Maybe the End of the Bergdahl Episode

This past week, if you went to page two news out of the US....there's this story over Sargent Bergdahl.  He's the guy who felt the Army was doing him wrong, and just decided one day to walk out the back of a Army post in Afghanistan....then being captured by the law-lords of the region, and held as a captive for five years.  Thankfully, President Obama and team decided to trade some Gitmo folks for him.  Sadly, the Army didn't feel any positive stuff over his adventure and charged with some crimes.

This week, Bergdahl said he'd accept a guilty deal without a lot of court action, over the charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. Generally, you could get five years max for desertion, and life in prison for misbehavior before the enemy.  The judge will make the final decision. Some folks feel that he ought to be shot.  Some folks feel like the guy, having spent five years in some Taliban-like prison deal....ought not get much more than five years of Army prison.

Why avoid the court action?  I think he had five years in the Taliban-like setting and got his rational sense back into his system. 

What I'd give the guy?  I'd give him a fifteen-year prison sentence, with five of those hooked to credit with the time in the prisoner setting with the Taliban folks, leaving him ten full years in the Army prison.  If you look over his attitude and intelligence level....it's kinda obvious that the Army should have dumped him by the fourth month of service.  He just wasn't Army-material.  Taking him off to Afghanistan?  Big mistake on their part.  Maybe if he'd gone through a six-month long boot-camp period and really gotten orientated about the team-concept.....things would have worked out.  He wasn't motivated or capable of handling Army-life.  I'd take a guess that a quarter of the American population would not be capable of handling three years in the Army. 

As for his future after leaving the Army prison-life?  I just don't see this guy doing much more than flipping burgers or stocking shelves at some grocery.