Nations letter: Bergdahl

This letter is in support of Lt. Col. Woodall’s letter of Dec. 3 titled “Liberal writers.” As is the norm for a certain portion of readership, the colonel was summarily vilified in the comments section. His words about the nationally shameful Bowe Bergdahl were exactly right, however. He defined Bergdahl’s situation as “plain and simple” desertion. At least it was until our commander-in-chief egregiously interfered with the military’s right to adjudicate its own. It started with the “show” in the Rose Garden to the appointment of a two-star general by Obama to head the investigation. Then came a high-priced Yale lawyer to serve in his defense, not your typical legal support for a typical enlisted soldier. Still, the case has seemingly stalled with few facts emerging. The effort then pursued a lower-level charge equating to a “misdemeanor” in civilian terms; Bergdahl’s team wants “nonjudicial” punishment under Article 15 UCMJ. As if walking away from and abandoning his post in a war zone, and endangering his fellow soldiers, equates to a mere traffic ticket.

This story was originally published December 30, 2015 at 5:13 PM with the headline "Nations letter: Bergdahl."