For about 5 years, you could not pass
through the city of Haley withot
noticing all the yellow ribbons,
the yellow balloons and yellow s
calling for the return of Bowe Bergdahl.
There even some scattered around Boise
around the state capital Bowe Bergdahl's
the Army soldier from Blaine Coy
who was captured in Afghanistan by the
Taliban in 2009 and finally returned in
a prisoner exchange in 2014. Of course,
there was a lot more to it than that,
and Bergdahl was eventually charged, tried,
and convicted after investigation into
how he became a captive of the Taliban.
But that wouldn't be the end of it either,
because a couple of years ago
Bergdahl filed the lawsuit to gt
that court martial conviction voided.
And yesterday a federal judge did just that,
vacating the 2017 conviction bad
on a potential conflict of intet
with the presiding military jud.
Apparently that judge didn't
disclose the fact he applied to be an
immigration judge with within tn
President Trump's executive bra,
and that posed a problem Bergdas
attorney claimed because of the public
comments Trump made about Bergd.
Now that part that Trump's comments may
have influenced the outcome of the trial,
that part was denied by the appellate judge.
But that failure,
failure to disclose a conflict
of interest part.
That is why Bowe Bergdahl's
desertion and misbehavior beforn
enemy conviction is no longer s.
Now what?
Well,
before we get to that,
it might be worth revisiting
through the KTVB archives how
Bowe Bergdahl got to this point.
Born in the Wood River Valley,
the second child to Jenny and Bob Bergdahl,
Bo grew up spending a lot of time outdoors.
He joined the Army in June of 2,
was stationed at Fort Richardson
Alaska within four months of th,
and by February of 2009 he
was deployed to Afghanistan.
Then, on the last day of June,
Bowe Bergdahl went missing.
The message to you
people Americans first learned
about his capture. Yes,
to my fellow Americans who
have loved ones over here with
the first images released by
the Taliban of Private First
Class Bowe Bergdahl's appeal,
you have the power to make our government
bring them home on July 18th, 2.
Please, please bring us home.
Early reports offered little
insight as to how he got there,
a five year ordeal that began
19 days earlier, on June 30th,
Bergdahl came off patrol,
dropped off his weapon and body armor,
then gathered up a couple of war
bottles, a compass and a knife,
and left the base alone.
Pentagon sources tell NBC's
Jim Miklaszewski that Bergdahl
disappeared when he went to
meet Afghans he had befriended.
That's when the Taliban grabbed.
Proof of identity came with the
proof of life video, which U.S.
officials immediately called propaganda.
Well, I'm scared. Scared I
won't be able to go home.
It is very unnerving to be prisr
July 18th. A video surfaces on e
Internet showing Bergdahl out of uniform.
We hear him choking back tears s
he talks about his family in Ha.
I miss them and I'm afraid thatI
might never see them again a day later.
Please bring us home so that we can be
back where we belong and not over here,
wasting our time in our lives.
The Pentagon confirms it is Berl
and lists him as missing. Captu.
Our commanders are sparing no
effort to find this young soldi.
His hometown of Haley quickly
becomes a national backdrop as a
from all over the country tell s
story, putting up yellow ribbon.
Well, as long as he's alive, of course.
I certainly hope. And so that's,
that's what we're holding out f,
is that he will, he will be released. While
Bo's parents remain secluded.
The president makes it clear
they are not forgotten. We
are doing everything we can.
I can't talk in detail about
he's spoken to his family.
I have not spoken to his
family at this point.
Simply because we want to make
sure that before we do, we
have something to tell him within days.
This is great, great show of
community support, but it's
all about family. Friends and neighbors
hold a vigil to bring Bo back.
America, please continue to pray
with us for Bo for the servicemn
and women. Nearly a year later,
another video surfaces.
I miss them. I love them and I
pray to God to see them again.
He would see them again, but nor
almost another four years. Sittg
in a pickup truck, we get our
first clear image of Sergeant
Bowe Bergdahl in 3 1/2 years.
He's clean shaven and appears in
fairly good physical condition.
Bergdahl, promoted to
Sergeant while in captivity,
would be released on May 31st,
2014 in exchange for five
Taliban leaders held by America.
Five years is a seemingly endless long time,
but you've made it. Freedom
is yours. I will see you soon, my beloved
son. And there's a lot of excitement in town.
I mean, it's it's really all about that
family and both service to the country. Plans
for a party began immediately. t
is going to be one huge party
the likes of which Haley has never seen. But
it's one they wouldn't see,
because as details of how Bergdl
became a prisoner of war were released,
of walking away from his post to
draw attention to what he perced
as problems in military leaders.
Emotions about Bergdahl's
return became mixed.
No yellow ribbons and POW signs taken down,
and many outside Idaho have spon
out seeking justice against him.
That attempt at justice would ce
less than a month after Bergdahl
arrives back home on American s.
In June 2014, the Army announces it will
investigate Bergdahl's disappearance.
In August, Bergdahl waives his
right to remain silent and answs
questions from Army investigato.
The charges announced today agat
Bergdahl come ten months after the Haley
Sergeant was released in a controversial
prisoner exchange for five Talin
commanders held at Guantanamo B.
He was charged with desertion
and misbehavior before the enemy
carries, a maximum potential pey
of a dishonorable discharge,
reduction to the rank of E1,
total forfeiture of all paying allowances,
and possible confinement for li.
Bergdahl would plead guilty ande
would face a court martial in 2.
Bergdahl spoke on the stand fore
two hours, detailing his capturd
the five years spent in captivi.
He also said he knew the desertn
from his post resulted in the injuries
of a handful of soldiers who searched
for him. He said he wants to tae
responsibility for his role in
what happened and that's why he
was offering that apology today.
On November 3rd, 2017,
instead of time in prison,
Bergdahl gets a dishonorable discharge,
a demotion, and a $1000 forfeiture in pay.
Then, in February of 2021,
Bergdahl believes he has grounds
to have his verdict thrown out.
We get Bergdahl, we get a trait,
we get a no good traitor.
The 16 page complaint claims tht
former President Donald Trump
and Senator John McCain use ther
influence to affect this trial,
and that a judge involved in the case
failed to disclose that he had applied
for a job in Trump's Departmentf
Justice as an immigration judged
denied that there was any outsie
pressure on him during his rulig
and as a result denied him a far
trial before an impartial judges
guaranteed by the 5th Amendment.