“I wanted to be a soldier, but I wanted to be a World War II soldier.”
“He served the United States with honor and distinction.”
“In the old days, deserters were shot, right?”
Alas, in this fascinating last episode of the investigative podcast Serial 2, Sarah Koenig and her team try to answer the big outstanding of the Bowe Bergdahl case: Did anybody die while looking for Bowe Bergdahl after he left the OP Mest? Looking back at my response to Episode 1: DUSTWUN, my opinion on Bergdahl has completely transformed since then. During the first couple episodes of Serial 2, I was confused about how I felt about this case. It seemed as there was not a clear, good reason for Bergdahl to do what he did, in my view, but I realize now that I was not considering all pieces to this puzzle. I was not considering the different views from those in the general public who know very little about military structure and life from those who actually served in the military.
I said in earlier posts that I wished to see more testimony from the soldiers that were in the same platoon as Bergdahl and this definitely helped shape my view on Bergdahl. As he was described as traitorous and not deserving of the title of an honorable soldier but other members of his platoon and other veterans, it definitely helped me see the way that others in his field would view him. As Koenig describes in the podcast, it seems as the military waived Bergdahl’s prior mental health concerns in the Coast Guard since they needed more bodies. Also, the underlying fact of the matter lies in the fact that young people are being sent into these wartimes and coming back with traumatic experiences that will stay with them for the rest of their lives and there seems to be no solace to this issue. I will reiterate this again that the Bergdahl case brings other important issues to the forefront, and I have definitely learned throughout the podcast that the way the U.S. handles issues such as prisoners of war, but it is particular in this case, since they are negotiating with a sub-national group as their adversary rather than a nation. The circumstances of Bowe’s trade deal were shocking to me. Yet, as Bergdahl was the first U.S. soldier to be captured in the War on Terror, it seems as if his retrieval had more stakes in it, especially with many factors, such as Bergdahl’s friends and family, petitioning the government to start making moves. I started to feels as if this case was too overly politicized for its own good but as it is a hallmark of this long-lasting war in Afghanistan, I could understand it to an extent, especially when trying to reconcile the different viewpoints between the different sides: the Taliban, the U.S. government, former soldiers in Bowe’s platoon, Bowe’s parents, and Bowe, himself. Then, I began to think that this was not entirely Bowe’s fault, and the aspect of a stressful time leading to rash decisions certainly rings true for times of war, and I honestly think that he made a mistake.
When I watched Bowe’s proof-of-life videos in the Listening Guide, it seemed incredibly depressing and non-genuine to me. I believe that the Taliban leaders made him do this and that he truly did this to stay alive. The fact that he was able to stay in the Taliban’s hold for 5 years, in extremely horrid conditions, and still have some hope that he will return home, amazes me in a way that makes me more sympathetic to his case then I was in the beginning of our podcast journey. However, I did find it notable that the podcast focused on the question of if soldiers died while looking for Bowe. It is a critical issue to investigate, especially when I heard the wife of Sgt. Mark Allen, who was shot while on duty, and while searching for Bergdahl. Indeed, there were stringent campaigns in the beginning when Bergdahl was found to be missing and a DUSTWUN was initiated, but afterwards, Bergdahl was more of “under the umbrella” in terms of, carrying out your duties like regular and also keep an eye out for the DUSTWUN. Although the court proceedings for Bowe were dominated with this investigation of the people who dies while looking for him, I still tend to not look at this as the main factor when regarding the Bergdahl case.
After listening to this episode, I could no longer hold in my curiosity and looked at the aftermath of Bowe Bergdahl’s military proceedings. He received an honorable discharge from the military and avoided receiving any prison time.
“I was trying to do something good and it turned bad,” Bergdahl said, reading from a statement at the beginning of his testimony. “My words alone can’t relieve the pain. … I think about what I did every day for the last eight years” (Chuck and Williams).
Works Cited
Chuck, Elizabeth, and Shauna Williams. Bowe Bergdahl Cries and Apologizes While Taking Stand in Sentencing Hearing. https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/bowe-bergdahl-released/bowe-bergdahl-judge-refuses-toss-case-over-trump-s-comments-n815601. Accessed 28 Nov. 2018.
