The Story Behind #bowebergdahl

#bowebergdahl refers to US Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl who, in 2009, left his base in the Paktika Province near the Pakistan border and was soon captured by the Afghan Taliban. He was held by the Taliban for five years until 2014 when the U.S. traded his release for five Taliban Guantanamo prisoners. Since his release there has been a lot of controversy about whether Bergdahl is a traitor or not. The very popular podcast called “Serial” focused their entire second season on Bergdahl’s story. The season finale was at the end of March and the close of the season got people talking about Bergdahl and taking sides on whether he was a traitor and made a big mistake or was trying to reveal something about military leadership. On the show Bergdahl says he left to try to reach another U.S. base 18 miles away to persuade the General there that his base’s leadership had failed and soldier lives were in danger because of it. Some listeners tweeted that the podcast showed Bergdahl’s side of the story well and showed his perspective and “held a mirror to the military.” But, others were angry with Bergdahls decision and thought he deserved the charges he received from the U.S. military court, including the charge of desertion.

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