U.S. Army Forces Command announced Monday that Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl’s trial on charges of desertion and endangering troops will be referred to a general court-martial.
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“The two specific charges referred under the U.S. Armed Forces” Uniform Code of Military Justice are: (1) Article 85: “Desertion with Intent to Shirk Important or Hazardous Duty;’ and (2) Article 99: ‘Misbehavior before the Enemy by Endangering the Safety of a Command, Unit or Place.'”
Republicans in the House committee issued a report last week that sharply criticized the decision to trade the Taliban detainees for Bergdahl.
It’s the first time the public will hear directly from Bergdahl, at length, about his ordeal. The presidential candidate Donald Trump has called the sergeant a “traitor” who should be executed.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said in October that Bergdahl was “clearly a deserter” and vowed to hold hearings if he is not punished.
Bowe Bergdahl, the US Army soldier who will soon be court martialled. Bergdahl is now assigned to the Army’s Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston in Texas, the site of his preliminary hearing in September.
In a statement released Monday, Fidel underscored that he didn’t want the case to escalate to a full court martial.
Bergdahl’s case has generated massive controversy in the United States after it emerged he walked out of his unit willingly, prompting a massive manhunt, and because of the circumstances of his release. Many in the military have called for Bergdahl to face a stiff punishment because of persistent rumors that other Americans died during the intensive initial attempt to find the soldier after he disappeared from his base in eastern Afghanistan in June 2009.
The prosecutors said he launched a plan weeks in the making, and there was sufficient evidence to hold him for trial.
He wanted to cause a large enough crisis to get the attention of a general officer and relay concerns he had about his leaders, according to a senior officer who investigated his case, Lt. Gen. Kenneth Dahl, and Sgt. Bergdahl in the recording released through “Serial”.
Visger also recommended Bergdahl not face a punitive discharge for his alleged actions, Fidell said at the time.
The Army decision to hold a “general court martial” preserves the option to impose severe punishment up to life in prison if Bergdahl is found guilty. He said he soon realized he had done something serious but made a decision to gather information on Taliban fighters in hopes the Army would go easier on him.
Bergdahl was charged in March with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy.
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While the news is hard to understand for those who don’t understand the ins and outs of the military legal system, the Serial podcast team is there to break down what this means for Bergdahl.
