Law & Justice

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.

Reuters: Contrary To Reports, Army Says No Decision Made In Bergdahl Case

Boise State Public Radio News | By Frankie Barnhill

Published January 27, 2015 at 3:32 PM MST

According to Reuters, the U.S. Army is refuting claims that it's made a decision in the case of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. Outlets including Fox News and NBC News reported on Tuesday that Bergdahl would be charged with desertion later this week.

The reports cited unnamed senior defense officials.

The Hailey, Idaho native has been under investigation since returning to the U.S. last May.

Major General Ronald Lewis, the Army's head of public affairs, said that report, and another from Fox News, were "patently false." "To be clear there have been no actions or decisions on the Sergeant Bergdahl investigation," Lewis said in a statement. "The investigation is still with the commanding general of U.S. Army Forces Command (General Mark Milley) who will determine appropriate action - which ranges from no further action to convening a court-martial," he added. The Pentagon's press secretary, Rear Admiral John Kirby, told a news conference that no decision had been made in the case and said Milley was under no pressure to make a decision on any timeline. Top defense officials are sensitive about exercising any undue influence on officers responsible for cases in the military legal system. Bergdahl, who spent five years in captivity after leaving his post, was released in May in an exchange with the Taliban for five inmates from the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The deal was blasted by some Republicans, and some of his fellow soldiers called him a deserter. - Reuters

Reuters also reports Milley is expected to make a decision soon in Bergdahl's case, and it could be that no charges are brought against him.

If Bergdahl is charged, he could be forced to pay back hundreds of thousands of dollars in backpay for his time as a Taliban hostage.

Bergdahl was captured in 2009 by a faction of the Taliban after reportedly walking off his base in Afghanistan. In 2014, he was returned to the U.S. Army in exchange for five U.S. detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Bergdahl is stationed at Fort Sam Houston in Texas while the investigation continues.

Find reporter Frankie Barnhill on Twitter @FABarnhill

Reuters: Contrary To Reports, Army Says No Decision Made In Bergdahl Case

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