Bergdahl Improving

Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was transferred to U.S. control by his Taliban captors May 31 in exchange for five detainees held at Guantanamo Bay Naval Station, Cuba, is “stable and improving each day,” Army Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman said June 9. Bergdahl had been held captive for five years. Warren said that as of that date, Bergdahl had not yet spoken to his parents in Idaho. He is recovering at Landstuhl Medical Center, Germany. Bergdahl’s release has given rise to considerable controversy. Some politicians, particularly former prisoner of war Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., claim the Obama administration created an incentive for enemy fighters to seize more U.S. troops and use them as bargaining chips in order to gain release of more Guantanamo detainees. Others believe that the five men who were released are dangerous terrorists who could resume the fight against coalition forces and the Afghan and Iraqi governments. The administration countered that the exchange follows prisoner-exchange protocol that had been used commonly in past conflicts. In time, Bergdahl will continue his recovery in San Antonio, probably at Wilford Hall Medical Center.