Former Captive Soldier Recuperates

A Pentagon spokesman said there is no indication that Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the former prisoner of war who was released May 31 by his Taliban captors in exchange for five detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is a deserter. Since Bergdahl’s release, former comrades-in-arms and lawmakers on Capitol Hill alike have heaped criticism upon the Pentagon and White House for approving the terms of the exchange and questioned the circumstances of his disappearance five years ago. “These particular individuals are hardened terrorists who have the blood of Americans and countless Afghans on their hands,” said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who was held as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam conflict. “I am eager to learn what precise steps are being taken to ensure that these vicious and violent Taliban extremists never return to the fight,” McCain said. Several members of Bergdahl’s unit, the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, stated in numerous media outlets that they were forced to keep mum about their efforts to find him – in which five comrades died. Some believe he is a “deserter” who walked away from his unit. Shortly after his release, Bergdahl remained hospitalized at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany, because of dietary and nutritional issues. The Pentagon subsequently announced plans to conduct an inquiry into the soldier’s disappearance.