US Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl has been freed after five years of captivity by the Taliban. That’s not the end, however. Even though many are welcoming him as a hero, citizens and fellow soldiers are saying that Bergdahl is a traitor who is the cause of six lost lives spent in effort to search for him, someone the soldiers claim walked off the base where he was stationed in Afghanistan.
A former sergeant in Bergdahl’s unit, Josh Korder, says, “They were never nationally televised for their sacrifices in the way that he is and he pretty much voluntarily walked away and in turn, caused, you know, the actions that may have killed them.” He has the names of the soldiers tattooed on his arm. These men are Sergeant Clayton Bowen, 29, of San Antonio, Texas, Private 1st Class Morris Walker, 23, of Chapel Hill, N.C., Staff Sergeant Kurt Curtiss, 27, of Murray, Utah,2nd Lieutenant Darryn Andrews, 34, of Dallas, Texas,Staff Sergeant Michael Murphrey, 25, of Snyder, Texas, andPrivate 1st Class Matthew Martinek, 20, of DeKalb, Illinois.
To free one soldier who supposedly left his post, six innocent lives were lost. This is devastating for not only their family, but also for American citizens, earning Bergdahl names, websites, and petitions calling for justice.
Others though, like Bergdahl’s former employer Sue Martin, disagree. “He’s done enough after five years,” she says. Bowe Bergdahl may be excused from imprisonment for this reason.
In addition, his release was a trade-off for five Taliban captives.
President Barack Obama says, “Regardless of the circumstances, whatever those circumstances may turn out to be, we still get an American soldier back if he’s held in captivity.”
However, many fear that this will encourage hostage-taking and cause the United States to negotiate with terrorists in the future. “The methodology in what we used is very troublesome,” said Rep. Mike Rogers, chairman of the U.S. House Intelligence Committee. “We have a changing footprint in Afghanistan, which would put our soldiers at risk for this notion that if I can get one, I can get five Taliban released.”
by Jaeyoon Cha
