© 2024 Boise State Public Radio
NPR in Idaho
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Chad Daybell's murder trial has begun. Follow along here.
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.

Pentagon: Bergdahl's Health Continues To Improve

Dept. of Defense

This post was updated Thurs. June 5 at 10:30 a.m. 

A Pentagon spokesman says former military captive Bowe Bergdahl's health is improving daily, and he is resting more comfortably and becoming more involved in a treatment plan designed to ease his return to the U.S.

The spokesman, Army Col. Steve Warren, said there is no date set for Bergdahl to make his first phone call to his family in Idaho or to be transferred from a U.S. military hospital in Germany to an Army hospital in Texas.

Bergdahl is an Army sergeant who was released Saturday in Afghanistan by his Taliban captors after five years.

Warren said Bergdahl is conversing with staff at the Landstuhl medical center in Germany, but he declined to reveal specifics about Bergdahl's medical condition or what he has said or done since regaining freedom.

This post was updated Mon. June 2 at 2:20 p.m. 

A U.S. military hospital in Germany says Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is in "stable condition and receiving treatment for conditions requiring hospitalization" after arriving from Afghanistan and five years of captivity.

The Landstuhl Regional Medical Center says Bergdahl's treatment "includes attention to dietary and nutrition needs after almost five years in captivity" but declined to release further details about his medical condition due to patient privacy laws.

The hospital said in a statement Monday that "there is no pre-determined amount of time involved in the reintegration process" for the 28-year-old.

This story was posted Sun. June 1

The father of an American soldier just released from captivity in Afghanistan says he's proud of how far his son, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, was willing to go to help the Afghan people.

Bob and Jani Bergdahl didn't elaborate on what that meant during a Sunday press conference in Boise. Bowe Bergdahl was freed Saturday in exchange for five Guantanamo terrorism detainees after spending nearly five years as a Taliban prisoner.

Credit Jessica Robinson / Northwest News Network
/
Northwest News Network
Bergdahl's parents, Jani and Bob, addressed reporters Sunday in Boise.

His parents said they haven't spoken with Bergdahl and will wait until military experts say he's ready to talk to family. Officials did not offer details about Bergdahl's health.

Bob Bergdahl said he was proud of how Bowe wanted to help the Afghan people, and how far he was willing to go to achieve that goal.

You make stories like this possible.

The biggest portion of Boise State Public Radio's funding comes from readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

Your donation today helps make our local reporting free for our entire community.