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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.

'Serial': Fifth Episode Highlights Complications Bergdahl Supporters Faced Seeking His Freedom

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In the fifth episode of 'Serial," the popular podcast focusing its second season on Idaho native Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, producer Sarah Koenig explores the many ways, official and unofficial, people stateside sought Bergdahl's freedom.

Bergdahl was captured by the Taliban in 2009 when he walked off his base in Afghanistan. He was held for about five years until President Barack Obama negotiated a deal to have him released.

Kim Harrison, Bergdahl's friend currently living in Portland, sought help from Interpol, but that help was denied by the Department of Defense. Later on she was contacted by a man associated with the Taliban who became a strong lead for the DoD.

"The FBI cultivated this source for a while and then passed him along to the DoD, and it turned out this guy who called Kim (Harrison) on her cell phone one day because of some secret thing she did on her own to get her number to the Taliban: this turned out to be one of the best leads they ever had in Bowe's case," said Koenig in the episode.

Click here to read the entire story from the Idaho Statesman.

#SpeakingofSerial

Listen along with us! 

We're following along with season 2 of Serial as it revisits the case of Army Sgt.  and Idaho native, Bowe Bergdahl.

Each Wednesday, reporters with Boise State Public Radio and the Idaho Statesman will host a companion podcast, "Speaking of Serial," discussing Bergdahl's case, Serial's reporting and what happens when an Idahoan becomes the center of international news.

You'll find the latest episode here.

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