Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl arraigned on charges

U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl was arraigned Tuesday on charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. He deferred entering a plea and the decision of whether he wants to face a jury of soldiers or only a judge.

Bergdahl, wearing a blue dress uniform, said little, offering “Yes, sir” or “No, sir” answers to the judge’s questions or allowing his lawyer to speak on his behalf.

Bergdahl’s arraignment will be held at the Fort Bragg army base in North Carolina. Bergdahl, who was held captive by the Taliban for five years before returning to the US after a controversial trade for five Taliban officials being held at Guantánamo, has been charged with desertion and misbehavior in front of the enemy.

Bergdahl, 29, of Hailey, Idaho, walked off his post in eastern Afghanistan’s Paktika province on June 30, 2009. Some fellow troops resented the military resources devoted to searching for Bergdahl, and Republicans criticized the Obama administration for the deal that freed him in a prisoner swap with the Taliban in 2014.

The military officer who headed the investigation testified in September he believed Bergdahl should not face prison time. In one of the few decisions to come out of Tuesday’s hearing, Bergdahl told Frederikson he was pleased with his military and civilian counsel. In October, Lt. Col. Mark Visger recommended Bergdahl should be tried at a special court-martial on charges of desertion and misconduct.

The charge of misbehavior before the enemy was used hundreds of times during World War II, but scholars say its use appears to have dwindled in conflicts since then.

Corn said he would not be surprised if a panel decides Bergdahl should not go to prison for his alleged military crimes.

Bergdahl, who is presently on administrative Army duty in San Antonio, said that once he left the outpost he realized he could face serious punishment and chose to emulate the fictional action hero, Jason Bourne, and collect intelligence on the Taliban so he could return to the USA military with something to show for his absence. Portions of an interview he gave with a Hollywood screenwriter have been aired on popular podcast “Serial,” in which Bergdahl admits leaving Observation Post Mest in order to create a crisis.