Showing posts with label Hostage Exchange. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hostage Exchange. Show all posts

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Can they do that?

October 12, 2014 Breitbart.com , Hostage Exchange 0 Comments
Army Refuses To Release Findings Of Bergdahl Investigation

Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl after the hostage exchange
Credit:  NBC News
By Thomas Rose, Oct. 12, 2014, Breitbart.com
According to a report in the San Antonio News Express the US Army has completed but is refusing to release its investigation into the suspected desertion of Army PFC Bowe Bergdahl who walked off his base in Afghanistan in 2009. He subsequently fell into the hands of Taliban forces who held him captive for five years. His release, which was orchestrated and executed by the Obama Administration without the consent of Congress, swapped Bergdahl for the five most senior Taliban commanders held in captivity has arguably become the most controversial prisoner exchange in the history of the country.

Bergdahl, who was released in May of this year, is currently stationed at Fort Sam Houston U.S. Army North in San Antonio, TX. The army report was authored by Brigadier General Kenneth Dahl and, according to a US army spokesman, is now being “reviewed by commanders." There are no plans, said Army Spokesman Wayne Hall, to make public the findings of the investigation.

Fox News is reporting however that the findings will be released to the public, but onlyafter the November 4 midterm elections.

The Bergdahl-Taliban exchange unleashed a firestorm of criticism that continues to this day. Never before had the United States military knowingly released a senior commander of an active enemy force in war time. Even senior Defense Department officials were forced to concede that the “Taliban Five," as they subsequently became known, were all expected to resume direct command of enemy forces at war with the United States.

Read the full story:  www.breitbart.com

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Sunday, August 24, 2014

But they got away it...

August 24, 2014 Hostage Exchange , Joel Gehrke 0 Comments
Feds: Obama Broke Law With Bergdahl Swap

Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl hostage exchange
Source:  www.usatoday.com / AP 
By Joel Gehrke, Aug. 21, 2014, Nationalreview.com

President Obama violated a “clear and unambiguous” law when he released five Guantanamo Bay detainees in exchange for Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, the Government Accountability Office reported Thursday.

“[The Department of Defense] violated section 8111 because it did not notify the relevant congressional committees at least 30 days in advance of the transfer,” the GAO report said. “In addition, because DOD used appropriated funds to carry out the transfer when no money was available for that purpose, DOD violated the Antideficiency Act. The Antideficiency Act prohibits federal agencies from incurring obligations exceeding an amount available in an appropriation.”

The GAO rejected the idea that the action was legal and sidestepped the Obama team’s suggestion that the law is unconstitutional.

“It is not our role or our practice to determine the constitutionality of duly enacted statutes,” the report says. “In our view, where legislation has been passed by Congress and signed by the President, thereby satisfying the bicameralism and presentment requirements in the Constitution, that legislation is entitled to a heavy presumption in favor of constitutionality.”


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Sunday, August 17, 2014

Have they talked to his platoon yet?

August 17, 2014 Hostage Exchange , Investigation 0 Comments
Bergdahl Investigation In Final Stage

By Dan Lamothe, Aug. 15, 2014, Washingtonpost.com

The Army’s investigation into the 2009 disappearance of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl has entered the final stage, Army officials said Friday, but they cautioned that it will take at least three more weeks for a final draft to be completed and even longer for it to be presented to top Army leaders.

The investigating officer, Army Maj. Gen. Kenneth Dahl, questioned Bergdahl last week over two days, said his civilian lawyer, Eugene R. Fidell. Dahl is working to establish what happened to the soldier who went missing from his patrol base in Afghanistan’s Paktika province on June 30, 2009, and was imprisoned by militants for five years, some of that time in a locked cage. He was recovered by the United States on May 31 in a controversial exchange for five Taliban detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Dahl is in the process of completing his draft report, but “it is possible that he will have to follow up on outstanding issues,” said Wayne Hall, an Army spokesman. The general’s report will undergo a separate legal review before it is presented to top Army officials, and it isn’t clear how long that could take.

The results of the investigation could significantly affect Bergdahl’s future. At stake: An Army determination of whether it should bring criminal charges against him for deserting his post or going absent without leave, both of which are illegal under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Some fellow soldiers in his platoon have insisted that is the case, but Bergdahl’s mental status at the time is also likely to be examined and could be a factor in any determination.

Read the full story:  www.washingtonpost.com

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Monday, July 14, 2014

Sgt. Bergdahl Is Back On Regular Army Duty In Texas --Investigation on-going; STILL hasn't spoken to his parents?!

July 14, 2014 David S. Cloud , Hostage Exchange 0 Comments
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl
By David S. Cloud, Jul. 14, 2014, Latimes.com

Six weeks after Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was freed from Taliban captivity, he has completed treatment at a military hospital in Texas and is being returned to active duty, Army officials said Monday.

In a brief statement, officials said Bergdahl had “completed the final phase of the reintegration process” and would “now return to regular duty” at Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio, the same base where he has been receiving medical treatment and counseling.

But Bergdahl’s future remains in limbo until the Army completes an investigation into his disappearance in eastern Afghanistan in June 2009, when he was taken captive after apparently leaving his post without permission.

He is expected to be interviewed soon by Brig Gen. Kenneth Dahl, who was appointed last month to lead the investigation.

Berghdahl will work at headquarters of U.S. Army North, a command that oversees domestic defense.

Bergdahl, who was promoted to sergeant during his time as a captive, will live in noncommissioned officer quarters and work with other soldiers “who are providing leadership and guidance,” according to Donald E. Manuszewski, a spokesman for U.S. Army North.

When off duty, Bergdahl will be free to leave the base unescorted and go where he wants, according to an Army official. The official spoke anonymously because he was not authorized to discuss details of Bergdahl’s treatment.

Bergdahl, 28, was in good physical condition when he was released by the Taliban May 31 after nearly five years as a prisoner of war, but he has struggled with psychological issues, according to military officials.

Read the full story:  www.latimes.com

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Bergdahl Could Get $350G Tax-free, If Cleared By Army --Investigation still on-going?

July 14, 2014 Dominic Di-Natale , Fox News 0 Comments
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl
By Dominic Di-Natale, Jul. 14, 2014, Foxnews.com

Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl could have a tax-free $350,000 dropped into his bank account if the current investigation into his disappearance from his base in Afghanistan was not desertion, and if he is deemed to have been a prisoner of war for the five years he was held by Islamic militants, Fox News has learned.

The 28-year-old soldier, for whom the U.S. traded five senior Taliban operatives held at Guantanamo Bay, was set to return to active duty Monday after spending six weeks in medical rehab at Fort Sam Houston, in San Antonio.

“Essentially he’ll be working a desk job,” Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren told reporters at the Pentagon Monday.
"They’re pulling his clearance so I’m not sure what he’s supposed to do.”
- Army official speaking under condition of anonymity
Bergdahl is due approximately $200,000 in back pay for the time he was in Taliban hands. He would be eligible for another $150,000 if an ongoing probe determines he was a prisoner of war. Both sums could be tax free for Bergdahl, who was promoted from private first class to sergeant during the time he was held.

Bergdahl was moved to the U.S. Army North command on Saturday, shifting from the U.S. Army South command, which had overseen his arrival in the U.S. and reintegration. Under Army North, he will return to work and live in standard military barracks. He is being assigned to the protocol office, which assists soldiers in military procedures and etiquette.

“That’s the worst place to put him. They’re pulling his clearance so I’m not sure what he’s supposed to do,” said one Army official, speaking on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to publicly discuss the sergeant’s case.

Bergdahl is now able to leave the base and is escorted by his care team when he does. He recently visited a shopping mall to buy items for his computer and the group was seen at a local restaurant, say people with knowledge of his movements.

Read the full story:  www.foxnews.com

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