U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the final remaining captured American soldier, has been released.

U.S. Army soldier Bowe Bergdahl has recently been released from capture, after being held captive by Taliban insurgents for five years. The U.S. released five prisoners from Guantanamo Bay in exchange for Bergdahl.  The prisoners are: Abdul Haq Wasiq, Mullah Norullah , Khairullah Khairkhwa, Mohammed Nabi, Mohammad Fazl (all are former high ranking Taliban officials, and are straight up bad dudes).

The White House released the following statement on the matter:

“Today the American people are pleased that we will be able to welcome home Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, held captive for nearly five years. On behalf of the American people, I was honored to call his parents to express our joy that they can expect his safe return, mindful of their courage and sacrifice throughout this ordeal. Today we also remember the many troops held captive and whom remain missing or unaccounted for in America’s past wars. Sergeant Bergdahl’s recovery is a reminder of America’s unwavering commitment to leave no man or woman in uniform behind on the battlefield. And as we find relief in Bowe’s recovery, our thoughts and prayers are with those other Americans whose release we continue to pursue. . . .”

It’s a great moment to have a soldier return home after being a POW; however, I’m afraid that Bowe’s welcoming will be short lived. For many people in the country, outside of the ardent military news followers, the most surprising aspect of this story isn’t that Sergeant Bergdhal’s has been release, it’s that there was still even a capture American soldier in the first place. The wars of today are not like the wars of yesterday. In WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, etc, the entire nation was enthralled in the affairs of the military and wars. But today? Many people wear t-shirts, and have bumper stickers on their cars, but people in this country are not as effected, and affected, by the wars as they used to be. If you’re been following the news, it means that Bergdahl is coming home to a country that is politically torn apart, fighting its way out of a recession, and that after five years in the care of the Taliban, he’ll be coming home to receive VA care from a broken system.

We went to war with Afghanistan because the Taliban were allowing terrorists to freely train under their tutelage, protection, and control. Now we are releasing five high ranking Taliban insurgents. We will be leaving Afghanistan in a matter of years, and Bergdahl, along with his fellow veterans, is coming home to a country that had forgotten about him, forgotten about the war, and to a government that sees its veterans as nothing more than a strain on the bank account. Many are talking about Bergdahl’s release, but we cannot allow it to distract us from the issues facing veterans and how it is, and why, we got ourselves into this mess in the first place.

But that’s not the end of it.  There have been rumors for years that Bergdahl wasn’t a POW, but was instead a deserter.  There are stories that Bergdahl willing walked off base.  That he was anti-American and a traitor.  Many people are saying that because of this he didn’t deserve to come home, that he shouldn’t have been rescued and that he certainly shouldn’t have been traded for known terrorists.  These are all good, valid points; however, these people are missing one important thing.  Bergdahl is an American soldier, and the facts are that we don’t know the facts.  The American justice system works on the notion: Innocent Until Proven Guilty.  Many people are willing to hang Bergdahl before the full truth is known.  Those people are misguided.  At the moment, Bergdahl is an American soldier who was a POW, who was held against his will (he tried to escape several times), and who withstood harsher conditions than 99.9% of American’s could ever understand, or grasp.  If he’s guilty of desertion, sure, absolutely, give him a dishonorable discharge, but he’s still an American, and he’s still warranted the basic American principle of Innocent Until Proven Guilty.  Because if we don’t live by our principles, then what were we fighting for over there?  I fought, I’ve been there, and it’s these basic principles that men and women have fought and died for. It’s moments like these which test our country most.

–Photo: U.S. Army/Flickr

In the hunt for masculinity and being a better man, there is, unfortunately, no escaping the politics associated with “Masculinity.” We often hear politicians bickering back and forth, claiming that one has moor hutzpah than the other (read: bigger balls) and the debates go ad infinitum. This can readily be seen in New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. Christie is a man known for his “bullying tactics,” both in rhetoric and actions. But more than just Christie, it shows the divisive, bullying, trying-to-be-masculine-but-not-really, nature that politics has taken.

We hear it all the time—send the troops to war, invade this country, invade that country, but the politician with the strong so-called “Masculine” demeanor is never the one doing the fighting, they’re just the one sending people to do the fighting. Yet, it’s these politicians who talk a big-game who are often referred to as “Masculine.” Case in point, again: Chris Christie. Brit Hume, a political analyst for Fox News, described Christie as an, “old fashioned masculine muscular guy.” Christie is the same politician who once verbally berated decorated Navy SEAL William Brown. Christie called Brown an “idiot,” and had him escorted out of a town hall debate.

Let me repeat that… Chris Christie had a decorated Navy SEAL escorted out of a public town hall debate and referred to the guy as an “idiot.”

Now, obviously, a Navy SEAL cannot actually be bullied by the likes of Chris Christie, but it’s the fact of the matter that such a political culture exists where we have politicians trying to bully SEALs, because they may not agree with their “Masculine,” ideas and politics. After being escorted out of the building William Brown even had this to say about Christie: “I think he’s a bully sometimes.”

A veteran, someone who has put his life on the line for his country, is talked down to by who… a politician. And the politician is the one being described as an “old fashioned masculine muscular guy.” Too often nowadays we mistake loud voices for strong voices. We mistake the politics of “wanting to go to war,” with the strength that it actually takes to “fight in a war.” The ones who want to take away help for the poor are laundered through the media as “tough,” and “fatherly,” while the ones who want to help the poor are described as “weak,” and “babying.”

Now, the whole point of this isn’t merely to berated Christie as a bully, but it just so happens that he is the epitome of the so-called “masculine-politics” that’s being pushed on us by the media. Which brings us to the video.

In this video, Bill Maher tears apart the so-called “masculinity” that politicians are trying to portray these days. The video starts off with a topical discussion about President Obama stating that he wouldn’t want his kid to play in the NFL, and then quickly dives into Christie and the other divisive nature of masculine-politics. Enjoy!

–Photo: Marsmet471/Flickr

Top 5 war and veterans articles of 2013.

It’s that time of the year again, to look at all we’ve accomplished (or failed to accomplish) in the passing year. In the army, this is similar to doing an After Action Review (AAR) whereas after completing a mission, everyone mentions what they think went well and what needs improvement. For the new War & Veterans section of GMP, these articles are some of what has gone well…

5) Soldiers and PTSD, Part 1: Going Vegan

“There is no reverse basic training to teach us how to come home.” In this article, Iraq War veteran Michael Anthony, explores PTSD, and how it affects soldiers in their lives back home. Anthony interviews veteran Timothy Scott and together they discuss how veganism saved Scott from his struggles with PTSD. If you missed this article and know someone with PTSD definitely give it a read.

4) My Dad: Vietnam Veteran & Man in the 21st Century

“The war was not tough on me except for one day, the TET offensive.” In this piece, Air Force veteran, and GMP contributor, Sara Freeman shares a touching interview with her Vietnam veteran father, Gary. Gary shares insights into what the war was like for him, what it was like coming home from war, and what he sees in today’s veterans. It’s a must read if you have family that served in the Vietnam War.3) Dead Men Don’t Count in War

“Yes, I care about the needless death of women and children. But I also care about the needless death of the men who fight them.” In this short, yet moving piece, Psychotherapist Dr. Phil Tyson explores the different feelings associated with death in war. Give it a read if you’re curious whether it matters who dies in war–men, women, children. 2) When Does a War Truly End?

“Like the unexploded ordnance buried in the woods, or land mines long forgotten, war touches us long after the last soldier is lain to rest.” When does a war really end? In this article, GMP contributor Thomas Pluck tells us that “Wars battle on until everyone touched by them is dead.” Do you agree? Or do the wars end when we say they end? Read the article and join the discussion.

1) From the Office Where Soldiers Kill

“Does it take a special kind of courage to be a combat soldier—who pulls the trigger from an office, thousands of miles away?” In my favorite War and Veterans article of the year, GMP contributor Giovanni Barbieri dives into a topic that isn’t often talked about: the bravery (or not) of drone pilots. I may not agree with everything that Barbieri writes, but he raises some fascinating issues about bravery in modern war.

There were many great articles this year at GMP concerning Veterans and the Wars they fight, but these were a few that I thought deserved special mention.

If you’re interested in contributing to GMP’s War & Veteran’s section please click here.

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–Photo 1: Defence Images/Flickr
–Photo 2: Eduardo VC Neves/Flickr
–Photo 3: nabarund/Flickr
–Photo 4: The Fall of Saigon. Evacuation of CIA station personnel by Air America on the rooftop of 22 Gia Long Street in Saigon on April 29, 1975. Photo by Hubert van Es / UPI.
–Photo 5: RDECOM/Flickr

Wounded Warriors return to war for a proper farewell.

Here’s what happens when a soldier is injured in battle: his friends give suppressive fire while a medic runs over and gives battlefield care, pressure dressing, tourniquet, etc; then the soldier is brought to a combat support hospital (either through vehicle or helicopter); the soldier is rushed through the E.R. and then straight into the O.R. (unless there’s a mass casualty situation, in that case, the soldier is tucked away while waiting his turn to be operated on); then once the soldier is stabilized, he is sent by helicopter to a military hospital in Germany; afterwards, once he is further stabilized, he is sent to a hospital in the United States.

Needless to say, it’s a harrowing process. A soldier faces weeks, sometimes months, of rehabilitation and physical therapy and he never gets to finish his deployment with his friends, his brothers. Operation Proper Exit is a program designed to give soldiers a proper battlefield farewell. Through OPE, soldiers return to Iraq and Afghanistan, meet with their fellow deployed soldiers, and then are allowed to make a proper exit from the theater of war.

Sometimes you just need a little bit of closure.

From the Troops First Foundation:

For those Wounded Warriors who are thriving in recovery and are capable of returning to theater, this program itinerary stages a meet-and-greet tour to forward operating bases with a group of recovered soldiers. Four specific objectives have been identified:

1. The sense of brotherhood inherent in today’s military leaves a number of injured soldiers with the desire to return to theater after injury. By having a chance to visit, not only is their desire addressed but they can bring stories from home to deployed troops when they arrive.

2. Soldiers who have witnessed the injuring of a battle buddy are often times left wondering how the situation turned out both short and long term. Upon the return of fully recovered soldiers, the minds of deployed troops are put to ease when they witness the results firsthand and hear about the journey and outstanding care being afforded to our Wounded Warriors.

3. The Wounded Warriors will have a most important as well as unique opportunity to see the progress in Iraq that they, through their tremendous sacrifice, helped bring about.

4. For troops that have been injured in battle, this initiative provides them the opportunity to make a “proper exit” on their own terms as they walk to the aircraft and climb the ramp rather than being medically evacuated. This component has a positively resounding effect in offering closure to that chapter of their lives.

More articles you might enjoy:

Judge to Vet: “Your service in Iraq makes you a threat to society.”

War and Veterans Submissions.

Photo: DVIDSHUB/Wikipedia

Experience war through a soldier’s letter home.

War is war. No matter which side you’re on and what you’re fighting for. The experience is always the same. That’s what was running through my mind as I watched the following video by Australian soldier Tom Abood. The video, titled HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE (which is an Anglo-Norman phrase that can be translated to “Shamed be he who thinks evil of it”), placed third in the Australian Tropfest film competition.

In the short video (only five minutes long) Abood shares war through the eyes of a soldier. He shares his outlook on life, and everything the war has shown him. The video contains no violence. It’s simply a powerful video of a soldier talking.

Many soldiers are still fighting in Afghanistan, and six recently passed in a helicopter crash, the video is just a quick reminder of what our soldiers are experiencing mentally, emotionally, and physically.

♦◊♦

Here’s a copy of the letter read in the film (in case you can’t watch the video for some reason).

Dear Mom,

Thanks for your letter. You and Dad look good. I’ll try to keep this short. You know how much I struggle with spelling. Tell auntie Cheryl thanks for the chocolates. The boy’s loved them, and they’re great for morale. Who would’ve thought that just over a year ago I couldn’t buy a round of beers for me mates but I could sign up to die for me country. Every day is a fucking Monday out here. Btu one thing I’ve learned is that I’m not fighting because I hate what’s in front of me. I’m fighting because I love what I left behind.

God I miss home. You always said I took shit for granted. And you were right. I miss the smell of eucalyptus in the bush. I miss the sound of the ocean. I miss the friendly faces of home. I’m out here trying to survive this war, but the locals they’re just trying to survive day to day. I remember as I kid I tried to pull sick out of school and you’d always make me go. These kids would do anything for just one day of school. I hear stories from other diggers. When we rip out of here that this place will change back to how it was. They say the Minister of Women has a hand in the brothels. And the Education Minister can’t read and write. It makes me think about our own politician. How many of their sons and daughters do you think are out here fighting among side us? They line their pockets while some diggers come back and they live in poverty. A lot of people hate what we do, and sometimes I do too. I keep reminding myself there’s a bigger picture. That’s why we’re here. Fighting for human rights. A wise man once said, “Change is the law of life, and those who look only to the past or present, are certain to miss the future.”

Mom, I know now it doesn’t really matter if you’re late for a meeting, if the restaurant gets your order wrong, or you get stuck in a traffic jam. We live in a beautiful country with limitless opportunity. We’re free to make our own way in this world without persecution and life-threatening danger. In the end, we’re all pretty fucking lucky.

When I finally get home, I’m going to take the time to live. Just breathe. Appreciate what so many have given their lives for. And try to let go of the memory of this eight month hell. I’ll be home soon. Maybe the nightmares will stop by then. I hope the nightmares stop. I love you.

More articles you might enjoy:

Judge to Vet: “Your service in Iraq makes you a threat to society.”

War and Veterans Submissions.

Photo: ISAF Headquarters Public Affairs Office/Wikipedia