Bowe Bergdahl Charged With Desertion, Lawyer Says

[MADem]

120. Well, this thread went to shit in a hurry! But back to the topic, he is CHARGED, not CONVICTED.

I am confident that his lawyer will mount a vigorous defense, and one of the first things he'll say is "He wasn't the only one to do this--and what did you do with them? His bad luck was that he was captured while mucking about!"


http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/bergdahl-soldier-walk-off-afghan-outposts/story?id=24053366

If I were the lawyer, I'd also toss up the "unsuitable for military service" chaff, seeing as the guy was discharged administratively from the USCG as a boot camp wash-out. Put the blame on the army for their precipitous lowering of standards. Then I'd pull out the "mental illness" card--and aver that he was not in his right mind and couldn't make an informed decision as to the advisability of going walkabout.

Of course, he could alway plead out--and that might be what happens at the end of the day. He gets a dishonorable, and he walks away with "time served" courtesy of his captors, or he does a short stay at Leavenworth--enough time to get a degree and learn a skill, perhaps (that really is the Gold Standard when it comes to prisons, it's not hard time at all--plenty of visiting time with friends/family and worthwhile work/study). I can't see a life term as proper in his case, but I can see stripping him of military benefits if the case is strong enough--actions need to have consequences.

I have a feeling that his big fat mouth got him in this fix....I mean, really, once he got back home he should have re-learned how to say "I don't remember" in English. Oh well--live and learn, fella. I'm still glad POTUS got him out of there--I like the fact that we made the effort and succeeded in that mission.