Analysis, Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials On The Bergdahl - Taliban Prisoner Swap

I Was A Marine In Afghanistan: Bowe Bergdahl Haunted Us All -- Elliot Ackerman, New Republic

When I fought in Afghanistan there were many stories about how Bowe Bergdahl was captured. In one video released by the Taliban, Bergdahl said he had lagged behind on a patrol and been taken. For years, it stood as a kind of accusation against his comrades in Blackfoot Company: They had left him behind. But, on the day Bergdahl disappeared, June 30, 2009, there was in fact no patrol, according to other soldiers who were there. On that night, instead of patrolling, they slept in the earthen bunkers of OP Mest, an outpost scraped from a hillside in Afghanistan’s rugged and remote Paktika Province. Life at OP Mest had been miserable: weeklong rotations in the scorching heat, no showers, no food except for Meals Ready-To-Eat.

The next morning, Sergeant First Class Larry Hein took muster. Then the misery really began. Bergdahl was gone. At 9:00 a.m., Hein called over the radio to report a missing soldier. Bergdahl was then classified DUSTWUN—Duty Status: Whereabouts Unknown. A little before 5:00 p.m. that afternoon, the senior officer responsible for Paktika ordered that “all operations will cease until the missing soldier is found. All assets will be focused on the DUSTWUN situation and sustainment operations.” Drones and intelligence aircraft were diverted; recovering Bowe Bergdahl became Blackfoot Company’s central mission.

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Analysis, Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials On The Bergdahl - Taliban Prisoner Swap

Four Myths About the Bowe Bergdahl Swap That Must Be Destroyed -- John Knefel, Rolling Stone
News analysis: How the Bergdahl celebration became a mess -- Susan Page, USA Today
Why Team Obama Was Blindsided by the Bergdahl Backlash -- Ralph Peters, NRO
When the president goes rogue -- George Will, Boston Herald
Bergdahl's release: Motives, mistakes and excuses -- Gloria Borger, CNN Chief Political Analyst
Obama’s Dishonorable Deal -- Peter Wehner, Commentary
Celebrated at first, Bergdahl's release raises questions -- Michael Martinez, CNN
5 questions for the White House on Bowe Bergdahl -- Josh Gerstein and Carrie Budoff Brown, Politico
This Is Why the Taliban Are Saying Bergdahl Was Treated Well -- Francesca Trianni, Time
Don’t Desert Bergdahl -- William Saletan, Slate
Video of Bowe Bergdahl handover a media coup for the Taliban -- L.A. Times
Five tough ethics issues in Bergdahl swap -- Frida Ghitis, CNN
Bowe Bergdahl: hero or traitor? War doesn't allow an easy answer -- Suzanne Moore, The Guardian
The six soldiers at center of Bowe Bergdahl debate -- Michael Martinez, Michael Pearson and Dana Ford, CNN
The Bergdahl Story You Haven’t Heard -- Michelle Malkin, NRO
Outraged by Bergdahl case, fellow soldiers break secrecy pledge to tell story -- Byron York, Washington Examiner
The meaning of Bowe Bergdahl -- The Econommist
Somewhere in hell, bin Laden is smiling -- Pat Buchanan, WND
Bergdahl: Did he desert his troops? -- CNN
The timeline you need to understand the Bowe Bergdahl story -- Jaime Fuller, Washington Post