What's Behind Bowe Bergdahl's Return to Active Duty?
Fox's @JustinFishelFNC confirms – Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is expected to "return to life as a regular Army soldier" as early as today
— Shannon Bream (@ShannonBream) July 14, 2014
My initial reaction: So soon? The deal to secure Bergdahl’s release was executed in late May. Six weeks later, he’s ready to be re-integrated into an active duty context? The guy was held captive by the Taliban and Haqqanis for five years, and has returned home to a firestorm over compelling allegations of desertion, if not outright collaboration. The public didn’t support the Obama administration’s ‘one-apparent-deserter-for-five-hardened-jihadists’ swap, with veterans and military families overwhelmingly opposed to the deal. Current service members have made their views crystal clear, too. So how is this supposed to work, exactly? A distrusted (and no doubt traumatized) accused deserter is back on the job lickity-split despite (a) the military’s initial findings that he’d abandoned his post, (b) the fact that a follow-up investigation isn’t yet complete, and (c) recent reports of active duty soldiers receiving pink slips while deployed abroad? At first blush, it appeared as though the US Army had internalized Susan Rice’s “honor and distinction” idiocy, an indication that the White House’s “suck it up and salute” political brigade has won the day…
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