For father of released POW, growing a beard and studying captors defined the years

Washington Post ^ | 6/3/14 | Todd Frankel

[Persevero]

Bob Henley, former pastor at the(ir) Presbyterian Church of the Big Wood, recalled how friends periodically would ask Bergdahl if he hadn’t crossed some line, if he hadn’t succumbed to some form of the captive-bonding Stockholm syndrome.

But Bergdahl assured his friends he was just doing whatever he could to ensure his son’s release. “I guess you really had to be in his shoes,” Henley said.

The five-year waittook a toll on both of his parents, according to friends and others .

Bergdahl is fiercely intelligent, friends said, yet he dropped out of college, going to Idaho with his wife in 1980 after studying at the University of California at Santa Barbara. He taught himself Pashto. He is religious, at one point making the 300-mile round trip a couple of times a month to attend an Orthodox Presbyterian church in Boise with his family.

Bergdahhas said he grew his beard as a chronology marking the time that his son was missing. Bergdahl also did it in a bid to win sympathy from his son’s captors.

At the time their son was taken, the Bergdahls were attending a conservative Presbyterian church in Boise. Glenn Ferrell was the pastor.(H)e talked at length with Bergdahl, as the father questioned and probed his own beliefs to reach some understanding of the radical Islam driving the Taliban.

Bergdahl also talked with Mark Stephensen, a board member of the National League of POW/MIA Families, who lives in Boise. Stephensen’s father was a Vietnam War MIA for 21 years. Stephensen saw how Bergdahl had changed his appearance and altered his interests to align with his son’s experience.

“I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt,” Stephensen said, “because, by the grace of God, I wasn’t in his position.”

[Persevero]

“You shoul dbe concerned about what this guy did, the loss of American lives, the five maniacs that monster in Washington released.”

I am absolutely concerned about all of the above.

Also innocence before guilt, “handling,” delicate negotiations, mental cracks, and inconsistent reports which do not come together to make any sense.

I don’t understand this situation.

[Persevero]

If he deserted his post in a war zone, I agree, unless it’s proven that he went bonkers or something.

I don’t defend desertion.

[Mr. K]

"Bergdahl is fiercely intelligent..."

But forgets how to speak English, so his father has to recite a Muslim Prayer at the White house for him...

I guess he's now a muslim too?

[Black Agnes]

So if the dad grew the beard to curry favor with the ‘captors’, why didn’t he cut it when the son was free?

It’s no easy task to maintain one of those btw. I’m kin to duck dynasty types. You have to want to have that beard.

[Persevero]

“And the father had the nerve to thank allah at OUR WHITEHOUSE. “

Not defending it. Just trying to figure out WHY. It doesn’t make sense to me. Thinking there is more to the story than meets the eye.

[Persevero]

“6 KIA because Bowe did a walk around with the Taliban. Explain that to the 5 year olds who have and never will have their fathers.”

I acknowledged that in my opening post thing and will continue to do so. I have nothing but respect for those soldiers and do not support their death AT ALL.

[Mr. K]

Just ask the admin moderator to fix the title

[don-o]

What do you do with the statements of his comrades in arms, who would have taken a bullet for him? Are you reading and understanding what they are saying?

btw, congrats - the mods had mercy and changed the title for you.

[Persevero]

Um. .. how do I do that? Pinged to moderator. . .

[Persevero]

“What do you do with the statements of his comrades in arms, who would have taken a bullet for him? “

I give them credence. I would not dismiss them.

I think they are telling the truth, as they know it and see it.

Why did he walk off base? I don’t know. But he walked off. That’s pretty clear to all.

[nascarnation]

I just thought he was a Duck Dynasty fan....

[Tennessee Nana]

He taught himself Pashto.
_____________________________________

Why ???? and when ???

[BuckeyeTexan]

The only, and I mean ONLY, thing in his defense on that one is the intercepted Taliban communications reported by Michael Hastings in that 2009 Rolling Stone article.

The Taliban seemed to think Bergdahl was a big fish based on the size of, extent of, and resources dedicated to the military search to recover him. That’s what saved his life. They thought we would play ball ... and eventually we did.

[Tennessee Nana]

Bergdahhas said he grew his beard as a chronology marking the time that his son was missing.
___________________________________________

isn’t that what a calendar is for ???

[SZonian]

admin moderator...

that other mod_erator addy is supposedly the dead mail office...

[Sacajaweau]

I have to think there's some kind of code mixed in between the father and son and the Taliban. Someone needs to look for it.

I think the mother knows about the code but doesn't know the code herself.

The son sent some boxes home just before taking off. He said to use them. Them what??

[Old North State]

I think the father is irrelevant and would have stayed irrelevant if Obama had not cooked up the Rode Garden stunt. It backfired and now the media is in full deflection mode. What many of us are concerned about is that the careerists in the Army and the administration will try to sweep this under the rug with a bunch of feel good publicity.
Bergdahl needs to face the music for what he did to his unit and Obama must be held accountable for the mess he made by negotiating with terrorists.

[Mike Darancette]

He enabled his son’s self destructive actions; that is not intelligent.

[blueunicorn6]

Thank you for making me a better person.

[BuckeyeTexan]

BUMP!