Bergdahl Charged With Desertion
Click here for reuse options!Bergdahl now faces a military procedure similar to a grand jury deciding whether charges are appropriate, King said. Then, he could face court martial proceedings.
The decision comes nearly a year after Bergdahl returned to the United States as part of a prisoner exchange and since the Army began a formal investigation into his disappearance from his unit in eastern Afghanistan in June 2009.
The Army concluded its investigation into the circumstances of Bergdahl’s capture in December. Until now, it has been in the hands of Gen. Mark Milley, head of U.S. Army Forces Command, who made the decision to charge Bergdahl. Several U.S. military officials CNN has spoken with suggested privately that the process took longer than expected.
Copyright 2015 Liberaland
76 responses to Bergdahl Charged With Desertion
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Red Eye Robot March 25th, 2015 at 17:44
Susan Rice – “… he served with honor and distinction”
Wazoo2u2 March 25th, 2015 at 19:29
The same Susan Rice that just mourned the recent passing of Chinua Achebe (African writer and hater of all things/people non black). Achebe died two years ago, but that sort of detail is unimportant….
arc99 March 25th, 2015 at 23:30
Chinua Achebe was not a hater of all things non black. Your contention is false.
His hatred was directed towards the racism of British imperialism and the thuggery of subsequent African military dictators. If you read his signature work, Things Fall Apart, you will find white and black villains.
Tell you what. You try growing up in an environment where people born in a foreign country thousands of miles away who do not look, think, speak, or pray the way you do, come to your country and dictate where you can live and how late you stay out at night. Then come back and lecture us about hatred.
burqa March 29th, 2015 at 04:51
He was counting on no one knowing who Achebe was, much less read his work.
If Wazoo2u2 ever wonders why so many African Americans don’t vote for Republicans, all he need do is look at his own attitudes.
Same with Red Eye Robot and the way they treat African American callers. on his Red Eye Radio show.
fancypants March 26th, 2015 at 02:02
your right
we should have blown off king Abdullah’s ( Saudi Arabia ) funeral too since he supports beheadings and sharia law. Sometimes you cant get away from close relationships that the gop has supported for decades.
William March 26th, 2015 at 10:30
Not to be confused with laying a wreath at the graves of Nazi SS soldiers.
burqa March 29th, 2015 at 04:47
Was that before or after Ronald “Dutch” Reagan sent planeloads of weapons to the people who killed hundreds of American military and diplomatic personnel in Lebanon?
Same guy who pressured Kuwait to release the Dawa 17, who had attacked American, French and Kuwaiti facilities in Kuwait on December 12, 1983?
granpa.usthai March 26th, 2015 at 10:35
when your compound BS gets too ridiculous, it’s a waste of time for most LL citizens to respond.
Please try to include a FACT every once in a while, makes it a bit more respond-able.
Obewon March 25th, 2015 at 20:07
Rhodes Scholar Susan Rice’s minimum I.Q. of 165+ beats the crap out of your MIA I.Q.
John Tarter March 25th, 2015 at 22:48
Quite at odds with the Army’s viewpoint of him, wouldn’t you say?
granpa.usthai March 26th, 2015 at 10:49
like the Army has never been wrong in a preliminary assessment?
WTF kind of commanding officer allows a member of his unit to just up and start walking out of Afghanistan to …?
and why weren’t any members of his unit that surprised?
WTF was the USA Army allowing to take place over there that would cause such behavior?
another Abu Ghraib situation with US Troops who may have disagreed with a unit’s actions?
arc99 March 25th, 2015 at 23:17
You right wingers are such hypocrites, it is truly nauseating
http://texansforsarahpalin.blogspot.com/2009/07/gov-palin-offers-support-to-family-of.html?m=1
Governor Sarah Palin offered her support and encouragement to the family of a Ft. Richardson soldier captured in Afghanistan.
“Todd and I are praying for Private First Class Bowe Bergdahl, his family, and all of his fellow soldiers who are putting their lives on the line to defend our freedom and protect democracy abroad,” Governor Palin said. “The capture of Private Bergdahl and the bombings in Jakarta prove that we have not defeated terrorism, and that radical extremists will stop at nothing to attack Westerners and our ideals.”
http://www.inhofe.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/inhofe-completes-successful-markup-of-national-defense-authorization-act
Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, an American soldier, was taken prisoner by the Taliban-aligned Haqqani network while deployed to Afghanistan in June 2009. Sen. Inhofe supported this amendment that raises awareness of SGT Bergdahl’s capture to continue to maximize efforts to return him and reminds the Senate of one of the basic pillars of the Army’s Warrior Ethos: ‘I will never leave a fallen comrade.’
Inhofe added, “The mission to bring our missing Soldiers home is one that will never end. It’s important that we make every effort to bring this captured Soldier home to his family.”
Red Eye Robot March 26th, 2015 at 13:48
Did you look at the date on that sparky?
arc99 March 26th, 2015 at 15:56
Yes I am well aware of the convenient excuses you right wingers have for being hypocrites. So now it is because of the calendar
You demanded unequivocally that Bergdahl be brought home by any means necessary. Then when the President does that, you condemn the President.
Most of you right wingers are full of sh*t and I could care less what lame a$$ excuse you use to rationalize your relentless intellectual dishonesty.
granpa.usthai March 26th, 2015 at 10:32
and?
WTF you got against veterans, AH?
Ricky C. March 25th, 2015 at 18:15
At least we got a good trade, 5 known terrorists for 1 deserter. Way to go, Obama!
Dwendt44 March 25th, 2015 at 19:01
Bush released several dozen with no trade involved.
granpa.usthai March 26th, 2015 at 10:31
and didn’t really care too much about where they might be.
general areas are plenty good enough when RepubliCONs are mismanaging a military engagement activity that they’ll call a ‘war’ but not put it in writing.
Ricky C. March 27th, 2015 at 06:55
Doesn’t make this right, does it?
OldLefty March 27th, 2015 at 07:24
Doesn’t make it right OR wrong.
One has to look at the merits of each case separately.
But certainly, having a name like Obama or Bush or having (D) or an (R) after the name doesn’t make it right or wrong either.
fancypants March 26th, 2015 at 02:05
none of the 5 will be on American soil So what’s the problem ?
Ricky C. March 27th, 2015 at 06:55
They don’t have to be on American soil to kill our soldiers.
fancypants March 27th, 2015 at 23:02
what a coincidence
our soldiers really don’t have to be in the middle east
burqa March 29th, 2015 at 04:35
Nicely played set up and spike to follow.
granpa.usthai March 26th, 2015 at 10:28
yea, would have been much better if he’d have just let them go, not know really where they were at, exactly, but not worry about it just so long as he knew generally where they might be?
like GW?
Ricky C. March 27th, 2015 at 07:01
What about following the LAW and giving Congress full notice like he should have? My argument makes as much sense as yours. And if I remember correctly, after 1 year they are free to be wherever they choose to be, generally or not. Way to go, prez!
OldLefty March 27th, 2015 at 07:21
He did what EVERY other president did.
Good to have a grownup for a change.
Even Kruthammer said, “He said the spirit of the law was to prevent the president from emptying Guantanamo.
The one area where the president holds the upper hand in those disputes is in matters of war and peace, he’s commander in chief. And I think a prisoner exchange is in the province of the presidency.”
Krauthammer said a country has two “iron clad” obligations.
The first is if there’s a soldier being held prisoner, you get him back. The second obligation he outlined is, “If you desert your unit, you are subject to military discipline. I would say you free him, and then you try him.”
Ricky C. March 27th, 2015 at 12:02
So if every other president was a child molester, would that make it ok?
OldLefty March 27th, 2015 at 12:24
We are not discussing “child molesters”.
We are discussing routine, lawful negotiations that have been carried out throughout history.
burqa March 29th, 2015 at 04:32
You got a problem with the U.S. Constitution, bub?
As commander-in-chief, the president sends the military hither and yon and not the Congress.
That’s right, the Congress does not get to order military units around or draw up plans for operations. The Supreme Court has erred on the side of giving the president as free a hand as possible in handling the military.
I’m sure some right-wing congressmen would have liked to ride the chopper to go get Bergdahl and get the photo op, but it just wasn’t in the cards.
burqa March 29th, 2015 at 04:27
Your contempt for the Israelis must be boundless.
As for me, I value 1 American, even if he deserted, as being more valuable than 5 Taliban thugs, but that’s just me and my love for America and Americans. Your values are different than mine.
Dwendt44 March 25th, 2015 at 19:00
O’Reilly and the rest of the ‘hang ’em before trial’ crowd will be happy as a clam.
William March 26th, 2015 at 10:44
O’reilly is simply expressing his indignation because of his own combat experience, and all the “brothers” he lost.
burqa March 29th, 2015 at 04:24
O’Reilly saved the day at Pork Chop Hill!
William March 29th, 2015 at 08:57
That guy is everywhere.
Wazoo2u2 March 25th, 2015 at 19:28
Several (six, I think) real men in uniform died searching for this ‘poor me I’m filled with ennui and maybe the Taliban has a red ballon for me to play with’ deserter. He caused the deaths of his fellow soldiers, and knew he might when he deserted his post. That the President saw fit to trade five senior Taliban commanders for this solipsistic wanker is beyond the pale.
I’m not interested in any lame comparisons with Bush, unless you’d also like to comment on the Democrats that started the Vietnam war with the phony Gulf of Tonkin incident.
Bergdhal has nothing to fear- when Obozo leaves office he’ll pardon deserter boy, along with a few cop killers…
OldLefty March 25th, 2015 at 19:57
So what??
We did what we are obligated to do.
We brought him home where he received due process, because we believe that justice should be meted out by our Uniform Code of Military Justice and not the Taliban.
Oh, but YOU called the president “Obozo”, so you MUST have the stronger argument.
Wazoo2u2 March 25th, 2015 at 20:03
And you’d be delighted if he were let go, maybe with a fat check for a book deal?
OldLefty March 25th, 2015 at 20:04
And that sort of assumption is why you make an ass out of you and m…
Nah, just you.
fancypants March 26th, 2015 at 01:58
bergdahl was kept in a cage after he was captured
Why wouldn’t anyone be delighted if bergdahl were to enjoy his freedom. it sounds as if you have one foot in Afghanistan already thinking he belongs back in a cage ( on the American side )
fahvel March 26th, 2015 at 05:12
looked it up, wazoo. So stuff your mindlessness up your “wazoo”. Neat word that!
granpa.usthai March 26th, 2015 at 10:25
why not?
contract was that he serve – he did.
contract (even though misleading like hell from one side) has been fulfilled.
Dwendt44 March 26th, 2015 at 13:05
Reagan committed treason and all he got was a fat pension. And god like praise from gullible fans.
burqa March 29th, 2015 at 04:23
You got something against capitalism, bub?
Obewon March 25th, 2015 at 20:05
Nobody died ‘specifically searching for Bergdahl’. Nobody knew where the Sargent was being held until he was released, following YEARS of being tortured as a POW!
You’re an errant dissembler on your way out the door back to Jonestown Infowars.
Dwendt44 March 26th, 2015 at 00:45
U.S. military units were sent into Viet Nam by Eisenhower in 1956/7. I think he was a Republican.
Red Eye Robot March 26th, 2015 at 13:54
When JFK took office there were about 800 US military in Vietnam
burqa March 29th, 2015 at 04:21
When JFK took office the cement that Ike had poured around Uncle Sam’s shoes had already hardened. We were stuck fast there by the SEATO Treaty.
fahvel March 26th, 2015 at 05:11
facinating how old grouches seem to think serving to kill is more glorious than refusing to kill -your ilk is what keeps the death machine going – whether here and now or back when 50,000 should have deserted and said no to another fking war with no reason.
granpa.usthai March 26th, 2015 at 10:23
many did and settled in a small coastal town (little America) south of Bangkok, Thailand. Now it’s a booming city of sin and degradation than many western tourist flock to with a 3rd generation of natural born Thai citizens that lookie like Americans.
oldfart March 26th, 2015 at 01:01
i hope that if and when we actually and finally get out of Afghanistan
he will be pardoned for the sake of his parents and preferedly by President Obama.
granpa.usthai March 26th, 2015 at 10:42
it would be very Presidential if He needs to. Trial hasn’t been completed yet. No questioning of the mental fitness of his commanding officer -or dereliction of duty for not noticing the mental fitness of his troops. Goes for the rest of his unit also. What, exactly, was going on in his out fit that would cause such behavior? That someone would just lay down their arms and start walking presumably out of Afghanistan to…?
Dwendt44 March 26th, 2015 at 13:02
Officers rarely get punished for such neglect. Like Col. West, they are just offered a resign or be fired option.
burqa March 29th, 2015 at 04:11
Good point about officers.
West was humiliated before they kicked him out.t. He was removed from command, which carried with it which told one and all he was regarded as being unfit for command. He was also fined, I think $5,000. While not much, by accepting the deal West admitted he broke the law.Marine Corps Major General James Mattis echoed the point by using West as an example of ‘what not to do’
Mattis said about West:
“this shows a commander who has lost his moral balance or has watched too many Hollywood movies. By our every act and statement, Marine leaders must set a legal, moral and ethical model that maintains traditional Marine Corps levels of
discipline.”
burqa March 29th, 2015 at 03:54
I agree. He’s had plenty of punishment enough. Turn him loose and hope he quietly goes in the night.
illinoisboy1977 March 26th, 2015 at 10:59
When you join the military, you swear an oath to faithfully execute your duty. Desertion is an automatic violation of that oath. Regardless of whether he was imprisoned by the Taliban, or not, if he’s convicted of desertion he owes Uncle Sam a prison term. The UCMJ has to be harsh, in order to maintain military discipline. I could understand desertion, more, had he been conscripted against his will, but we have an all volunteer military. He wasn’t drafted; he joined of his own volition.
granpa.usthai March 27th, 2015 at 01:58
seems like their was a Navy pilot in the Vietnam military engagement that no one was willing to make a declared war in writing that was a little bit off course -intentionally – and wound up being captured too. Should they not be charged with desertion also? Had he stayed on course, he might have returned with the others and flown escort for a C-130 that was shot down over the central highlands with 34 USMC Officers aboard.
illinoisboy1977 March 26th, 2015 at 10:59
When you join the military, you swear an oath to faithfully execute your duty. Desertion is an automatic violation of that oath. Regardless of whether he was imprisoned by the Taliban, or not, if he’s convicted of desertion he owes Uncle Sam a prison term. The UCMJ has to be harsh, in order to maintain military discipline. I could understand desertion, more, had he been conscripted against his will, but we have an all volunteer military. He wasn’t drafted; he joined of his own volition.
illinoisboy1977 March 26th, 2015 at 10:59
When you join the military, you swear an oath to faithfully execute your duty. Desertion is an automatic violation of that oath. Regardless of whether he was imprisoned by the Taliban, or not, if he’s convicted of desertion he owes Uncle Sam a prison term. The UCMJ has to be harsh, in order to maintain military discipline. I could understand desertion, more, had he been conscripted against his will, but we have an all volunteer military. He wasn’t drafted; he joined of his own volition.
Red Eye Robot March 26th, 2015 at 15:42
This wasn’t about getting Bergdahl back it was about freeing 5 senior taliban. Bergdahl was the cover story. The Obama admin. expected the media to fall in line and call Bergdahl a hero and the 5 taliban would be quickly forgotten. If it was about Bergdahl it was the worst possible negotiation in US history. Bergdahl was a deserter. When the US negotiated for Francis Gary Powers with the Soviets they also got back Fredric Pryor, For one soviet spy, (Rudolf Abel) and neither Powers nor Pryor had dishonored their country.
arc99 March 26th, 2015 at 16:03
shove it
and I am fully aware that Bergdahl was not a Seal. the link is for context of military culture. .
so you will need some other bullsh*t rebuttal.
http://navyseals.com/nsw/seal-code-warrior-creed/
It is the Warrior Ethos that best describes who they are, an ethos that has been shared, albeit with different words, with the Samurai, the Spartans, the Marines and other Special Operations forces around the world.
The SEAL Code was created just two years ago. Prior to this, the SEALs had an unspoken code defined by the culture, historical experience and training. “Leave no man behind” and “failure is not an option” are examples of cultural mantras that evolved as the unwritten “SEAL code” from the Teams battlefield experiences in WWII, Korea, Vietnam and elsewhere. We have held to this code, never leaving a teammate in the field, dead or alive.
OldLefty March 26th, 2015 at 16:09
Getting the American back was the ONLY thing this was about, and I suspect the GOP would be whining as much if they did NOT get him back.
The fact that Obama was president when we got him back is the ONLY problem for the GOP, who could clearly care less about the Taliban.
granpa.usthai March 27th, 2015 at 02:22
– or US Veterans.
burqa March 29th, 2015 at 03:44
Yeah, that’s a common tactic of theirs on Red Eye Radio. Their show prep consists of ways they can argue where the subject is changed and they also determine what arguments callers may make. Unlike many hosts, they like to use the volume knob and the hack technique of constantly interrupting.
Their first move is to always change what the debate is about and set up narrow parameters for opponents to fit through.
They beg for calls during the show but only get one an hour. Occasionally they will get as many as 3 callers in 2 hours., but that is seldom.
Spirit of America March 26th, 2015 at 17:50
A bit over-simplified, but correct; it was a decision based upon political calculations, the secondary aspect being gitmo, though it was a ‘side dessert’ in the process. Do some digging and notice who was negotiating w/whom in the afghan arena, all the parties… and at-the-time withdrawal schedules. Talks to get him back actually started in early 2013 btw, and look at green-on-blue stats as well.
For those that use the ‘we leave no one behind’ miss the part where it no where includes at all costs and in this case it is not applicable. First, yes we have left some behind, since wwii, korea, nam, etc. And yet we are still searching, still follow up on leads, still identify new-found bodies at grave sites. The ‘leave no one behind’ is a promise we will not stop looking, will not stop trying, but it is not, nor ever has been, at any/all costs.
If our ethos of “we leave no one behind no matter the cost”, we’d have offered $100mil right from the git go, or “we’ll leave soon as you hand him over” or other such nonsense. Or offer iran to help build a nuke if they just hand over Robert Levinson. We’ll look, we’ll send snatch/grab when can, we’ll deal up to a point, but it has never been ‘at any/all cost’.
In sept of ’09, the army knew he had deserted. Using his emails to his parents(one outright saying he was leaving), sending his personal effects home before deserting, his note left behind on bunk saying he had become disillusioned with the Army, did not support the American
mission in Afghanistan and was leaving to start a new life, leaving behind his personal weapons/armor… the report was clear.
Another report in 2012 concluded the same.
From a purely military trade view, this was a very poor trade. When you through in political considerations, some of the reasoning for such a poor trade come to light.
granpa.usthai March 27th, 2015 at 02:21
-and the story of John McCain is…?
Red Eye Robot March 27th, 2015 at 17:14
So now the story you want to sell is McCain deserted? All you need is the multi-colored wig and some really big shoes
burqa March 29th, 2015 at 03:34
OR you could go to supporters of George W. Bush who was happy to take the stage with Ted Sampley, who stood there and claimed that not only had McCain given our secrets to the enemy, but he had also been recruited as a commie spy and was a KGB agent sent back to steal more secrets. Same guy also said McCain had sex with his jailers in North Vietnam and his darkly-complected child was not really adopted from Bangladesh, but was the result of one of McCain’s many affairs with black prostitutes.
Bush just stood there grinning and when McCain called him out and asked Bush to distance himself from it, once Bush got over the terror-stricken look, he mumbled it was “just politics.”
The most active, vocal people claiming McCain was a traitor are found on the far right of the political spectrum. One of their groups was Vietnam Veterans Against McCain.
burqa March 29th, 2015 at 03:18
The 5 Talibanners were the price for getting Bergdahl back.
He was an American held prisoner by the enemy
Bergdahl is an American. That means you go get him out of there.
Bad idea bringing up this point about Americans held by our enemies “dishonoring” our country.
That’s just what they said about American fliers taken prisoner by the North Koreans who “confessed” to carrying out biological warfare and massacres of civilians. Because of the “hidden touch” methods (sleep deprivation, diet manipulation, close confinement, stress positions, waterboarding . Sound familiar? It should) didn’t leave any marks, when these POWs returned they were treated like traitors. FBI agents would go to their employers and ask on the sly, “You SURE you want a guy working for you who sold out our country to the commies?” This went on for years.
When it comes to prisoner exchanges, the U.S. has a long history of it. Recently I have been working my way through the collected letters and other papers of George Washington. During the Revolution, Washington had a regular correspondence with the British commanders and traded prisoners. It’s a very interesting topic and one that was very important to Washington and other Founding Fathers. We treated the enemy prisoners ver well and many did not want to go back. On at least 1 occasion we were marching a few hundred of them from up in Pennsylvania, as I recall, to somewhere down around Charlottesville. The troops we had detailed to escort them were needed elsewhere and they were able to just go off and leave them. The Brits followed the directionsand marched, unescorted, something like 100 miles to where they were to be held.
Dwendt44 March 26th, 2015 at 17:01
Very likely the Army will offer a ‘plea deal’, with heavy fines and lost of rank and a dishonorable discharge. And a ‘bet the farm’ wager that the rabid right will go ballistic over that as well as they did for the trade itself.
granpa.usthai March 27th, 2015 at 02:19
well, I just think that the citizens that are footing the bill should be told the REASONS things happened the way they did. Was this soldier that was promoted in rank while being held as a POW a mental defect? – then why is the US Army that is being funded by US Taxpayers not being held to task? Was this soldier that was promoted in rank while being held as a POW a deserter -or at that time suspected of being a deserter as some in his unit have already stated? -then why is the US Army that is being funded by US Taxpayers not being held to task?
OR-
is this soldier that was promoted in rank while being held as a POW merely a political pawn being used by the Republicans as a show of dislike for our first Hawaiian President? – then why is the US Army that is being funded by US Taxpayers not being held to task?
this is one US Taxpayer that wants to know.
jybarz March 27th, 2015 at 05:20
Hold your breeches cons. Let them decide first if he is to be charged, not already charged. Don’t already sentence him before he’s charged let alone found guilty . Getting him back through prisoners exchanged was justified because he deserved to be considered innocent until proven guilty no matter how much you cons are salivating to attack President Obama’s efforts to get him back.
Lolivas March 28th, 2015 at 13:45
As I said on Alan’s show I oppose double standards when it comes to dealing with terrorists. Although ISIS lied to Japan about their prisoners and actually may have killed them before offering an exchange I specifically recall our government stating that it doesn’t negotiate with terrorists. In this case we exchanged an alleged deserter for five prisoners from GITMO. IF Bergdahl willfully left his post to FIND the Taliban then who knows what ACTUALLY happened and what information was exchanged. Bergdahl’s testimony was that he was tortured and mistreated and that what he said publicly was propaganda but this is only his account.
burqa March 29th, 2015 at 03:11
Prisoner exchanges during wartime are nothing new.
Sometime check out the efforts we made to swap for Benedict Arnold during the American Revolution.
There once was a time when people had a higher regard for their fellow Americans.
For example, there was once a Philadelphia businessman who had been taken prisoner by Barbary pirates or some such outfit over there. We were going to go to war over this guy and sent the Navy and Marines.
Then it came out that the businessman wasn’t even an American citizen. He was a Greek who had just been living here. That was enough for most people who still favored going to war. Fortunately the bad guys turned him loose.
Instead of guessing why Bergdahl left or where he thought he was going (villagers said he appeared incoherent and suspected he was intoxicated), we should sit back, let all the facts come out and then reach a conclusion. Otherwise we may put ourselves in the position of those whose conclusions of the Michael Brown case were based on a pack of lies told by Brown’s friends – that Brown was standing still with his hands straight up, surrendering when he was shot in the back..
Lolivas March 29th, 2015 at 11:26
I would love a list of all the numerous prisoner exchanges that have occurred recently. ISIS burned a Jordanian pilot to death, decapitated at least two Americans, killing another American female prisoner. No negotiations were conducted. Regarding Bergdahl even a retired general on Alan’s show said Bergdahl was guilty of desertion but life imprisonment was doubtful. Military law will rule on that. There are too many extraneous factors with the Michael Brown case to simply dismiss it as questionable eye wittiness testimony.
burqa March 29th, 2015 at 15:42
Good point. I’d like to see such a list myself.
After each of the major wars the Israelis would swap far more Arab prisoners that Israelis. There have been times where the Israelis swapped hundreds of prisoners for just one or two of their own, and they were giving up top figures in outfits ike Hamas.
Hypothetically, if the allegations against Bergdahl are true and he deserted and is found guilty, I doubt he’d get much more than 6 months in prison and a fine, plus a dishonorable discharge.
I’ve done a lot of research on interrogation and that led me to a lot of material I read about prisoners held by the Japanese, North Koreans and North Vietnamese.
One interesting story concerns about 19 or 20 Americans in the Korean War who didn’t want to come home. They moved to China. Some of them were black and one made an interesting remark that he had fought for this country but when he went home he knew he’d face discrimination of the sort he didn’t face in China.
There were a few who deserted in Vietnam. One is driving me nuts because I can’t recall his name. He was a driver for the top Marine there, who I knew for 29 years. It was a strange story and I’ve forgotten more of it than I’d like.