Bowe Bergdahl may have been the Taliban’s “golden” prisoner – but as the search effort for him dragged on under dangerous and grueling conditions, fellow soldiers decided they’d kill him if they found him.
The second episode of the popular podcast “Serial,” which is focused on Bergdahl’s alleged desertion from the army in 2009 and subsequent five-year captivity with the Taliban, dug into the terrorist organization’s side of the story and how his disappearance affected the US military.
“A dead soldier was worth nothing, but he was captured alive,” one Taliban member, who radio host Sarah Koenig called Mujaheed Rahman, said on Thursday’s episode. “He was like a golden chicken.”
The Taliban considered Bergdahl a gift from God — and initially thought he was more than just a sergeant due to the massive search effort that was launched in the days following his disappearance.
When asked if Bergdahl was worth the dozen or more Taliban militants who were killed in raids by the army, Rahman said he thought he was “worth maybe 5,000 individuals.”
Terrorist cells worked hard to evade American troops desperately trying to find Bergdahl — using various code words to refer to their new prisoner, who they later referred to as their “guest,” as they smuggled him through the Afghani countryside.
“Hour by hour we were changing location. We were changing Bergdahl’s dress and we were changing our dress,” Rahman said, adding that they came in close contact with American ground forces numerous times.
But as the Taliban made arrangements to get Bergdahl to one of their affiliates in Pakistan — a sovereign nation — US troops spent 45 days on non-stop missions to find their missing soldier.
“It was hell on earth,” recalled Darryl Hanson, one of Bergdahl’s fellow platoon members who was one of hundreds of soldiers who endured sleepless nights, soiled undergarments, rotten socks and sores all over their bodies in the searches.
Morale sagged as the days went on, but anger was on the rise — as more and more soldiers felt increasingly hostility towards Bergdahl.
“I think a lot of us would have shot him,” Hanson said. “I truly say that with all sincerity. We have that much hate for him.”
Their anger didn’t only stem from the grueling conditions they were working under during the search effort – they were also putting their lives on the line daily.
Mike Waltz, a former Army Special Forces officer who ran multiple missions after Bergdahl went missing, said commanders would send troops out on a tip before they had time to vet the information.
“There was just no time to check on it,” he said. “We just went. And I can’t overemphasize how dangerous that was.”
Unlike last week’s episode, which told the background of Bergdahl’s story and featured his first interview since he was returned to the US last year in a controversial prisoner swap, Bergdahl is only featured a few times.
He refuted several claims made by the Taliban members — including that he was brought to a winery to “boost his morale” and that he was welcomed to Pakistan by a traditional dance done by the terrorists.
Instead, he described his first moments in the Taliban’s custody — blindfolded and then covered with a blanket while he was slapped for being American with rocks thrown at him.
He said he tried and failed to escape once, but soon went into “survival mode.”
“Doesn’t matter how many kung-fu movies you watch, doesn’t matter how long you’re a martial arts fighter,” he said. “These people, they have no hesitation, they have no problem killing you. They will kill you just for the amusement of being able to shoot you.”
The second episode of the series comes just days after the army announced Bergdahl would face a court-martial proceeding on charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy, which carries a possible life sentence.
Koenig opened the episode with the news, but said it’s clear the army isn’t all on the same page about Bergdahl.
She pointed out that the army’s prosecutor, Kenneth Dahl, had said jail time would be “inappropriate” following hours of interviews with Bergdahl and other witnesses.
“It’s almost as if those military officials who have come into close contact with Bowe are ready to forgive him, while the army as an institution continues to be furious,” Koenig said.