will never be charged with any of the high crimes of treason or the violation of too many federal laws to list. I am at least hopeful Bergdahl will get his just rewards.
 
#5 ·
Thankfully there are still pockets of political resistance within the government establishments that the amateur thinks he owns. The fact that he hasn't been able to derail the multiple hillary investigations and this are a couple of examples. Sadly there's many, many more examples of government entities embracing his lawless and reckless agendas.
 
#6 ·
He's facing life without parole as the maximum. He could have been charged with a more serious form of desertion and been facing the death penalty, but I'm pretty sure that one would have been commuted or pardoned by the Commander in Chief.

He not only put his whole unit at risk by abandoning his post, he was responsible for the deaths of five special forces soldiers who died trying to rescue him. The President traded five Taliban VIPs for them and at least one has returned to the battlefield.

I don't buy his defense, either.

Here's something that a lot of people don't know. Bergdahl enlisted in the Coast Guard and was discharged after 26 days for psychological problems. That will probably be part of the basis for his defense. "The Army should have known he was nuts when they recruited him."

The Significance of Bergdahl?s 'Washing Out' of the Coast Guard - TIME
 
#30 ·
He's facing life without parole as the maximum. He could have been charged with a more serious form of desertion and been facing the death penalty, but I'm pretty sure that one would have been commuted or pardoned by the Commander in Chief.

He not only put his whole unit at risk by abandoning his post, he was responsible for the deaths of five special forces soldiers who died trying to rescue him. The President traded five Taliban VIPs for them and at least one has returned to the battlefield.

I don't buy his defense, either.

Here's something that a lot of people don't know. Bergdahl enlisted in the Coast Guard and was discharged after 26 days for psychological problems. That will probably be part of the basis for his defense. "The Army should have known he was nuts when they recruited him."

The Significance of Bergdahl?s 'Washing Out' of the Coast Guard - TIME

^^100 likes^^^^^^^

He is a poor excuse for a soldier, and hopefully he will serve at least 20 years.

Thankfully there are still pockets of political resistance within the government establishments that the amateur thinks he owns. The fact that he hasn't been able to derail the multiple hillary investigations and this are a couple of examples. Sadly there's many, many more examples of government entities embracing his lawless and reckless agendas.
No surprise here , IMHO he will be found guilty and then pardoned by the commander in chef on the way out as a big slap in the face to the establishment and the folks that care about honor and justice .


because he has none

^^Hopefully this does not happen, and IDK if the CIC^^^^^^

Can commute military sentences.
 
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#8 ·
While I agree with much of what Rhinoman has stated, after myself serving over 20 years in the military, including several isolated TDY's for which no credit was given; I know first hand how the military can play on your mind. Many circumstances will and do come up, that a person has to work out in his/her head. And most of these, there is no one to turn to for advise. Being in a critical career field, you had to try and keep your head screwed on straight, oftentimes in very difficult circumstances.
So my take on this is: I agree his is responsible for his actions, but on the other hand, why did the Coast Guard dump him so quickly? The Army evidently was not as vigilant in their investigation of him, before thrusting him into battle.
 
#9 ·
As a combat veteran, there is but one punishment, a guilty verdict for desertion by a General Court Martial and place him before a firing squad at first light. I would volunteer to serve on the firing squad.
 
#13 ·
This guy just walked out of wherever he was deployed, presumably in uniform, in a hostile environment. That take a quite a large pair, or a serious lack of marbles. I would expect ptsd and other type defenses to be used at his trial.

I have a hard time believing that anyone would just walk out like that where he was and be able to judged of sound mind.
 
#14 ·
For those of you who aren't familiar with the military, there are several different avenues available if a soldier is concerned about "serious mismanagement" as Bergdahl said motivated him to leave his post. You can go through your chain of command. You can go directly to your first sergeant. You can go above your commander to the next level of command if you think your commander is the problem. You can go through the Chaplain's office. You can go through the Inspector General's office. You can write your congressman. You can contact a civilian group or lawyer.

The thing you can't do is leave your post. He was on guard duty and if there had been an attack that night, the enemy would have been able to enter the camp and slaughter everyone in their sleep.

According to the people in his unit, he had talked about defecting before he actually left. Now he's claiming that he thought he was a Jason Bourne and was capable of defeating the Taliban with his bare hands.
 
#16 ·
I am not a lawyer but I doubt that they would use PTSD as a defense. Should he be found not guilty by reason of PTSD would open a Pandoras Box in the legal world and also open the door for many many requests for retrials.
 
#17 ·
The military seldom prosecutes a case that's not a slam dunk. Our legal office typically had a conviction rate well over 90%. If they felt there was any chance of loosing they would have offered him an Article 15 (Non Judicial Punishment). In this case the standard for guilt is very cut and dried.

1. Were you supposed to be at your post?
2. Were you at your post?

There's little doubt that he wasn't where he belonged, so it shouldn't be difficult to prove him guilty. All of the PTSD and stories about "mismanagement" won't come into play until the sentencing.

My money is on five years hard labor with a bad conduct discharge on the desertion charge. The "misconduct before the enemy" can be a tough one. I don't know what kind of evidence they have, but if they prove it he might not see the light of day for a very long time. I would like to see him get life, though.

The BCD will prevent him for being eligible for any VA benefits and keep him from getting any jobs with the military or contractors.

There's always the possibility of a pardon, too. That would clear his record of any charges and allow him to collect benefits from the VA. I would be very upset if he gets one. It would be the ultimate salt in a wound for anyone who served honorably.
 
#19 ·
With that trade Potus slapped the faces of the 6 men who went looking for this piece of crap! Potus stood up when deserter was released an acted like it was a great trade.Interesting timing as he on vacation in the islands while Court Marshall starts.I hope he punish to the full extent of the law.The 6 familys won't have thier loved ones around anymore!
 
#20 ·
Not in the least.

He was brought back specifically to face UCMJ investigation and trial, if the investigation indicates it's needed.

The investigation is complete and he's now being accused. The Army will now determine his fate.

And that's how it should be. We should never leave one of our troops in the hands of the enemy. Even one who doesn't seem to deserve coming home.
 
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#22 ·
In order to prove desertion they have to prove that he had no intention of returning. Otherwise it's just AWOL. That's why he's come up with the story about leaving to report his superiors for mismanagement. It would indicate that he had planned on returning to his duty station.

His lawyer will have to get the statements of his fellow soldiers thrown out. He had told them that he was going to desert.
 
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#25 ·
That's a common tactic that military defense attorneys pull. Another one is to try to force the military to disclose classified information. Many times the military would rather drop a case than reveal classified information in a public forum. The defense will insist that it's crucial to their case and it's up to the judge to determine if it should be allowed.

A friend of mine was an F-15 pilot and was killed when his flight controls were improperly rigged. It was a whole series of errors and omissions that killed him. The mechanic didn't follow the tech order. His supervisor signed off on inspecting it, but hadn't. Quality Assurance was required to inspect it, but pencil-whipped it. The pilot was suppose to check it as part of his pre-flight and the crew chief should have verified it as the pilot checked it. The lawyer for the supervisor tried to convince the judge that they needed to disclose classified information about the F-15 in order to provide a good defense. If he would have agreed, the case would probably have been dismissed. The judge didn't allow it and the supervisor was convicted. The judge's ruling left an opening for a possible appeal, but it was turned down.
 
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#28 ·
He should be ordered to get in fatigue uniform, escorted to the back entrance of the Post for an Exit Ceremony. He should be given the command to stand at "ATTENTION." The convening authority should then approach and rip his collar off of the shirt jacket. Rip US Army from his chest. Given the command, "Forward March," out the back gate of the Post. Have ceremonial firing squad at the ready. And order the firing squad, "Ready! Take Aim! "Fire!" Shoot him in the back just as he crosses the gate line, and let him fall forward across that line. Order the firing squad "Port ARMS!" "Left FACE!" "For-ward MARCH!" "Your left, your left, your left, right! Your left, right! One TWO!; Three, FOUR! Your LEFT, RIGHT!" "Here we GO AGAIN! Same OLE stuff AGAIN! Marching down the AVENUE! Three more years and I'll BE THROUGH! I'll be GLAD and so will YOU!"
 
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#36 ·
^THIS^^

I knew this once the Army put a 2-star in-charge of the investigation. If they had been serious, the investigators would have been a routine CID team.
 
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