More than half of respondents to a Military Times survey believe that Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl should be court-martialed.
Bergdahl was released from Taliban captivity May 31 in a trade for five Taliban commanders held at the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. They were released to the government of Qatar, where they must stay for a year.
The Army is investigating how Bergdahl was captured by the Taliban in 2009. He has been accused of leaving his post in Afghanistan without authorization, and since his release, his fellow service members have claimed that troops died searching for him.
This week, Bergdahl was returned to “regular duty,” a status change that means investigators can now question him about the circumstances that led to his disappearance and capture.
An unscientific Military Times poll conducted July 15-17, asked readers what the military should do with Bergdahl now that he has finished his Army-led reintegration process.
Of the more than 4,400 people who responded, 60 percent selected the “court-martial him” option.
Of the remaining respondents:
Roughly 9 percent selected “separate him immediately with a lesser discharge”
About 8 percent responded that the Army should “separate him immediately with an honorable discharge”
About 7 percent chose “let him finish his current enlistment, then honorably discharge him”
About 15 percent were not sure what the Army should do with Bergdahl.
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