A former Navy SEAL who helped lead a search for Idaho U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl after the soldier deserted his Afghanistan post said Wednesday he knew that Americans would be killed or hurt in trying to find him.
During a sentencing hearing for Bergdahl at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, James Hatch said everyone knew that Bergdahl had walked off his post, but there was no question thatch and his team would look for a fellow American. Hatch, a former senior chief petty officer, was shot in the leg during the mission that was launched about a week after Bergdahl abandoned his outpost in Afghanistan in 2009.
The 31-year-old Bergdahl, who was captured and held by the Taliban for five years, pleaded guilty last week to charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. He faces a potential life sentence on the misbehavior charge.
Prosecutors are attempting to show that Bergdahl’s decision to walk away put soldiers at risk.
His disappearance triggered a massive manhunt and diverted resources from other parts of the war.
As a candidate President Donald Trump called Bergdahl a traitor. Army Colonel Jeffery Nance, the military judge, said he has not yet ruled on a defense motion to dismiss the case on the grounds that Trump’s comments prevent Bergdahl from getting a fair sentence. (USA Today)
