Bergdahl Charged With Desertion; Arraigned In North Carolina

Bergdahl deferred entering a plea until his next court date on January 12th. If convicted of desertion, he could get up to five years in prison. He was released in late May 2014 as part of a prisoner swap, in exchange for five detainees in Guantanamo Bay.

The arraignment was held at Fort Bragg, N.C., where Bergdahl is being held.

Each week on “Speaking of Serial”, reporters with the Idaho Statesman and Boise State Public Radio will discuss Bergdahl’s case, Serial’s reporting and what happens when an Idahoan becomes the center of worldwide news.

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.

An Army investigating officer suggested earlier this year that Bergdahl face a “special court-martial” and not be exposed to jail time or a punitive discharge.

Some of Bergdahl’s platoonmates in Afghanistan said he let his colleagues down by walking off his post, which prompted a manhunt that put other soldiers at risk.

FILE – This undated file image provided by the U.S. Army shows Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.

At the time, Bergdahl’s defense attorney, Eugene Fidell, said in a statement that the defense team “hoped the case would not go in this direction”. In the premiere episode, Bergdahl claimed that he meant to trigger a wide-scale manhunt in leaving his base, but then changed his mind and made a decision to walk to a forward operating base some 20 miles away from his outpost. And he wanted to prove himself as a real-life action hero, like someone out of a movie. “I was capable of being what I appeared to be”, Bergdahl said.

For his part, the sergeant has told a Hollywood screenwriter researching for a movie that he walked off base in a bid to prove he was capable of solo heroics like fictional ex-CIA assassin Jason Bourne. “If the jury found Bergdahl guilty and elected to sentence him to more than 10 years in prison, it would require a three-fourths vote via secret ballot, the judge said”.

The hearing is the first step in Bergdahl’s prosecution before a general courts martial.