Sgt. Bergdhal Charged with Desertion

Breaking Fox News reports that “Sgt. Bergdahl is charged with  Desertion Officials say‘:

Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was taken captive by the Taliban after abandoning his post in Afghanistan and later freed in exchange for five Guantanamo detainees, will be charged with desertion, officials told Fox News. 

The development comes nearly one year after his May 2014 release — which initially was a joyous occasion, with his family joining President Obama in celebrating the news in the Rose Garden. But that gave way to controversy in Washington as Bergdahl was accused of putting his fellow soldiers in danger by abandoning his post five years earlier. The trade of five hardened Taliban fighters for his freedom raised deep concerns on Capitol Hill that the administration struck an unbalanced deal. 

The military plans to address the case at a press conference Wednesday afternoon at Fort Bragg in North Carolina

Published March 25, 2015

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Army Sgt. Bergdahl to be charged with desertion

Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was taken captive by the Taliban after abandoning his post in Afghanistan and later freed in exchange for five Guantanamo detainees, will be charged with desertion, officials told Fox News. 

The development comes nearly one year after his May 2014 release — which initially was a joyous occasion, with his family joining President Obama in celebrating the news in the Rose Garden. But that gave way to controversy in Washington as Bergdahl was accused of putting his fellow soldiers in danger by abandoning his post five years earlier. The trade of five hardened Taliban fighters for his freedom raised deep concerns on Capitol Hill that the administration struck an unbalanced deal. 

The military plans to address the case at a press conference Wednesday afternoon at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. 

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U.S. President Barack Obama stands with Bob Bergdahl (R) and Jami Bergdahl (L) as he delivers a statement about the release of their son, prisoner of war U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington May 31, 2014. Obama, flanked by the parents of Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, a U.S. soldier who is being released after being held for nearly five years by the Taliban, said in the White House Rose Garden on Saturday that the United States has an “ironclad commitment” to bring home its prisoners of war. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES – Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) – RTR3RNRW

Fox News has learned he will be specifically charged with desertion and misbehavior toward the enemy. A senior U.S. official said he will face a court martial and likely trial. 

Bergdahl walked away from his post in Afghanistan and was captured, then released by the Taliban in a prisoner exchange. 

Gen. Mark Milley, head of U.S. Army Forces Command at Fort Bragg, has been reviewing the massive case files and had a broad range of legal options, including various degrees of desertion charges. 

A major consideration was whether military officials would be able to prove that Bergdahl had no intention of returning to his unit — a key element in the more serious desertion charges.

Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin and Chad Pergram and The Associated Press contributed to this report.