This story—it spins out in so many unexpected directions. Because, yes, it’s about Bowe Bergdahl and about one strange decision he made, to leave his post. (And Bergdahl, by the way, is such an interesting and unusual guy, not like anyone I’ve encountered before.) But it’s also about all of the people affected by that decision, and the choices they made. Unlike our story in Season One, this one extends far out into the world. It reaches into swaths of the military, the peace talks to end the war, attempts to rescue other hostages, our Guantanamo policy. What Bergdahl did made me wrestle with things I’d thought I more or less understood, but really didn’t: what it means to be loyal, to be resilient, to be used, to be punished....I haven't listened yet, but I surely will.
December 10, 2015
The podcast "Serial" begins Season 2 this morning — the story of Bowe Bergdahl...
"... the U.S. soldier who walked off his post in Afghanistan in 2009 and was captured and held by the Taliban for nearly five years...."
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"Strange" decision.
This one strange decision.
"But it’s also about all of the people affected by that decision..."
As in, people who died trying to find/rescue him. Of course, there is always forgiveness, in my view. But unless this series deals forthrightly with the fact that people died because Bergdahl made that "one strange decision" (what a very strange way to put it, btw!), the series is crap. Crap.
The first fact about Bergdahl that is usually ignored or never mentioned is that the Coast Guard kicked him out of basic training. The Army should never have taken him and whoever qualified him on a psychiatric basis was probably fired or should have been.
I wonder what methods President Obama has been using to drag this case out so long.
That's why deserters should be shot. There is no need to start looking into their reasons.
Bergdahl ought to be in Taliban custody. It's where he belongs. Of course he deserves blame for the deaths and resources spent on efforts to rescue him.
But it's not his fault our government saw fit to trade high value terrorists for him. I won't blame him for that. That's Obama's fault.
What Bergdahl did made me wrestle with things I’d thought I more or less understood, but really didn’t: what it means to be loyal...
Yeah, no. I don't expect to learn much from Bergdahl on what it means to be loyal.
The introduction to this troubles me as I've followed the Bergdahl case to some degree and there is no moral equivalence about what he did: It was wrong.
Further, he wasn't rescued. He was traded - for 5 known taliban leaders, not suspected or "caught on the battlefield but we don't know if they are guilty", but known enemies of the state.
And this was after he deserted his post and lives were lost in rescue attempts because he didn't actually have the decency to let them know "Hey, I deserted. I'm done."
Here, I'll save you the trouble of listening. Bergdahl good, Obama good, Bush bad.
A deserter pure and simple. And a simpleton made a trade for him.
Ha! Darcy noticed the same thing. Yeah, I'll probably listen but I'm inclined to believe that wording gives away her viewpoint.
I surely will not listen. F that guy. What a waste.
I think they should do Serial Part II first. That's where Bergdahl is put up against a wall and shot.
His father offered a greeting on his son's return in arabic, because "he may have forgotten his English". 1.Did his son speak Arabic? 2. Is his son a Muslim? 3. Did he leave the base with the purpose of getting the prisoners released?
“What Bergdahl did made me wrestle with things I’d thought I more or less understood”
With so little information available, why would anybody ever think they understood anything about Bergdal and the hostage swap?
Lt. Col. Jason Amerine was responsible for coordinating hostage recovery for the Pentagon. He was working the Bergdal swap, but then the State Department took over and botched the job. He protested that the State Department wasn’t equipped for the job and they didn’t know what they were doing. For his protest, the Administration set the FBI on him. I seriously doubt that the truth about Bergdal will ever see the light of day.
http://www.stripes.com/news/us/investigation-clears-army-of-retaliating-against-green-beret-whistleblower-but-scrutiny-remains-1.366840
The military does not really value qualities like "interesting" and "unusual" until one reaches flag rank.
There was an ulterior motive for swapping the five high level Taliban prisoners. Closing Guantanamo requires that the Administration place these guys somewhere. Swapping Bergdal was a convenient way to get rid of five of the worst. Last November, five more guys were sent to the United Arab Emirates. Gitmo is down to 107 prisoners.
Hmm...
I never listened to Serial season one. If season two does come at this without an agenda, this will be interesting, and I may give it a try. Many here in the comments seem to assume they do have an agenda. It'll get real boring real quick if they do, and the reputation of Serial is one of not being boring.
It can still have a bias. As long as it remains honest about the facts and gives fair time and consideration to those who disagree with those biases, it can be good.
"I haven't listened yet, but I surely will."
NPR will frame the Bergdahl story using critical theory. Start with the premise that America is evil. Bergdahl represents the enslavement of mankind by the collusion of the generals and corporations. His desertion is a quest to return to his natural state. The series will be a continuous appeal to emotion.
NPR is an enemy of the state, and a champion of multiculturalism.
Bergdahl made him question what it was to be loyal? I have to wonder how.
You can't blame Bergdahl for "the lives lost looking for him."
He was not a hostage. He went AWOL and defected to the enemy.
Why did they search for him?
Given the nature of the situation, leaving him with his chosen friends would have been his just deserts.
They should do the Alger Hiss case instead
"Our tiny team—Julie Snyder, Dana Chivvis, Emily Condon, Ira Glass,"
Oh boy....
Bergdahl is just misunderstood.
Due to the subject matter this one will certainly be overtly biased and political. It'll have a tenth of the listeners that the homicidal Muzzie boyfriend one had. There's only so many disingenuous liberals in the world.
I'm trying my best to withhold judgement, but just from that excerpt (and the source) it's hard not to assume this'll be a morally repugnant exercise in relativism and revisionism--I guess we'll see.
I will venture that no one who does documentaries for a living these days has even the foggiest understanding of what "leaving your post" signifies. Others' lives depend upon you standing your post. There are never "good" reasons for leaving your post.
I would like to hear more about the relationship between the father and the son. I recall reading that Bowe wrote letters home telling his father about his disillusionment and possible plans to go AWOL. The father at that point said, IIRC, to do what his conscience dictated or something along those lines. If the father truly said those things instead of counseling his son to stay put, seek help, be patient, how dangerous it would be to leave the base as an American service member. I think th father may have been nuttier than the son and did him a real disservice and fell down badly as a father. The father should've contacted someone to report that his son was losing his sanity and someone there should intervene.
Bergdahl's behavior was reprehsible. He may be a border line schizo or stupid beyond the ordinary dimensions of stupid, but his behavior was definitely wrong.......What I find a "strange decision" is to honor his craziness or stupidity with a Rose Garden ceremony. That's really bizarre. There should be some kind of disinterested inquiry into the dynamics behind Obama's weird reasoning.
Why did they search for him?
According to some of his unit, after he defected, the enemy suddenly developed some new and more effective tactics, presumably based on insider knowledge. His unit wanted to kill him on sight.
I thought that this was a strange decision.
http://www2.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/President+Obama+Makes+Statement+Release+Army+s0jrBaHYqA1l.jpg
Is this podcast a work of fiction, or supposedly factual? I ask only because the paragraph in the post makes me think it is fictional.
WaPo headline: In new ‘Serial’ podcast, Bowe Bergdahl says he likened himself to Jason Bourne before capture
William wrote: He may be a border line schizo or stupid beyond the ordinary dimensions of stupid, but his behavior was definitely wrong...
Borderline schizophrenia and extreme stupidity are not mutually exclusive possibilities.
Stand him up against a wall.
There is never an excuse to leave the field of battle by abandoning your squadies....
I don't know which army (if any) The Drill Sgt served in, but when I was a soldier, "squaddies" surely wasn't in American military slang. It's a Brit thing, totally. Also spelled with two "d"s.
ref: His father offered a greeting on his son's return in arabic, because "he may have forgotten his English".
Somebody should tell Bergdahl Sr. that, actually, they don't speak Arabic in Izbeckybeckybeckystan
I guess his lost English skill came back..
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