The Only Winner – The Taliban

To the Editor:
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl of the U.S. Army was exchanged for five prisoners of war America held at Guantanamo Bay. He was released in exchange for five terrorists dedicated to destroying America. Two are both combatants and religious teachers of extreme Islam; the other three are combatants and believers. The only accurate description of this exchange came from Afghan Taliban leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar. He declared it “a big victory for the Taliban.”
A 2010 Pentagon investigation concluded that in 2009 Bergdahl walked away from his unit in Afghanistan. It was reported he e-mailed his parents that he was ashamed to be an American. If he were an individual of moral character, he would have gone to his Unit Commander and said, “I cannot fight this war” and accepted the consequences. Instead, he left his post and put fellow Americans at risk.
Rear Admiral John Kirby, spokesman for the U.S. Pentagon, thinks Bergdahl has been sufficiently punished. He said that being held captive for five years is a “pretty high price to pay after walking off a base.” He is completely wrong. The high price was paid by honorable U.S. military personnel named Martinek, Curtiss, Bowen, Walker, Murphrey and Andrews, all killed in missions to locate and free Bergdahl. Others, as yet unnamed by the Pentagon, were also killed or wounded searching for him. Let Kirby and Obama tell the families and friends of these American heroes that this prisoner swap was the right thing to do.
The other big losers from this fiasco are the American people. Obama returned five, senior-level Taliban to the battlefield during war. Even if they are kept in Qatar for 12 months as Obama bragged, they will continue to work with other terrorists to kill Americans both on and off the battlefields.
Will the Army and Congress do the right thing? The Pentagon’s 2010’s findings about Bergdahl and the need to determine if he has or is collaborating with America’s enemies demand an immediate court martial. Some say Obama broke the law by not giving Congress the 30-day notice required before any prisoner exchange. That pales as to why impeachment hearings must be held now. Obama has committed treason; he helped our country’s enemies during war by releasing these five, Taliban fighters. He must pay the price for this betrayal.
My fellow citizens, do not accept words, demand actions. Do not allow politics to override these crimes, as it has so often overridden putting America and Americans first during this Administration. Stand up for America and the right things to do. Call and write Congress. Insist that we be put ahead of politics; insist on immediate military and Congressional action, a court martial for Bergdahl and an impeachment trial for Obama.