SAN ANTONIO—Bowe Bergdahl said he walked away from his post in Afghanistan six years ago because he thought he could bring attention to what he felt were serious problems with his unit’s leadership, the officer who led the investigation of the Army sergeant’s disappearance testified Friday.
Maj. Gen. Kenneth Dahl told the packed courtroom at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio that Bergdahl felt the problems were so severe that they put his platoon in danger.
Dahl said Bergdahl planned to head from his post to the forward operating base roughly 19 miles away. He expected to arrive after a search had been launched and thought this would create a “PR event” that might get a general to listen to him speak about the problems.
“He felt it was his duty to intervene,” said Dahl, who later added that he doesn’t think Bergdahl should go to prison.
Bergdahl was captured by the Taliban after leaving his post on June 30, 2009, and was held until last year, when he was exchanged for five Taliban commanders being held at the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. His commanding officers in Afghanistan testified Thursday about the grueling 45-day search for Bergdahl, saying it put other soldiers in danger.
