Summary: A judge ruled on Friday that Bowe Bergdahl will not serve prison time for deserting the army in 2009.
Famous army deserter Bowe Bergdahl has received a dishonorable discharge and will avoid jail time. A military judge made the ruling on Friday and also demoted the soldier’s rank from sergeant to private.
In 2009, Bergdahl abandoned his outpost in Afghanistan and was captured by the Taliban. For years, he was tortured by the terrorist organization, and he was eventually let go after President Barack Obama negotiated his release in exchange for Taliban detainees at Guantanamo Bay.
Bergdahl was charged with desertion and misbehavior. The judge ruled that he will be required to pay a $1,000 fine from his salary, according to CNN.
Eugene Fidell, one of Bergdahl’s attorneys, had previously argued that Bergdahl should not serve time because he had already been imprisoned by the Taliban for five years and that he never should’ve been admitted into the army because he has a psychological disorder. In a press conference, Fidell said that Bergdahl would appeal his dishonorable discharge.
Before the sentencing, Bergdahl faced life in prison, but the prosecution asked for 14 years while Bergdahl’s defense team asked for a dishonorable discharge.
Bergdahl suffered from numerous mental illnesses, including schizotypal personality disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder; and Dr. Charles Morgan, a forensic psychiatrist and professor at the University of New Haven and Yale University testified on Wednesday that Bergdahl suffered these problems before enlisting.
Bergdahl’s team had also argued in court that he should receive a lighter sentence because he cooperated with government officials upon his return and was able to provide them with intelligence about the Taliban.
Meanwhile, the prosecution said that Bergdahl’s desertion had put others at harm when rescue missions were sent to find him and that he had been aware of risks when he had enlisted in the army.
The prosecution had interviewed soliders who had looked for Bergdahl, and one, retired Navy SEAL Chief Petty Officer James Hatch, testified that he had been shot in the leg during the mission. He now walks with a limp and had to undergo almost 20 surgeries.
In court, Bergdahl showed remorse by crying, and he apologized to those who had risked their lives for him.
“My words can’t take away what people have been through,” Bergdahl said. “I am admitting I made a horrible mistake.”
Following the judge’s decision, President Donald Trump, who had been vocal about his disgust towards Bergdahl during his 2016 presidential campaign, tweeted, “The decision on Sergeant Bergdahl is a complete and total disgrace to our Country and to our Military.”
Source: CNN
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