Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl tells stories of escape attempts in third episode of ‘Serial’
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who left his army base in Afghanistan in 2009, explained how he attempted escape from his Taliban captors on the third episode of ‘Serial’s’ second season.
In the popular ‘This American Life’ spin-off podcast, he shares how he stored up various items while planning his escape for a year and then how he got by while on the run for about nine days.
When he was recaptured, he was told if he attempted to escape again the Taliban would kill him. He was a prisoner for about four more years.
“That escape was the last time I saw stars until the night Special Forces picked me up,” Bergdahl said in the podcast. “That was a long time.”
Bergdahl also explained how he attempted to communicate to Americans via the Taliban’s videos of him. He said he lied about how he was captured, to show Americans how false the videos were.
“That was one way, in the video, of basically telling people, ‘Hey, what I’m saying in this video is you know, a lie, it’s pre-staged. It’s pre-rehearsed. It has nothing to do with, you know, reality,’” he said in the podcast.
The fourth episode of Serial will air on Jan. 7.
Erin Fenner: 208-377-6207, @erinfenner
LISTEN WITH US
We’re following along with Season 2 of Serial as it revisits the case of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.
Each Wednesday, reporters with the Idaho Statesman and Boise State Public Radio will host a companion podcast, “Speaking of Serial,” discussing Bergdahl’s case, Serial’s reporting and what happens when an Idahoan becomes the center of international news.
This story was originally published December 24, 2015 at 9:06 AM with the headline "Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl tells stories of escape attempts in third episode of ‘Serial’."