Finally! Official: US military to charge Bergdahl with desertion

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p_rehbein

Senior Member
Sep 4, 2013
30,095
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#2
Don't be surprised when it ends up as:


Dishonorable Discharge, and Time Served......both here in the US, and........over there........(given the 5 years he was supposedly in captivity)
 
V

Viligant_Warrior

Guest
#3
Desertion is a capitol offense. However, death, even in the military detention barracks at Ft. Leavenworth, is by lethal injection.

I find this particularly interesting:

Bergdahl to be charged with desertion, officials say

Fox News has learned he will be specifically charged with desertion and misbehavior toward the enemy. A senior U.S. official said he will face a court martial and likely trial.

Bergdahl 28, walked away from his post in Afghanistan and was captured, then released years later by the Taliban in the controversial prisoner exchange.

Gen. Mark Milley, head of U.S. Army Forces Command at Fort Bragg, has been reviewing the massive case files and had a broad range of legal options, including various degrees of desertion charges.

A major consideration was whether military officials would be able to prove that Bergdahl had no intention of returning to his unit -- a key element in the more serious desertion charges.
Under the UCMJ, "misbehavior toward the enemy" is in the same neighborhood of the code book as treason. It's in the same section of the UCMJ as mutiny or sedition, abandoning a guard post, being a subordinate who compels a surrender, aiding the enemy, and misconduct as a prisoner. That charge is more serious than the desertion charge.
 

AngelFrog

Senior Member
Feb 16, 2015
648
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#4
Don't be surprised when it ends up as:


Dishonorable Discharge, and Time Served......both here in the US, and........over there........(given the 5 years he was supposedly in captivity)
That would be disappointing. Considering the video of the exchange didn't look like he was much hated by his captors.

Didn't one of his former comrades say that after Bergdahl went missing that it seemed like the enemy was ahead of them when they were on patrols, etc.. ? As if someone in the know was helping them strategize evasive maneuvers?

Desertion is a capitol offense. However, death, even in the military detention barracks at Ft. Leavenworth, is by lethal injection.

I find this particularly interesting:

Under the UCMJ, "misbehavior toward the enemy" is in the same neighborhood of the code book as treason. It's in the same section of the UCMJ as mutiny or sedition, abandoning a guard post, being a subordinate who compels a surrender, aiding the enemy, and misconduct as a prisoner. That charge is more serious than the desertion charge.
Why wouldn't they then charge him with the most severe? He did abandon his guard post. Folded his uniform neatly after removing it, and left his rifle behind too.
His desertion of his post, the second time he tried this, cost good honorable brave soldiers their lives when they were sent to find him.

Lethal injection would be acceptable too, should he get the DP. It should be televised on al jazeera so that his captors can see it.
 

Nautilus

Senior Member
Jun 29, 2012
6,488
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#5
Well you're a bit of an extremist with your hoping a man gets killed on public tv. Nice christian attitude you got there. What's next? Stoning the next celebrity who cheats? Have people pay money to be able to throw a rock?
 
S

Sirk

Guest
#6
Well you're a bit of an extremist with your hoping a man gets killed on public tv. Nice christian attitude you got there. What's next? Stoning the next celebrity who cheats? Have people pay money to be able to throw a rock?
if he endangered the lives of those he swore an oath to protect it is within the law for him to pay the ultimate penalty.
 
V

Viligant_Warrior

Guest
#7
TWhy wouldn't they then charge him with the most severe? He did abandon his guard post.
Actually, he neatly avoided that charge by finishing his guard duty assignment, returning to barracks where he had already packed his clothes to be sent home, and filled a canteen before walking out the front gate. Blatant, but not abandoning a guard post. Just desertion. The "misbehavior" charge is equivalent to cooperating with the enemy. Not quite "aid and comfort," but similar in nature.
 

Oncefallen

Idiot in Chief
Staff member
Jan 15, 2011
6,029
3,238
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#8
Well you're a bit of an extremist with your hoping a man gets killed on public tv. Nice christian attitude you got there. What's next? Stoning the next celebrity who cheats? Have people pay money to be able to throw a rock?
Charging to participate in a public execution would be a good way to raise public revenue. :p
 

AngelFrog

Senior Member
Feb 16, 2015
648
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#9
Actually, he neatly avoided that charge by finishing his guard duty assignment, returning to barracks where he had already packed his clothes to be sent home, and filled a canteen before walking out the front gate. Blatant, but not abandoning a guard post. Just desertion. The "misbehavior" charge is equivalent to cooperating with the enemy. Not quite "aid and comfort," but similar in nature.
North New Jersey.Com Article
That isn't what was first reported. Nor was it what his comrades said when they were talking about his abandoning his post in the middle of the night.

It wasn't treason that I was saying was a worthy charge against Bergdahl. It was Obama for whom the treason charges should be filed.
 

p_rehbein

Senior Member
Sep 4, 2013
30,095
6,479
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#10
Charging to participate in a public execution would be a good way to raise public revenue. :p
Executions are already public............but usually limited to certain people. Family of the Guilty party, Family of the Victim(s), media representatives, and various Government officials...........

Many moons ago, they were hung in the Town Square............or, the nearest Oak tree..........and often left hanging until dusk. It really isn't unusual Historically, but I don't relish the idea of revisiting that time in our History.

However, as the Death Penalty does not seem to serve as the "deterrent" to crime it was intended to be, MAYBE returning to Public Executions would work? I dunno........
 

AngelFrog

Senior Member
Feb 16, 2015
648
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#11
Charging to participate in a public execution would be a good way to raise public revenue. :p
Pay-per-view.$99.99.
Terrorist Muslims have no problem videotaping their beheading of Christians and others and the networks have no problem showing the stills they're allowed to.

Broadcast the first execution of an American deserter and send a message through the ranks and to the terrorists themselves.
Then start going hard against the terrorist Muslim enemy by using their superstitions against them. Islam has always sought to rule the world. The only reason they didn't succeed in the early days of the cult was they didn't have the armament they have today. Now they do.
Kalashnikov's go a long way to embolden a terrorist army. We have American's who are leaving the U.S. and going to fight with ISIS. And a loophole in the law allows those traitors to return to America if they live through the fight overseas.
There are even twisted females going over so as to be ISIS brides! Oh, there's a thought. Sharia law after the, "I do" , want to be a second class citizen who can be killed by my husband if he feels like it.

This is a holy war we're fighting. If we go soft we go down. Simple as that.
 

AngelFrog

Senior Member
Feb 16, 2015
648
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#12
Well, it certainly is a deterrent for the dead guilty party who's executed.

And in this age where kids and adults willingly surrender their privacy by going on social media, making YouTube videos exposing their most intimate lives, it could work to be a deterrent if executions were made public.
Which they are not now. They are held in private in a chamber in the prison where only invited witnesses are permitted entry. That's not truly public. It is private. Only certain people related to the victim and the condemned are allowed to witness the execution.

Executions are already public............but usually limited to certain people. Family of the Guilty party, Family of the Victim(s), media representatives, and various Government officials...........

Many moons ago, they were hung in the Town Square............or, the nearest Oak tree..........and often left hanging until dusk. It really isn't unusual Historically, but I don't relish the idea of revisiting that time in our History.

However, as the Death Penalty does not seem to serve as the "deterrent" to crime it was intended to be, MAYBE returning to Public Executions would work? I dunno........
 
Jan 19, 2013
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#14
North New Jersey.Com Article
That isn't what was first reported. Nor was it what his comrades said when they were talking about his abandoning his post in the middle of the night.

It wasn't treason that I was saying was a worthy charge against Bergdahl. It was Obama for whom the treason charges should be filed.
And we released five terrorist leaders for a deserter.
 
Dec 12, 2013
46,515
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#15
Desertion is a capitol offense. However, death, even in the military detention barracks at Ft. Leavenworth, is by lethal injection.

I find this particularly interesting:

Under the UCMJ, "misbehavior toward the enemy" is in the same neighborhood of the code book as treason. It's in the same section of the UCMJ as mutiny or sedition, abandoning a guard post, being a subordinate who compels a surrender, aiding the enemy, and misconduct as a prisoner. That charge is more serious than the desertion charge.
They are also saying that since we were not technically at war they cannot execute him.......
 
S

ServantStrike

Guest
#16
Desertion is a capitol offense. However, death, even in the military detention barracks at Ft. Leavenworth, is by lethal injection.

I find this particularly interesting:

Under the UCMJ, "misbehavior toward the enemy" is in the same neighborhood of the code book as treason. It's in the same section of the UCMJ as mutiny or sedition, abandoning a guard post, being a subordinate who compels a surrender, aiding the enemy, and misconduct as a prisoner. That charge is more serious than the desertion charge.

I'm under the impression they cant go for a death sentence for the desertion since the Afghan conflict wasn't a declared war.

Misbehavior towards the enemy is the only one that can yield a death sentence here - desertion is just life in prison.
 

p_rehbein

Senior Member
Sep 4, 2013
30,095
6,479
113
#17
I'm under the impression they cant go for a death sentence for the desertion since the Afghan conflict wasn't a declared war.

Misbehavior towards the enemy is the only one that can yield a death sentence here - desertion is just life in prison.
Desertion on the field of battle also carries the death penalty.........may or may not apply here.........dunno

In my time...........if someone went AWOL......after so many days their status was changed to Desertion........but if in peace time, it usually meant a Bad Conduct Discharge, loss of Rank and Pay, and possible prison time in Leavenworth.
 

AngelFrog

Senior Member
Feb 16, 2015
648
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#18
And we released five terrorist leaders for a deserter.
Brilliant, huh? I say we should have left him in their custody. Fair punishment for what he caused in loss of life of good honorable soldiers who were sent to look for him.
Meanwhile, 5 Taliban terrorist leaders, who Rumsfeld said after they were captured, were the most highly trained dangerous terrorists on earth and they hated America, surely love us like kindred now after all those years in custody in Cuba.

But it would be racist of us to charge our traitor in chief with treason.
We're so race-phobic that I'm waiting for someone to demand the red in our flag be changed so as not to insult gingers! (You know, gingers? So named because 'red head' is sooo yesterday.)
 
S

Sirk

Guest
#19
Maybe Obama should just pardon him and appoint him to the Homeland Security "Czar".
 

AngelFrog

Senior Member
Feb 16, 2015
648
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#20
Maybe Obama should just pardon him and appoint him to the Homeland Security "Czar".
Don't give him any ideas.
Isn't that something? leave it to us and the UK to adopt a term like that for high level officials.

I wouldn't doubt Obama will pardon Bergdahl . When he leaves office in less than 20 months he can pardon anyone he wants before then. I don't doubt that's exactly what he'll do.
Followed by closing Gitmo after he pardons all prisoners there and then as a final screw you message to the U.S. , gives that property back to Cuba.