Not in the same sentence, please.
We know what deserters look like, we don’t need the comparison.
2 1/2 more years of this.
Personally, I think it is an insult to York’s legacy to even make the comparison.
Something tells me Baby Bowe’s parents never showed him a dvd of “Sergeant York.” I’m old enough to have sat up for it on the Late, Late, Late, Late Show (2:30am).
The opening line of this article is wrong. They were not both sergeants.
Bergdahl was a PFC, and his promotions came after he deserted. The military treated him as a POW and POWs are automatically promoted at the time they are eligible. That is standard policy.
An example is Matt Maupin, who truly was taken captive and eventually executed. I believe during the time before his exact situation was known that he was promoted from Specialist to Staff Sergeant. His service, however, was honorable.
Cpl York, on the other hand, was a soldier in good standing who was legitimately promoted to sergeant.
How does someone of his caliber make Sergent?
Let us conduct a D-Day thought experiment. What if, in 1948, with the NAZI, and other Axis leaders, in complete and secure Spandau Prison custody, Harry Truman, would have suspended, the Nuremberg War Criminal Trials? What if, after a few months, Harry Truman, had conducted a prisoner exchange with Switzerland, for Martin Bormann, Admiral Dornitz, Rudolf Hess, Heinrich Himmler, and Joseph Goebbels? And what if the prisoner, that we got in exchange for these top leaders was Tokyo Rose?
What do you think that Dwight D. Eisenhower would do? What would General Happ Arnold do? What would Douglas McArthur Do? What would General Omar Bradley do? What would Private Ernie Pyle do? What would Walter Cronkite do? Do you think that they would put on all their medals, or put on a tuxedo, and share the same room with Harry Truman? Shake hands, sip cocktails, break bread?
When you, over the next few days, listen to politicians, Generals, Ambassadors, commentators, potentates, and others, extoll the virtues of the “Greatest Generation” realize, that NONE OF THESE POSERS is even fit, to mention the name of a Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, Happ Arnold, or even the lowest buck private that cleaned the latrines back on base. They are worse than the dregs of history. They are Taliban Quislings.
Very weak start to a very weak comparison.
This article is long but a must read on this entire Bergdahl scandal.
Awesome read. Thanks for posting.
He’s no Audie Murphy either.
He is portrayed as sensitive and enlightened —sickened by war, and therefor more noble. Contrasted to York, another sensitive guy with little like for war, York does his duty and this slime ball deserts.
Even if he would have claimed new found contentious objector status, took the heat, went through that fought process, he would not be viewed as low as he became. Violated his oath, walked out, collaborated, and then promoted to hide his failed character. A true progressive youth.
“This is a fundamental culture clash. Team Obama and its base cannot comprehend the values still cherished by those young Americans “so dumb” they joined the Army instead of going to prep school and then to Harvard.”
Great post! Thank you.
JT
Alvin York could have just deserted over to the enemy and help kill Americans and he would have been promoted to Sergeant just like the traitor Bowe Bergdahl did......
Promoted twice mind you while helping the enemy.