Bergdahl...Pawn or Traitor? Let the military decide

Written by David DiCrescenzo on . Posted in Op-Ed

So the circus starts.  Without allowing he or his family a moment of privacy or a meal together, or even so much as a welcome home hug, all of the 'experts’ in the blogosphere, some of whom never even heard of this until yesterday, are starting to chime in with their two cents, hoping to be able to claim bragging rights that they "knew all along,” "said before,” and "blah, blah, blah” as the court of public opinion once again rears its ugly head.

I don’t know the specifics of how and why Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl managed to get himself captured, or even if he did simply walk away, turned traitor and switched sides as some have and are suggesting; and to be completely honest, for right now, I don’t care.  What I’d like to see just for a week or so is that he and his family be offered a little dignity, privacy, and respect, and be allowed to have some time together to be thankful that he’s okay and home safe. 

As I have been saying since I first knew of his case years ago, all of the possible desertion stuff and the ugliness around it, which except to those who haven’t been following this case, is by no means new information, is a separate issue.  The first and most important thing was to get him home safely and reunited with his family.  Then, if the government has a case showing wrongdoing on his part, he can and should be charged and tried based upon whatever evidence they have.  If he is found to be a traitor of some sort, so be it; he will be given the proper punishment

However, as a caring American Citizen, Patriot, and the dad of a soldier, all I want to know right now is this; is it asking too much to allow the Berdahl’s a chance to be a family again just for a few days?  Can we not let them rejoice in his safe return before we throw down the gauntlet?  Let’s face it; he’s not going anywhere anytime soon that we won’t know about…that is to say, he does not pose a flight risk.

All of my regular readers know where I stand on such matters.  Just the other day, I discussed my angst at Speaker Boehner calling Edward Snowden a traitor.  Not because I think Mr. Snowden is or isn’t, but because I believe that our leadership has and does commit highly treasonous acts on a daily basis without repercussions.  It’s a ‘look in the mirror’ thing for me.

As far as Sgt. Bergdahl is concerned, let’s leave him alone for a week, allow an investigation to be conducted, and then, if there is sufficient evidence to suggest that he’s done wrong, I’ll be one of the strongest voices for him to face the music and pay the penalty.

Treason is the most serious of offenses.  It puts our country and countrymen in danger, and it cannot and must not be tolerated anywhere.  However, we cannot allow our government to simply hand pick who they deem as such to advance their political agendas, while ignoring the ongoing treason at the highest levels.

At very least, let’s give the guy the benefit of the doubt and not try this in the court of public opinion before Bowe has a chance to tell his side of the story.