In the BBC's latest article post, "Bowe Bergdhal spared prison time for US Army desertion" the news blog discusses the Bergdahl case and commentators who expressed their opinions on his imprisonment accommodations.
Bowe Bergdahl was a private in the U.S Army who deserted his Afghan outpost in 2009, leaving many of his fellow militants in risk for his search when he had an unauthorized absence (UA).
Master Sergeant Mark Allen was one of the people injured while trying to find Bergdahl, resulting to his injuries in a somatic death like state.
President Trump has made many comments on this subject, tweeting that the resulting case was a, "total disgrace". Trump also believes Bergdahl is a "traitor" and cut the Obama Administration to bits when they agreed to a prisoner swap compromise.
Bergdahl was served a lesser sentence just this week, one that could issue him to 14+ years in federal prison, or life, which many seem to favor. Bergdahl will be lowered in military rank and will be dishonorably discharged from the U.S Army.
Bergdahl's lawyers believe he was not granted a proper trail because of Mr. Trump's comments (bullshit).
Now it is my turn to comment on the story. Another similar incident happened to a 77 year old man who served in the U.S Army and deserted his battalion in fear of what the Army had planned against North Korea in 1965. Charles Robert Jenkins is the name and he was captured in North Korea for almost 40 years when he took off at night chugging almost 10 beers in hopes of being captured by the Russian Embassy to be sent back to the U.S.
Nothing went as planned for Jenkins as he was tortured, starved and beaten for many years by the North Koreans.
My point is, Jenkins paid his dues and did not claim to have a physical or mental illness at the time, he simply said he was fearful.
When you are sufficiently trained for war against the enemy and you chose to repel against you're countries expectations, you get what you deserve. Understandably at the time, most young men were made to kill and die young because of mandatory drafting.
Yet, I find it to be the responsibility of a person who places themselves in uncertain and dangerous circumstances when they flee their protected barrier.
Bergdahl wants to now claim he has schizotypal personality disorder to protect him from enduring a life in prison, but he was not diagnosed with this before he deserted. I find it to be one of the most coward like behaviors one can implicit, especially since we live in days were a person has the CHOICE and PRIVILEGE to join the military or not. In modern times training, lectures and goals are much different than they once were decades ago, so Bergdahl was much more properly trained than maybe those in the 1960's. Trying to diagnose oneself all of a sudden with a mental disorder for your actions is unacceptable, it is forgivable, but should be given great consequence.
If we do not punish those who commit these actions it can influence another future military member or a group of military members to make a reckless choice that will not only effect them, but others for no good reason. It is greedy, destructive and unsafe. I am not the biggest Trump supporter which is very evident throughout my blog posts, but I do admire and respect his attitude toward this matter. It is coward like, not only was Bergdahl a traitor to his brothers but to his country. Bergdahl deserves the maximum sentenced legal punishment for what he has created. As General Colin Powell said, "No battle plan survives contact with the enemy".
Comments
Although the event of his absence occurred eight years ago, the desperate legal effects can still be observed today, considering how current the decision of his case was.
I believe this article brings about, less-so a moral question about whether he should receive prison time, but more-so a question about the U.S. justice system. Is there a way to tighten the system to prevent loopholes, such as faking a mental illness?
Not being a doctor, I cannot determine whether he truly suffers from a schizotypal personality disorder, but it absolutely gave him better grounds to fight his case. It is unfortunate how the legal process can involve so many technicalities instead of looking at direct facts.
This is an issue that goes the reverse direction as well.
For example, this BBC article (Ian Brady: How easy is it to fake mental illness?) from a few years ago discusses whether Ian Brady suffered from paranoid schizophrenia when he murdered five children, among a few other similar cases. There seems to be a pattern that medical professionals often accept mental illnesses as legitimate more than legal and government officials. This can often cause a disconnect between the sentencing and the facts of the case itself.
Roger Graef, a professor from Manheim Centre for Criminology refers to the mental evaluation process as “a game” that “really smart people understand…and play…”
I can’t say that he’s wrong.