Classified documents prompt wrangling in Bowe Bergdahl case

According to the “Stars and Stripes, Bergdahl’s attorney also told Army judge Col. Jeffrey Nance that the government should authorize him to wear the Purple Heart, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation medal”.

He could get a life sentence if convicted of the relatively rare charge of misbehaviour before the enemy.

Bergdahl, of Hailey, Idaho, walked off his post in eastern Afghanistan’s Paktika province on June 30, 2009 and was released in late May 2014 as part of a prisoner swap, in exchange for five detainees in Guantanamo Bay. The trial has been tentatively scheduled to start this summer.“Youre not going to play games with that kind of stuff, ” Nance said. The desertion charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a dishonorable discharge, reduction to the rank of E-1 and forfeiture of all pay and allowances. The ex-captive sat straight up in his chair throughout the almost two-hour hearing, maintaining his focus on the judge.

On Tuesday, a judge discussed classified documents, information the defense can use to build its case.

Prosecutor Capt. Michael Petrusic estimated the discovery process could involve more than 300,000 pages.

The judge will rule later on the access to classified information.

Defense attorney Lt. Col. Frank Rosenblatt argued the prosecution’s desired approach would place obstacles in front of Bergdahl’s lawyers. The volume of material is a sign of the complexity of the case, he added. A spokesman for Army Forces Command, which is overseeing the court-martial, said the date would be announced later.