Bowe Bergdahl to be tried for desertion

[nik-]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

I wonder what he thought he was going to do when he joined the US Military?

He'd hardly be the first young man to lose his idealistic views while serving in the army. Obviously there are better ways to try and deal with it than just wandering off into the desert.

[Jets4Life]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

I wonder what he thought he was going to do when he joined the US Military?

Party and sleep with women?

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Jets4Life

The United States has only executed one man for desertion, since the American Civil War 150 years ago:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Slovik

Highly unlikely he gets anything but jail time.

If I was a betting man, it will be significant jail time. Looking at the ladder punishment for AWOL right through to desertion, he would fall under the most serious category which is Desertion during a time of war, which from a sentencing standpoint is open ended. (life in prison to death).

I doubt that the Death Penalty is on the table, and I doubt that the government would move for execution. But I'm betting he gets 20 years and is out in 10.

The problem is that it wasn't like he avoided hazardous duty before being deployed there. If he had been deployed to Afghanistan and refused to go there, he would be looking at a sentencing guideline of dishonorable discharge, forfeit all pay and allowances, Reduction in rank to the lowest rank possible and a 5 year prison sentence.

Because he was in a war zone the sentencing will be far more severe.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by nik-

He'd hardly be the first young man to lose his idealistic views while serving in the army. Obviously there are better ways to try and deal with it than just wandering off into the desert.

Options are limited, and would have had to happen before he was deployed.

He could have filed for conscientious objector status to the war itself. That doesn't mean that he wouldn't be deployed, he could still be deployed while the paper work is going through, however you would supposedly be assigned to a tasking that doesn't go against your objections. However if you declare this your request has to be sincere, and they will probably send you to every shrink and doctor out there.

If you file the papers and refuse to go, its called missing movement which is punishable by up to 6 months in jail, and a dishonorable discharge.

Frankly, if you join the army and pick infantry, in this day and age there are chances that you are going to have to go to a war zone.

[Jets4Life]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

If I was a betting man, it will be significant jail time. Looking at the ladder punishment for AWOL right through to desertion, he would fall under the most serious category which is Desertion during a time of war, which from a sentencing standpoint is open ended. (life in prison to death).

I doubt that the Death Penalty is on the table, and I doubt that the government would move for execution. But I'm betting he gets 20 years and is out in 10.

The problem is that it wasn't like he avoided hazardous duty before being deployed there. If he had been deployed to Afghanistan and refused to go there, he would be looking at a sentencing guideline of dishonorable discharge, forfeit all pay and allowances, Reduction in rank to the lowest rank possible and a 5 year prison sentence.

Because he was in a war zone the sentencing will be far more severe.

"Over 20,000 American soldiers were tried and sentenced for desertion during World War Two. 49 were sentenced to death, though 48 of these death sentences were subsequently commuted. Only one US soldier, Private Eddie Slovik, was executed for desertion in World War II."

I guess it would depend on what he is being charged with. If he committed treason, it would be far more serious that desertion. I would guess the maximum penalty would be 3 years in prison, considering this is Afghanistan, and the casualty rate is far lower than in World War II on the Western front.

In WW2, the vast majority of soldiers punished for desertion were given brief jail time, and dishonorably discharged. The US Military wanted to make an example of Slovik, since it was the 1944 allied invasion of France, where there would be a substantial risk of death on the frontlines, in particular from the German resistance forces.

[Jets4Life]

"In June 2012, fearless Rolling Stone contributing editor Michael Hastings wrote the definitive first account of Bowe Bergdahl — the young American soldier who was captured by the Taliban and became the last American prisoner of war. Hastings, the journalist who brought down the career of General Stanley McChrystal in these pages, died in a car accident one year later. Bergdahl was freed in May 2014; he is currently facing charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. Hastings' incredible story is available in full here":

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics...f-war-20120607

Sounds like the guy could be slightly mentally unbalanced, and somewhat selfish. Not sure about anyone else, but I would prefer to die in combat than to desert. Not for my sake, but imagine the shame and infamy his friends, family, and future children will go through, knowing that him and his family members will be ostracised for the remainder of their lives. That is far worse than any jail time he may receive. Just my 2 cents.

[Byrns]

Why not just accidentally shoot yourself in the foot? Choosing to desert in a Taliban warzone seems foolish.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Byrns

Why not just accidentally shoot yourself in the foot? Choosing to desert in a Taliban warzone seems foolish.

Cuz nobody "accidentally" shoots themselves in the foot, everyone knows that.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by nik-

He'd hardly be the first young man to lose his idealistic views while serving in the army. Obviously there are better ways to try and deal with it than just wandering off into the desert.

and yet he made his decision

Originally Posted by Jets4Life

Party and sleep with women?

I know that is why I joined up, also I hated math class.

[CaptainCrunch]

I joined to see the world, meet new and interesting cultures and people and kill them.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Byrns

Why not just accidentally shoot yourself in the foot? Choosing to desert in a Taliban warzone seems foolish.

Yeah they're pretty good at picking up on that.