A Timeline Of Bowe Bergdahl's 5 Years In Captivity

00000176-d8fc-dce8-adff-faff728f0003Bowe Bergdahl was born on March 28, 1986 to Bob and Jani Bergdahl in Sun Valley, Idaho. Bowe was raised in neighboring Hailey, Idaho, where his parents still live.On June 30, 2009, then 23-year-old Bowe Bergdahl is widely reported to have walked off his Army base in Afghanistan. Less than a month later, the Washington Post reports, Bergdahl appeared in the first of several Taliban-affiliated videos. In it, Bergdahl "says he was captured after lagging behind during a patrol," writes the Post.Here's a timeline of events.May 2008: Bergdahl enlists in the U.S. ArmyJune 30, 2009: Bergdahl reported missingJuly 2, 2009: CNN reports a U.S. military official says Bergdahl is being held by the clan of warlord Siraj Haqqani.July 18, 2009: The Taliban posts a video of Bergdahl.Dec. 25, 2009: Bergdahl's captor's release a second video of the solider.April 7, 2010: The Washington Post reports that the Taliban "posts a video showing Bergdahl pleading to be sent home and saying the war in Afghanistan is not worth the human cost."June 2010: The U.S. Army promotes Bergdahl to specialist.Dec. 7, 2010: CNN reports Bergdahl's captors release a 45-minute video showing a thinner soldier.Feb. 2011: Bergdahl's captors release another video.May 6, 2011: Bergdahl's father, Bob, posts a YouTube video asking for his son's release.June 16, 2011: The U.S. Army promotes Bergdahl to sergeant.May 9, 2012: Bob and Jani Bergdahl give an interview to the New York Times. The Bergdahls say the U.S. government is engaged in secret negotiations with the Taliban over a possible prisoner swap.June 6, 2013: Bergdahl’s family announces that “through the International Committee of the Red Cross, we recently received a letter we’re confident was written to us by our son.”Jan. 15, 2014: Bergdahl's captors release a proof-of-life video. Still unreleased publicly, the video reportedly shows Bergdahl in declining health.Feb. 23, 2014: The Taliban says it suspended prisoner-swap talks with the United States government.April 24, 2014: The U.S. government says prisoner-swap talks aren't disorganized. May 31, 2014: The U.S. government announces Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was released by his captors in exchange for five U.S. detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.March 25, 2015: Following a U.S. Military investigation, the Army announced Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl will be charged with desertion, avoiding military service, and misbehavior before the enemy.This information was compiled from various media reports including The New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, The Associated Press, Northwest News Network.

Bergdahl Back In The U.S. To Continue Recovery

NPR | By Scott Neuman,

Krishnadev Calamur

Published June 13, 2014 at 5:55 AM MDT

Bowe Bergdahl, seen on a Taliban-affiliated website sometime after his capture by Taliban militants in 2009.

This post was updated at 4:20 p.m. ET

Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is back in the U.S.

As we told you early this morning, Bergdahl, who was freed May 31 by his Taliban captors in exchange for five of the group's members in Guantanamo Bay, arrived at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio after a flight from Ramstein Air Base in Germany. He will continue his treatment at the center.

Bergdahl, who was held by the Taliban for five years, has not yet spoken to his parents, but they are expected to have a reunion at the facility in San Antonio. He has been at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany since the day after his release.

Here's more from The Associated Press:

"Before his departure from Germany on Thursday, officials in Washington said Bergdahl will not receive the automatic Army promotion that would have taken effect this month if he were still in captivity. Now that he is back in U.S. military control, any future promotions would depend on his performance and achievement of certain training and education milestones."

At a news conference in San Antonio on Friday afternoon, Maj. Gen. Joseph P. DiSalvo said he'd seen Bergdahl for "about 60 seconds. He was in uniform. ... We exchanged salutes.

"He appeared just like any sergeant would when he saw a two-star general — a little nervous," DiSalvo said.

The general said Bergdahl's family was not at the hospital and that his parents do not intend to make their travel plans public for reasons of privacy.

Col. Donald Wool said of Bergdahl's condition: "Overall, we're pleased with his physical state."

Asked whether Bergdahl wanted to return to duty, Col. Bradley Poppen, a specialist on reintegration, said: "The goal of reintegration is to return a soldier to duty."

The circumstances of Bergdahl's capture in 2009 are still unclear. As we've reported: "He's said that he lagged behind while on patrol. U.S. officials have said he walked off the base with three Afghans; there have been reports that he was captured during an attack on his post; and the Taliban have said they captured a 'drunken American soldier.' Many service members say they believe Bergdahl is a deserter."

The Army has said it hasn't formally begun a review of Bergdahl's capture. The AP notes, "The answers to those questions will be key to whether Bergdahl will receive more than $300,000 in back pay owed to him since he disappeared. If he was determined to have been a prisoner of war, he also could receive roughly another $300,000 or more, if recommended and approved by Army leaders."

Congressional critics say that the cost of Bergdahl's freedom was too high, and that the Taliban prisoners may end up back on the battlefield. The Obama administration has not disputed that assertion, but noted that Qatar, which mediated the deal with the Taliban, had provided assurances that the five men will remain in the country for one year, and had given additional security guarantees.

Bergdahl Back In The U.S. To Continue Recovery

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