French Foreign Legion turned away Bergdahl
SAN ANTONIO — Before former prisoner of war Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was thrown out of the Coast Guard, he flew all the way to Paris to join the French Foreign Legion.
The flight to Europe was the start of a long journey that has taken him to San Antonio and a possible military trial that could land himin prison for life.
Bergdahl’s comments were part of a transcript with his investigator, then-Maj. Gen. Kenneth Dahl, that defense attorneys released Wednesdaynight.
“The reason for the French Foreign Legion was — I’ll be honest, it was an adventurous sounding idea. I have always wanted to travel, and I have always wanted to learn languages. And I have always had that interest of expanding my experience and understanding of the world,” he told Dahl, who is now a three-star general based at Joint Base San Antonio-- Fort Sam Houston.
“Unfortunately, I went all the way to Paris. I went to the fort and I tried to check in. They did a physical on me and they told me because of my eyes they wouldn’t take me, which was honestly, kind of, a little bit of relief because by the time I got over there it was way overwhelming. I was there. I didn’t speak any French or anything like that. I was relieved. Honestly, I was relieved.”
Bergdahl faces apossible life sentence if convicted on charges of misbehavior before the enemy and desertion after walking off Observation Post Mest in eastern Afghanistan near midnight on June 30, 2009.
Concerned about problems in his battalion, he planned to run 19 miles to another post to trigger a massive search that would get him a face-to-face meeting with a general to discuss the issues. Then a private first class, he was captured by Taliban fighters 10 to 12 hours later and held prisoner nearly five years.
The Obama administration’s exchange of five Taliban prisoners to win his freedom drew outrage mainly from Republican politicians and widespread public criticism.
Bergdahl’s attorney, Eugene Fidell, declined to comment when asked what the transcript said about Bergdahl’s mental state, or why he felt he should release documents that had been sealed by the military. He recently told the Express-News that mentalhealth issues could be used as adefense.
However, a sanity board said Bergdahl was fit to stand trial and that “he was able to appreciate the nature and quality and wrongfulness of his conduct.”