7 POWs And Their Incredible Stories

American prisoners captured in Ardennes in December 1944. Wikipedia

David Nye, Real Clear Defense/We Are The Mighty: 7 POWs Who Were Total Badasses after Being Taken Captive

War prisoners are expected to just survive day-to-day. But some prisoners say screw that and find ways to make the prison easier for their peers and more frustrating for their enemies.

1. A Navy officer saves his camp from both Japanese and U.S. attacks.

Japanese in World War II considered surrender dishonorable and expected Americans to fight to the death. So, when they started taking American prisoners, they were exceptionally cruel. Cmdr. Richard Antrim was in a prison camp when a guard began savagely beating a prisoner. Antrim tried to convince the guards to discuss the man’s case, but they couldn’t understand one another.

The camp commander ordered 50 lashes for the offending prisoner. When the prisoner collapsed only partway into the lashing, Antrim asked that he be allowed to take the rest of the punishment. The camp commander ceased the punishment instead and gained respect for the naval officer.

WNU Editor: Reading these stories .... I am always humbled.

The Best Possible Response To Critics Of The Bowe Bergdahl - Taliban Swap

America's Top Military Official Gave The Best Possible Response To Critics Of The Bowe Bergdahl Swap -- Business Insider

The U.S.' top military official on Tuesday defended the controversial prisoner swap that freed Army sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, even as he said the military would look into the circumstances surrounding Bergdahl's capture.

"Like any American, he is innocent until proven guilty," Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey said in a statement Tuesday morning.

"Our Army’s leaders will not look away from misconduct if it occurred," the statement continued. But Dempsey defended the Obama administration's decision amid a burgeoning controversy over its decision to free five prisoners held in Guantanamo Bay in exchange for Bergdahl's release.

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My Comment: This response from Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey is far better than the response that has come from US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel .... Hagel says rush to judgment on Bergdahl 'unfair' -- AP

Unfortunately .... there is a part of me that is skeptical that the Pentagon will do the proper investigation and if need be .... lay charges against Bowe Bergdahl for desertion (or worse). The Pentagon, the White House, Democrats in Congress .... they now all want this mess to just disappear.

Afghan Villagers Who Spotted Bergdahl Say He Was Deliberately Heading For Taliban Strongholds

Exclusive: Afghan Villagers Recall When Bergdahl Stumbled Into Their Midst -- Washington Post

Among the most tantalizing mysteries surrounding Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl’s departure from his U.S. military base in 2009 is this: Was he trying to find the Taliban? Or did he simply wander away and get captured? Politicians and members of the military have criticized the Obama administration’s decision to swap five jailed Taliban leaders for Bergdahl, saying the soldier may have deserted.

Until now, few details have emerged about the circumstances of Bergdahl’s disappearance from his base. But The Washington Post has reached Afghan villagers who spotted Bergdahl shortly after he slipped away from his base. To them, it’s clear something was wrong with the American. And he seemed to be deliberately heading for Taliban strongholds, they say.

“It was very confusing to us. Why would he leave the base?” said Jamal, an elder in the village of Yusef Khel, about a half-mile from the American military installation. (Like many Afghans, he goes by only one name). “The people thought it was a covert agenda – maybe he was sent to the village by the U.S.”

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My Comment: The above CNN video is disturbing .... it makes you wonder if he collaborated with the enemy .... but I suspect that we will never know the answer to that question.

Deal To Swap Bowe Bergdahl For Five Taliban Leaders Have Put President Obama On The Defensive

Deal To Free Bowe Bergdahl Puts Obama On Defensive -- New York Times

WASHINGTON — The White House argued on Tuesday that the “unique circumstances” presented by the opportunity to return Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl gave President Obama the authority to lawfully bypass a federal statute requiring the Pentagon to notify Congress a month before he transferred the five Taliban detainees necessary to complete the deal.

But the White House was forced by turns to defend its decision not to notify Congress and to send important aides to apologize to angry lawmakers who said they were left out of the decision.

A timeline of the negotiations with the Taliban, provided by the White House, made clear that it knew an imminent transfer was possible by mid-May, roughly two weeks before it took place. And officials familiar with the sequence of events said it was a desire to keep the talks secret for fear that any disclosure would scuttle the negotiations — and perhaps a reluctance to re-engage with Democratic and Republican members of Congress who were critical of the proposed swap in 2011 and early 2012 — that motivated the White House decision.

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My Comment: This CBS/AP analysis on the White House miscalculating the backlash over the Bergdahl deal is spot on .... the White House expected praise and support from everyone (especially from the media) ... and what they got instead was the exact opposite. What made the situation worse was having National Security Adviser Susan Rice going on ABC News Sunday and stating that Bergdahl served with “honor and distinction” and that he was a prisoner of war .... when many are saying that he is not. Not surprising .... Democrat Senators have become eerily quiet on the entire affair .... and the Pentagon brass are trying their best to clamp down on dissension.

In the end .... I expect the uproar over this prisoner swap to die down .... and if the five Taliban leaders who were released in this swap are back on the battlefield directing Taliban soldiers to kill Americans .... I expect the media to sweep that under the carpet also.

Taliban Releases Video Showing Bowe Bergdahl Handover To U.S. Special Forces

Dramatic Taliban Video Shows Dazed Bergdahl In Handover -- Reuters

(Reuters) - A dazed Bowe Bergdahl is led by two militants, one carrying a makeshift white flag on a stick, to a Blackhawk helicopter in eastern Afghanistan ending his five years' in captivity, a video released by the Taliban showed on Wednesday.

In the first publicly aired footage of Bergdahl's dramatic handover to the U.S. military at the weekend, the clip shows Taliban cadres dotted on nearby hills armed with rocket launchers watching the transfer.

The operation, from the moment the helicopter touched the ground amid a cloud of dust to take-off, was all over in a minute.

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More News On The Taliban Releasing A Video Showing Bowe Bergdahl's Handover To U.S. Special Forces

Taliban releases video showing Bowe Bergdahl handover to U.S. forces -- CBS/AP
Taliban video shows Bowe Bergdahl's release in Afghanistan -- CNN
Taliban Video Shows Handover of U.S. Soldier -- New York Times
Bowe Bergdahl: Taliban release dramatic video of handover to US -- The Guardian
Freedom: Watch the Dramatic Moment Taliban Released Bowe Bergdahl -- NBC
Taliban video shows Bergdahl release -- USA Today
Taliban Video Shows the Moment Bowe Bergdahl Was Released -- ABC News
Taliban release video showing handover of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl -- FOX News

My Comment: The Taliban are going to "milk" this swap for all that it is worth. Expect more videos to be released in the days to come.

U.S. Army: Bowe Bergdahl To Face Desertion Charges

Provisions: Bergdahl walked off without his gun, but with water, a compass and two days of rations

Revealed: Bowe Bergdahl Left Letter Telling Comrades At Afghan Base He Was 'Leaving To Start New Life And Didn't Want To Fight For America' As Army Announces He DOES Face Desertion Charges -- Daily Mail

* Sgt Bowe Bergdahl left a note for his comrades in which he said he did not want to fight for America any more and was leaving to start a new life
* Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff today said 'it's premature' to think there will be no charges against Bergdahl
* Army Secretary confirms that there will be a full government investigation into the circumstances surrounding his 2009 disappearance
* Will put Obama under more pressure after Susan Rice said he served with 'honor and distinction' and freed five Taliban commanders
* Former comrade who was there when Bergdahl disappeared five years ago broke a military gagging order to speak to MailOnline
* He said: 'As far as I’m concerned Bergdahl deserted his men and should face a court martial'
* ‘Everyone looked at me like I was crazy but I was right, he had walked off’

Bowe Bergdahl left a note saying he had gone to start a 'new life' and a former comrade broke his military gagging order today to tell MailOnline of the jaw-dropping moment he discovered the Taliban POW had walked off from their Afghanistan base.

That revelation came just hours before two top government officials confirmed that there will be a new, full investigation into Bergdahl's disappearance.

The soldier, who requested anonymity as he is still in the military, said: ‘Everyone looked at me like I was crazy but I was right, he had walked off.’

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More News On Reports That Bowe Bergdahl Will Be Facing Desertion Charges

Bowe Bergdahl’s Vanishing Before Capture Angered His Unit -- New York Times
Top Military Officer: Bergdahl Case Not Closed -- AP
Army says it will launch new review of Bergdahl capture -- USA Today
Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl may face investigation: US army chief Martin Dempsey -- Times of India/AFP
Official: Army will review freed soldier Bergdahl's case -- but it's not first priority -- CNN
Bowe Bergdahl Could Get Five Years for Deserting, Expert Says -- NBC

Update: I had to shake my head on this one .... Pentagon: ‘Too Soon’ To Say if Bowe Bergdahl Will Return to Army Unit -- National Review

White House Overrode Pentagon And The Intelligence Community's Objections To Release The Taliban Five

President Barack Obama meets with Senior Advisors in the Oval Office, May 27, 2014. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

White House Overrode Internal Objections To Taliban Prisoner Release -- Time

Pentagon, Intelligence officials used Top Secret intelligence to prevent previous release of Taliban Five, officials tell TIME.

To pull off the prisoner swap of five Taliban leaders for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the White House overrode an existing interagency process charged with debating the transfer of Guantanamo Bay prisoners and dismissed long-standing Pentagon and intelligence community concerns based on Top Secret intelligence about the dangers of releasing the five men, sources familiar with the debate tell TIME.
More

National Security Council officials at the White House decline to describe the work of the ad hoc process they established to trade the prisoners, or to detail the measures they have taken to limit the threat the Taliban officials may pose. They say consensus on the plan was reached by the top officials of Obama’s national security team, including representatives from the Pentagon, State Department, intelligence community and Joint Chiefs of Staff. “These releases were worked extensively through deputies and principals,” says National Security Counsel Deputy for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes. “There was not a dissent on moving forward with this plan.”

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My Comment: The decision to release these Taliban prisoners .... some of them wanted for war crimes .... was clearly a political decision and not a military-intelligence one. On a side note .... I must confess that the more that I am learning about this case .... I am becoming more disgusted on how this entire process played out. Not surprising .... most of the Democrats in the US Congress and the US Senate (who have access to information far more detailed than what I can get my hands on) have been eerily quiet on this issue. I guess their political instincts are coming into play, and they know that this prisoner swap story is becoming politically poisonous.

Who Is Bowe Bergdahl?

13 Things You Need to Know About Bowe Bergdahl -- Tim Dickinson, Rolling Stone

Key facts from the late Michael Hastings' profile of the freed Taliban POW

The late Michael Hastings wrote the definitive magazine profile of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl for Rolling Stone in June 2012. Now that America's Last Prisoner of War has been released, in a prisoner exchange for five high-ranking Taliban officials, Hastings' piece continues to offer crucial context – about why Bergdahl volunteered for service in the first place, about how this intense, moral young man became so horrified by America's "good war" that he walked away from his unit's remote outpost in eastern Afghanistan in 2009, and about the abortive negotiations that could have secured Bergdahls release years ago.

Here 13 things you need to know about the American POW who is coming finally home, in the words of Hastings' 2012 feature.

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WNU Editor: NBC has more on Bowe Bergdahl .... Bowe Bergdahl: What We Know About Soldier Captured by Taliban -- NBC

Anger Explodes Over Treatment Of Bergdahl’s Release

Cody Full (L) and Gerald Sutton (R) spent Monday on a whirlwind media tour pressing journalists to think twice before they hail Bowe Bergdahl as a hero

Anger Explodes Over Treatment Of Bergdahl’s Release As Veterans, Troops Call Him A Deserter -- McClatchy News

WASHINGTON — For all the yellow ribbons strewn across his hometown in Idaho and the gratitude expressed by his parents in an emotional visit to the White House on Saturday, it’s looking increasingly unlikely that Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl will receive a hero’s welcome when he returns to the United States after nearly five years in Taliban captivity.

From military forums across the country, a groundswell of anger is rising over the Obama administration’s silence on perhaps the most controversial question surrounding the deal that freed Bergdahl in exchange for five senior Taliban members: Was he a deserter?

So far, the U.S. government has shied away from the long-nagging question, which raged anew Monday with growing clamor on the Internet about the circumstances of Bergdahl’s disappearance from his unit’s small forward position in Afghanistan on June 30, 2009.

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My Comment: So much for Pentagon gag orders .... Bergdahl’s former colleagues in his platoon are clearly not happy with him. I expect more details to come out in the next day or two .... and I also expect to see the White House rush to put a clamp on it. But the damage has already been done.

Pentagon Was Aware Of Bergdahl’s Whereabouts But Did Not Want To Risk Soldiers To Rescue A ‘Deserter’

EXCLUSIVE: Pentagon Knew Bergdahl’s Whereabouts But Didn’t Risk Rescue For ‘Deserter’ -- Washington Times

Special operations troops deemed too valuable to lose.

The Pentagon on several occasions had ground-level intelligence on where ArmySgt. Bowe Bergdahl was being held captive at various times — down to how many gunmen were guarding him — but special operations commanders repeatedly shelved rescue missions because they didn’t want to risk casualties for a man they believed to be a “deserter,” sources familiar with the mission plans said.

Commanders on the ground debated whether to pull the trigger on a rescue several times in recent years, according to one of the sources, a former high-level intelligence official in Afghanistan, who said the conclusion each time was that the prospect of losing highly trained troops was too high a price to pay for rescuing a soldier who walked away from his unit before being captured by the enemy.

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My Comment: This story is getting better with each passing day.

The Backlash On The Prisoner Exchange Of POW Bergdahl And Five Taliban Military Leaders Grows

EXCLUSIVE - 'A Cover Up Just Like Benghazi': Outraged Parents Of Officer Who Died Hunting For 'Deserter' POW Bergdahl Lash Out At Obama Over 'LIES' They Were Told About How Their Hero Son Died -- Daily Mail

* Lt Darryn Andrews, from Dallas, Texas, died at the age of 34 on Sept 4, 2009 during his second tour of Afghanistan
* Top brass told his parents, Sondra and Andy, that he had been looking for a top Taliban commander
* But former comrades have now claimed the truth is that he was looking for Bowe Bergdahl
* Said to be one of six soldiers who died looking for the POW
* Father said: 'For his family it’s good to get him back but we will never be able to get our son back because of the actions of this guy'
* Lt Andrews' parents revealed their son thought Bergdahl was a 'deserter'
* Lt Andrews was posthumously given a silver star for his bravery
* At time of his death his wife Julie, 30, had already given birth to their son, six. Their daughter was born three-and-a-half months after he died
* Father Andy against trade with terrorists
* The Facebook group 'Bowe Bergdahl is NOT hero!' has 5,400 members
* Bergdahl e-mailed his parents saying he 'was ashamed to be an American'

The furious parents of an officer who they claim was killed while searching for freed Taliban prisoner Bowe Bergdahl today said that they have been lied to as part of a ‘cover up just like Benghazi’.

The mother and father of Second Lieutenant Darryn Andrews are angry that they have been told different stories about how their son died.

First his commanders said that their son was blown up while hunting a Taliban commander - but only now that Bergdahl has been freed after five years in captivity are they learning the truth.

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My Comment: The families need to know the truth from their government .... and not reading about it from foreign publications like the Daily Mail or The Telegraph.

Taliban Suspends Talks To Swap Captured U.S. Soldier For Five Guantanamo Bay Detainees

Taliban Suspends Talks To Swap Captured Soldier For Five Senior Prisoners Held In Guantanamo Bay -- Daily Mail/AP

* Sgt Bowe Bergdhal is America's only prisoner of war in Afghanistan
* 27-year-old, of Wood Valley, Idaho, was captured by the Taliban in 2009
* Taliban want to exchange Sgt Bergdahl for five Guantanamo Bay detainees
* Bergdahl is being held between Afghanistan and Pakistan, it is thought
* Video of the POW was released in December 'to prove he is still alive'
* The U.S. State Department has refused to acknowledge the negotiations

A deal to release America's only prisoner of war in Afghanistan in exchange for five senior Taliban commanders appears to have broken down at the 11th hour.

The Taliban says it has suspended 'mediation' with the United States to swap U.S. soldier Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl for suspected terrorists held in U.S. custody in Guantanamo Bay.

It is the latest blow to what was considered the best chance yet of securing the 27-year-old's freedom since his capture on June 30, 2009.

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More News On The Taliban Suspending Talks To Swap A Captured U.S. Soldier For Five Guantanamo Bay Detainees

Taliban says it suspends talks on captive U.S. soldier -- USA Today/AP
Taliban say they're suspending talks on captive U.S. soldier Bowe Bergdahl -- CNN
Afghan Taliban: Suspending Talks With US on Prisoner Exchange -- Voice of America
Taliban Halts Talks Over Prisoner of War Bowe Bergdahl -- NBC
Afghan Taliban Cancels Talks With US To Release American Soldier Bowe Bergdahl In Exchange For 5 Taliban Prisoners; Kills 21 In New Attack Near Pakistan Border -- IBTimes

Afghan Taliban Admits Holding Indirect Talks With The US On The Release Of POW Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl

Afghan Taliban Admits Holding Indirect Talks With US Over Prisoners Swap -- Business Standard

The United States held indirect talks with the Taliban over the possible transfer of prisoners.

The U.S. is seeking to release five senior Taliban prisoners from Guantanamo Bay in exchange for a U.S. soldier captured nearly five years ago.

Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, 27, was last seen in a video footage in December, seen as a 'proof of life' demanded by the United States.

Bergdahl is believed to be held in the border regions between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

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Update: Taliban say they discussed prison swap with US -- AP

My Comment: I guess this answers the question .... will the U.S. negotiate with terrorists?

U.S. Trying To Arrange A Prisoner Swap With The Taliban

U.S. Seeks Prisoner Swap With Taliban To Free Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl -- Washington Post

In an effort to free American captive Bowe Bergdahl before the bulk of U.S. forces leave Afghanistan this year, the Obama administration has decided to try to resume talks with the Taliban and sweeten an offer to trade Taliban prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for the Army sergeant, current and former officials said.

Five members of the Afghan Taliban who have been held at Guantanamo for years would be released to protective custody in Qatar in exchange for the release of Bergdahl, who was captured in Afghanistan in 2009 and is thought to be held in Pakistan by the Haqqani network, an allied insurgent group.

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More News On Reports That The U.S. Is Trying To Arrange A Prisoner Swap With The Taliban

U.S. Open to Talking to Taliban About Captive -- Wall Street Journal
U.S. May Swap Prisoners to Gain Captive Soldier’s Release -- ABC News
US to seek soldier's freedom via Taliban prisoner swap -- Global Post/AFP
Administration reportedly seeks prisoner swap with Taliban to free American POW -- FOX News
US wants to swap prisoners with Taliban before Afghan exit -- RT
Captured US soldier’s family cautiously optimistic -- Washington Post/AP
Principles collide in captive soldier's case -- Matt Smith and Barbara Starr, CNN

Update: No 'active negotiations' with Taliban -- The Hill

New Video Of POW Bowe Bergdahl Held By the Taliban For Five Years Surfaces

American's Only Prisoner In Afghanistan Is Alive But 'In Diminished Health' After FIVE YEARS In Captivity According To Military Officials Who've Seen Newly Released Video -- Daily Mail

* U.S. military announced on Wednesday that they have received a video featuring Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl
* He is America's only known prisoner of war in Afghanistan and has been held captive since his capture in 2009
* His family have released a statement asking for his release and urging him directly to remain 'strong through patience'
* In the past, the Taliban has said they would free him in exchange for several senior operatives detained at Guantanamo Bay

The U.S. military has obtained a new video of captured Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the only known American prisoner of war in Afghanistan.

The so-called proof-of-life video is the first footage of the Wood Valley, Idaho, native in almost three years.

The video hasn’t been released to the media, but Bergdahl was described by one senior defense official as looking in diminished health from the effects of close to five years in captivity.

The video came to light several days ago and is believed to be relatively recent as it includes a reference to December 14, 2013.

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More News On POW Bowe Bergdahl

Missing U.S Soldier Bowe Bergdahl Seen Alive in New Video -- Time
GI Long Held by Afghan Militants Is Shown Alive in Video -- New York Times
U.S. has recent 'proof of life' video of POW Bowe Bergdahl -- NBC
America's only prisoner of war is alive after four years with the Taliban -- The Telegraph
Source: Missing U.S. soldier Bowe Bergdahl seen in video -- CNN
'Proof of life' video of captured soldier surfaces -- USA Today
US military obtains new video of American soldier held in captivity, official says -- FOX News
New Video of POW Bowe Bergdahl Surfaces -- ABC News
Taliban talks offer hope for family of only American POW in Afghanistan -- Eliott C. McLaughlin, CNN

North Korea Is Still Holding South Korea Soldiers As POWs For Almost 60 Years

Han Byung-soo, 82, watches news on TV at a care house on July 10, 2013 in Seoul, South Korea. Han escaped from a coal mine in North Korea in 2004. (Shin Woong-jae/ For The Washington Post )

Some South Korean POWs Still Trapped In The North, 60 Years After Armistice -- Washington Post

“Time is chasing us,” said Lee Sang-chul, a one-star general at the South Korean Ministry of National Defense who is in charge of the POW issue.

But without North Korea’s cooperation, Lee said, the South has little recourse to retrieve its soldiers. Lee said that, realistically, the POWs have only one way to return home: They have to escape.

Hopes that withered

So far, about 80 have.

They gather for annual dinners in the South, and some meet for regular card games. They’ve been given overdue medals and overdue apologies. They’ve testified about the POWs they know who are still in the North. They’ve shaken hands with the president. They’ve received major compensation payments — about $10,000 per month, over five years.

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My Comment: One has to wonder what other secrets does North Korea hold.

American POWs In Europe During The Second World War

(Gallery by Brett Duke, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune)

Museum Exhibit Shows How World War II POWs Relied On Creativity In Captivity -- NOLA

When Allied soldiers and airmen were thrown into German prison camps during World War II, they entered a grim world. Armed guards in towers kept watch over the camps, which were encircled by electrified barbed-wire fences. The captives slept on hard, wooden bunks in drafty barracks, and often dropped substantial amounts of weight – some to the point of emaciation – because of the meager and unpalatable food options. About 1,120 soldiers died.

Life there was tough, as “Guests of the Third Reich,” the current exhibit at the National World War II Museum, shows. But the desperate conditions forced the inmates to improvise to make life bearable and to ward off a form of claustrophobia that Chester “Chet” Strunk of Houston called barbed-wire fever.

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My Comment: Life was definitely not easy .... but somehow many survived.

America's Last POW

America's Last Prisoner of War -- Michael Hastings, Rolling Stone

Three years ago, a 23-year-old soldier walked off his base in Afghanistan and into the hands of the Taliban. Now he’s a crucial pawn in negotiations to end the war. Will the Pentagon leave a man behind?

The mother and father sit at the kitchen table in their Idaho farmhouse, watching their son on YouTube plead for his life. The Taliban captured 26-year-old Bowe Bergdahl almost three years ago, on June 30th, 2009, and since that day, his parents, Jani and Bob, have had no contact with him. Like the rest of the world, their lone glimpses of Bowe – the only American prisoner of war left in either Iraq or Afghanistan – have come through a series of propaganda videos, filmed while he's been in captivity.

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My Comment: Even if half true, this is a disturbing report from Rolling Stone. Read it all.

Update: Captured US soldier's e-mails suggest he deserted in Afghanistan -- New York Post

U.S. Wants To Swap Taliban Prisoners With Captured U.S. Soldier

This 2010 image shows the release by Taliban-associated video-production group Manba al-Jihad of someone who appears to be Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who has been held prisoner. Seattle Times

Parents of P.O.W. Reveal U.S. Talks on Taliban Swap -- New York Times

HAILEY, Idaho — The parents of the only American soldier held captive by Afghan insurgents have broken a yearlong silence about the status of their son, abruptly making public that he is a focus of secret negotiations between the Obama administration and the Taliban over a proposed prisoner exchange.

The negotiations, currently stalled, involved a trade of five Taliban prisoners held at the American military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl of the Army, who is believed to be held by the militant Haqqani network in the tribal area of Pakistan’s northwest frontier, on the Afghan border. Sergeant Bergdahl was captured in Paktika Province in Afghanistan on June 30, 2009. His family has not heard from him in a year, since they saw him in a Taliban video, although they and the Pentagon believe that he is alive and well.

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Update: Parents: US Officials Tried To Swap Taliban Prisoners For Captured Soldier -- CBS

My Comment: Soviet POWs during their war against the mujaheddin .... at least those who were not killed .... were not released until after the Soviet Union left Afghanistan. I expect that this is going to be the same fate for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.

Reports: Only American Soldier Held As A Prisoner By The Taliban Attempts An Escape

Photo: Bowe Bergdahl

U.S. Prisoner Bowe Bergdahl’s Failed Attempt to Escape From Taliban -- Daily Beast

In exclusive interviews, Afghan insurgents reveal how Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, imprisoned by the Taliban in Pakistan since 2009, made a bold bid for freedom—but was quickly recaptured.

He is believed to be the only American soldier held in captivity by the Taliban—and about three months ago he made a daring break for freedom.

One night in late August or early September, 25-year-old Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, of Hailey, Idaho, jumped from a first-floor window of the mud-brick house in Pakistan in which he had been imprisoned and headed into the nearby underbrush and forested mountains, according to three reliable militant sources who got the story from fighters who were present during the prisoner’s attempted escape. They spoke exclusively to the Daily Beast.

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Update: Report: GI Tried to Escape From Taliban Captors -- Military.com/McClatchy-Tribune Information Services

My Comment: It is amazing that he is still alive. More info on Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl can be found at Wikipedia.