Army PFC Robert Bowdrei Bergdahl walked off his post in Afghanistan on June 30, 2009. An Associated Press article says he was immediately captured and held by the Taliban until his release on May 31, 2014, in exchange for the release of five Taliban prisoners. Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), the Army charged Bergdahl with one count of "desertion with intent to shirk important or hazardous duty" and one count of "misbehavior before the enemy by endangering the safety of a command, unit or place." Both charges carry a penalty of death, or punishment as a court-martial may direct.

In December 2014, Bergdahl's case was referred to a four-star general for a possible court-martial, after an investigation that August by Major General Kenneth Dahl. During the investigation, Bergdahl told investigators that he left his position in June 2009 to report on "misconduct in his unit" and that he had intended to return quickly.

Bergdahl received an "uncharacterized discharge" for "psychological reasons" from the Coast Guard in 2006 after 26 days of basic training. The army accepted him in 2008, and after graduation from infantry school at Fort Benning, he was based at Fort Richardson, Alaska. His unit deployed in May 2009 to Afghanistan. According to fellow soldier Spc. Jason Fry, "Bergdahl was a quiet loner. He was isolated by choice from his fellow soldiers; for instance, instead of socializing with his comrades during Thanksgiving, he studied maps of Afghanistan." Bergdahl told Fry before their deployment to Afghanistan, "If this deployment is lame, I'm just going to walk off into the mountains of Pakistan."

The morning Bergdahl was discovered missing, soldiers in his platoon said his equipment was found neatly stacked, with his compass missing. Cody Full, a member of Bergdahl's platoon, said "He knowingly deserted and put thousands of people in danger because of what he did. We swore to an oath and we upheld ours. He did not." Full said that Bergdahl had mailed his computer and other possessions home prior to his disappearance.

There is a lot of information about Bergdahl in the media and on the internet. There is an email published on Wikipedia that Bergdahl sent to his parents on June 27, 2009, where he said he was "ashamed to be an American," and called his battalion commander a "conceited old fool." There is news about court-martial judge Army Col. Jeffery Nance about his decision not to allow evidence about any service members that were injured while searching for Bergdahl. He wrote "the risk is too great that such evidence would spur military jurors to act on emotion rather than logic."

So, begs the question: What's next? Bergdahl admittedly walked away from his post, which violates sections of the UCMJ for desertion, and for misbehavior before the enemy. Being that he was captured and kept as a prisoner, has he been punished enough? From the death penalty to a presidential pardon, his case will be decided in a court-martial trial.

I'm sure that many of you vets and active service members will agree that he violated our sacred duty of enlistment. How many of you deserted your post, even if you thought it might have been the best alternative rather than continue with the mission? Serving in the infantry like Bergdahl, and as an advisor to an Iraqi infantry company, I can relate to his feelings. Missions were terrifying, not knowing who would be coming back. In fact, on two occasions we found insurgents in our ranks, reported to us by our Iraqi counterparts. Returning to our base after a mission, seeing Old Glory waving in the breeze, we knew that we honorably and courageously did our duty. We lament those who were wounded, maimed, or KIA. Those of us who were fortunate enough to come back home to our families and friends, we are eternally grateful, remembering those who gave it all, and wondering what they would be doing now.

I wonder how Bergdahl feels about members of his unit that were sent on numerous search operations to find him, where several lives were lost. Such is war, but the troopers were tasked to look for a deserter, who was one of their team, and many paid the price.

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Jack Evensizer is a resident of Dalton Gardens.