Bergdahl case reveals war’s murky side
“Glory and praise forever!” intones this Sunday’s responsorial from the Book of Daniel as it offers repeated praise to God. What started out as praise upon the release of U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl from Taliban captivity has now turned into criticism over the wisdom of the prisoner exchange that led . . .
“Glory and praise forever!” intones this Sunday’s responsorial from the Book of Daniel as it offers repeated praise to God. What started out as praise upon the release of U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl from Taliban captivity has now turned into criticism over the wisdom of the prisoner exchange that led to his release, the failure to notify any members of Congress, and the still murky details about Bergdahl’s disappearance from his military base nearly five years ago.
Bergdahl himself is physically well despite his years as a Taliban captive, but confinement in a small space and other harsh treatment has left him psychologically unstable, a senior U.S. official briefed on his medical treatment said. Bergdahl is "struggling with psychological issues" that his doctors are hoping to ease before they agree to send him from Germany, where he is being treated in a U.S. military hospital, to another facility in Texas, said the official.
An initial Army investigation concluded that Bergdahl left his remote base in eastern Afghanistan without permission in June 2009. His motive remains unclear. Meanwhile on Capitol Hill the prisoner exchange set off a fierce debate about whether the White House gave up too much for Bergdahl and whether Obama should have consulted Congress before agreeing to release the detainees. Even administration allies suggest congressional leaders could have been briefed beforehand.
U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Wednesday sought to ease concerns about the controversial swap of five hardened Taliban leaders for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, but under pressure from lawmakers acknowledged that the administration mishandled the announcement.
"We didn't handle some of this right," Hagel admitted to the House Armed Services Committee toward the end of the first public hearing on the prisoner exchange. “We could have done a better job of keeping you informed.”
Explaining why the administration moved so quickly and secretly, Hagel said Qatari intermediaries warned them "time was not on our side" and said risks to the American prisoner were likely growing. "The bottom line is we don't leave people behind," Hagel said.
Homily hint: A poster from the 1960s read, “War is not healthy for children and other living things.” With the rush to judgment in the Bowe Bergdahl case, it is easy to lose sight that war damages all those involved in it. No soldier returns without wounds to the psyche and the soul.
Bergdahl himself is physically well despite his years as a Taliban captive, but confinement in a small space and other harsh treatment has left him psychologically unstable, a senior U.S. official briefed on his medical treatment said. Bergdahl is "struggling with psychological issues" that his doctors are hoping to ease before they agree to send him from Germany, where he is being treated in a U.S. military hospital, to another facility in Texas, said the official.
An initial Army investigation concluded that Bergdahl left his remote base in eastern Afghanistan without permission in June 2009. His motive remains unclear. Meanwhile on Capitol Hill the prisoner exchange set off a fierce debate about whether the White House gave up too much for Bergdahl and whether Obama should have consulted Congress before agreeing to release the detainees. Even administration allies suggest congressional leaders could have been briefed beforehand.
U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Wednesday sought to ease concerns about the controversial swap of five hardened Taliban leaders for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, but under pressure from lawmakers acknowledged that the administration mishandled the announcement.
"We didn't handle some of this right," Hagel admitted to the House Armed Services Committee toward the end of the first public hearing on the prisoner exchange. “We could have done a better job of keeping you informed.”
Explaining why the administration moved so quickly and secretly, Hagel said Qatari intermediaries warned them "time was not on our side" and said risks to the American prisoner were likely growing. "The bottom line is we don't leave people behind," Hagel said.
Homily hint: A poster from the 1960s read, “War is not healthy for children and other living things.” With the rush to judgment in the Bowe Bergdahl case, it is easy to lose sight that war damages all those involved in it. No soldier returns without wounds to the psyche and the soul.
Sources: Articles by David S. Cloud for the Los Angeles Times,
Ed Payne and Catherine E. Shoichet for CNN, and Fox News