RELEASED U.S. SOLDIER/

[harry brown]

 CAPTIVE  U.S.  SOLDIER   BERGDAHL  RELEASED,  PEOPLE  UPSET/SOME  PEOPLE  CALLING  HIM  A  DESERTER/UPSET  WITH  THE  PRESIDENT   FOR  EXCHANGING    BERGDAHL   FOR   TALIBAN   PRISONERS   THAT  WAS  AT  QUANTANABA  BAY,IF  THESE  WERE   PRISONERS   WHY  WERE  THEY    NOT      IN   THE  U.S.   PRISON  IN  THE  U.S.//  IS  HE  A   DESERTER   OR  A  U.S.  SOLDIER  THAT  WAS   HELD  CAPTIVE//NOT  A  LOT  OF  PEOPLE  UPSET   WITH NEO  NAZI  IN  THE  U.S. MILITARY/////U.S.    CONDONES    NEO   NAZI,  DOMESTIC  TERRORIST  IN  THE  U.S.  MILITARY,,BUT  WANT   TO  DICTATE  TO  OTHER  COUNTRIES  ABOUT  TERRORIST/ AMAZING...///SICK OF  HEARING  IT/////IF   SOLDIER  BERGDAHL   IS  A  DESERTER    LOCK  HIM  UP.///

[Cynique]

The military culture is such a mixed bag.  We want to believe that our soldiers who volunteer to go off and fight wars ostensibly to protect our freedom are a brigade of brave honorable heroes.But most are just ordinary guys trying to find their niche in life. 

 

On one hand, these young guys either with no place else to go, or motivated by patriotism or excited by the idea of guns and combat, all optimistic about future benefits, are sympathetic figures.  Betrayed by their government once they are discharged and in need of hospital benefits or treatment for their post traumatic stress disorders, they are now disillusioned warriors.

 

 On a less publicized level we hear the stories of the abuse and sexual harasssment and rape endured by females enlistees at their hands of their male comrades. Other dirty little secrets include killings committed against civilians in the foreign countries they are occupying, and tragedies involving mass shootings of fellow soldiers by disgruntled "fuck-ups".  Or has the upper echelon military brass escaped disgrace with their romantic indiscretions and inept decision making. Trillions of dollars are spent yearly maintaining the cooperation of corrupt leaders of the countries we are pledged to protect from terriorism, and on keeping the military industrial complex afloat.   Like every other bureacracy in America, the military is a bloated incompetent financial drain where seemingly the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing.

 

The return of an American prisoner in exhange for the release of 5 Taliban honchos makes for a very ambivalent situation, considering the released prisoner is being accused of desertion.  I personally think Sgt. Bergdahl should be judged by a jury of his peers and administered whatever punishment they deem appropriate now that he has been freed from the captivity he brought upon himself.  In securing his release Obama as usual was in a no-win situation; damned when he did, and damned if he hadn't, much to the delight of fork-tongued Republicans.

 

Coincidentally, yesterday on June 6th, the 70th anniversary of the D-Day invasion was commemorated.  American lost an astounding number of soldiers in this operation.  Thousands and thousands of young men were slaughtered as wave after wave of them scrambled head on  into enemy fire on the beaches of Normandy in France, where German units were entrenched, waiting for them. I was 11 years old when this was headlines all over the country and I vaguely remember it.   

 

Back then the armed services were segregated.  Black soldiers were very often relegated to burial details.  You see few, if no black faces, among the surviving veterans of this epic battle.  America sacrficed its white sons and spared its black ones because they didn't think negroes were good enough to be first class fighters. The irony of racism.   

[Pioneer1]

Only a Black man can secure the release of a POW and end of catching shit for it, lol.

Just like Obama captured/killed Bin Laden who was the most wanted man in the world for over a decade and instead of being applauded for it or atleast getting a pat on the back, his accomplishment was explained away by a ton of conspiracy theories.

No wonder so many Black men fail in this society, look what often happens when you succeed.....

[Troy]

Pioneer, ignoring Obama for a moment.  No one is calling him a POW.  At best he is a deserter at worst I've heard him described as a defector, a traitor.  He apparently had a history of going AWOL.  I also understand that six servicemen have lost their lives attempting to rescue this guy.

 

Harry we will see if they lock him up.  If they do then maybe Obama was wrong and his critics are right.  If they don't, all the noise about defecting was indeed BS to disparage Obama.

 

I wonder if Obama feels being the first Black President is worth all of these headaches.   The price of fame alone is a pain in the ass that will likely follow him the rest of his days, seems a huge price to pay...

[Pioneer1]

Ofcourse many on the right would have rather seen Bergdahl remain in captivity than for the Obama Administration to take credit for his release.

It's the same with Bin Laden.

No one should be suprised at how low Republicans will stoop to smear their political enemies.

Ronald Reagan allegedly did the same thing to get elected.

That's what the entire Iran contra-controvery was about.

While Jimmy Carter was president Iranians took Americans hostage and were about to free them but Reagan's team allegedly undercut the deal and arranged for them to stage in captivity to make the Carter administration look weak and then for them to be freed under HIS administration.

Some of these right wing clowns are heartless.