Northwest News Network

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's Attorney Expects Army Questioning To Begin Soon

NWNews | By Jessica Robinson,

Jessica Robinson

Published July 17, 2014 at 4:04 PM MDT

File photo of Bowe Bergdahl at his graduation from U.S. Basic Training.

The attorney for rescued POW Bowe Bergdahl expects the Army sergeant to be interviewed by military investigators within the coming weeks.

The probe into how Bergdahl fell into Taliban hands while off-base in 2009 is already underway.

Bergdahl's attorney Eugene Fidell, who teaches military justice at Yale Law School, said it's hard to find other cases that serve as precedent for Bergdahl. He met with Bergdahl in San Antonio for the first time last week after Bergdahl asked Fidell to represent him.

“It's not every day that we have someone effectively restored to life," Fidell said. "This is a person who was obviously in mortal danger for a sustained period by ruthless killers and has lived to tell the tale.”

And Bergdahl will soon tell his tale to investigators. Maj. Gen. Kenneth Dahl of Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma is leading the inquiry. Since meeting with Bergdahl, Fidell has been developing his strategy and putting together Bergdahl's defense team.

Fidell said Bergdahl told him he’s “deeply grateful to President Obama for saving his life.”

Bergdahl went missing at the end of June 2009 from his base in southeast Afghanistan. He was held by Taliban insurgents and their allies until May 31. The Obama administration exchanged five Guantanamo Bay detainees for Bergdahl's release.

Some former members of Bergdahl's unit have accused him of deserting and excerpts from Bergdahl’s emails home indicate he was disillusioned with his mission in Afghanistan.

Fidell said he's still waiting to see the classified report from an earlier investigation into Bergdahl's disappearance. It reportedly concluded that Bergdahl most likely walked away from his post, but didn't find evidence that he intended to desert.

Bergdahl is now back on regular duty at Fort Sam Houston in Texas. He has not been charged with anything.

Bergdahl's Attorney Expects Army Questioning To Begin Soon

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