Bowe Bergdahl Pleads Guilty to “Desertion and Misbehavior Before the Enemy”

Disgraced Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl pleaded guilty to desertion and misbehavior before the enemy on Monday, charges that carry life in prison. As People’s Pundit Daily (PPD) reported last week, Bergdahl decided to plea rather than stand trial for deserting his post while serving in Afghanistan.

“I left my observation post on my own,” Bergdahl told a judge. “I understand leaving was against the law.”

Bergdahl, 31, who was serving with an Alaska-based infantry regiment, deserted his post in Afghanistan back in 2009. At the time, he was 23 years-old and was held captive by the Taliban for roughly 5 years. Bergdahl said he had been caged in the darkness, beaten and chained to a bed.

However, in December 2009, the Taliban released a second video showing him in good health as he delivered a lengthy statement criticizing the U.S. military. Eventually, the Obama Administration agreed to a controversial trade in exchange for 5 highly-dangerous Guantanamo detainees dubbed the “Taliban Five.”

The disgraced solider initially claimed he was lagging behind a patrol when he was captured. He also said he left his post to alert people about problems he perceived within his unit. Investigators said Mr. Bergdahl suffered from schizotypal personality disorder at the time he left his post, and had become deeply anti-American.

In December, he requested a pardon from then-President Barack Obama before he left office, though it was denied. Mr. Obama attempted to use a photo-op with his father and mother in the Rose Garden to arrest sinking approval ratings. The public quickly turned against the exchange when more details began to emerge.

Then-Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump said Mr. Bergdahl was a “no-good traitor” who should be executed for his crimes and the tragic result of those crimes. His fellow soldiers also wanted him held responsible for casualties incurred as a result of those who went searching for him.

That will factor into the sentencing that begins October 23, as will his own self-reported mental injuries. However, because the offense was committed during a time of war, the penalties are typically more severe.

According to the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ)–specifically, 899. Article 99. Misbehavior Before the Enemy–those found guilty “shall be punished by death or such punishment as a court- martial may direct.”

Under 885. Article 85. Desertion (c),

Any person found guilty of desertion or attempt to desert shall be punished, if the offense is committed in time of war, by death or such other punishment as a court-martial may direct, but if the desertion or attempt to desert occurs at any other time, by such punishment, other than death, as a court-martial may direct.

Meanwhile, of the “Taliban Five” — Mohammad Fazl, the former Taliban army chief of staff; Khairullah Khairkhwa, a Taliban intelligence official; Abdul Haq Wasiq, a former Taliban government official; and Norullah Noori and Mohammad Nabi Omari — at least three have attempted to reconnect with their old Islamic terrorist brothers.

The nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GA) said in August 2014 that the Obama Administration failed to notify the relevant congressional committees at least 30 days in advance of the exchange, which was a clear violation of the law. The executive branch is prohibited under law from releasing Guantanamo Bay detainees without first giving the aforementioned notice and receiving congressional approval.