The Army judicial process is deciding the fate of Sergeant Bernie Bergdahl, the soldier who was captured by the Taliban and released in a prisoner exchange.
Headlines report how outraged Senator McCain is that Army is recommending that sergeant Bernie Bergdahl not be charged with desertion, not be given a prison sentence, and not be given a punitive discharge.
While Lieutenant Commander McCain was a POW he was broken under torture. He then signed propaganda statements and made propaganda broadcasts for the North Vietnamese.
When he was released at the end of the Vietnam War, the Navy judicial system was very understand, generous, and forgiving.
Not only was he not prosecuted, he was so effectively shielded that during his presidential campaign his psychological fitness for office because of the trauma of being broken under torture was never raised as an issue not meaningfully discussed.
Instead of condemning the Army, Senator McCain should be commending them for showing Sergeant Bergdahl the same compassion the Navy showed Senator McCain.
My readers are free to use anything in this blog in any way without attribution.
I consider what I post to be background research and talking points. I would be honored if others found something useful for their work.
If you wish to acknowledge me, please ask me me before doing so.
This is for me to practice my writing and blogging skills so please ignore grammar, spelling, formatting and other errors.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Good points.
ReplyDelete