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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 17 OcTOber 2017

Army Sgt. Bergdahl pleads guilty to deserting his post

Continued from Front came shouts, and I was
tackled by people. That
Bergdahl, 31, has said he didn’t go so well,” said
walked away from his re- Bergdahl, who spoke in
mote post in 2009 with the even tones and wore a
intention of reaching other blue dress uniform. He
commanders and drawing also reflected on what he
attention to what he saw thought were questionable
as problems with his unit. tactics by U.S. soldiers and
He told the judge, Col. Jef- their Afghan allies in guard-
frey R. Nance, that he now ing a remote crossroads
understands that his ac- that could be bypassed
tions prompted an inten- by the Taliban on other
sive search during which routes. He said the setup
some of his comrades “seemed to be a bit of a
were seriously wounded. joke.” Pressed by the judge
“At the time, I had no in- about his actions, Bergdahl
tention of causing search- acknowledged endanger-
and-recovery operations,” ing his fellow service mem-
he said in court. “I believed bers. “I left my platoon in
they would notice me miss- a battlefield ... a situation
ing, but I didn’t believe that could easily turn into
they would have reason to a life-or-death situation,” Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl returns to the Fort Bragg courthouse after a lunch break on Monday, Oct. 16,
search for one private.” he said. At his sentencing, 2017, on Fort Bragg, N.C. Bergdahl, who walked off his base in Afghanistan in 2009 and was held
Bergdahl, who received a set to begin Oct. 23, his by the Taliban for five years, is charged with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy.
promotion due all missing- years in captivity could be (Andrew Craft/The Fayetteville Observer via AP)
in-action soldiers while he factored in, but the hear- and an Army National for Bergdahl, the judge has that the new president’s
was in captivity, pleaded ing is also likely to feature Guard sergeant whose ruled. Earlier this year, the comments were “disturb-
guilty to desertion and damning testimony from head wound put him in a defense was rebuffed in an ing and disappointing” but
misbehavior before the fellow service members. A wheelchair would not have effort to prove Trump had did not constitute unlawful
enemy, a relatively rare Navy SEAL who suffered a been hurt in firefights had unfairly swayed the case. influence by the soon-to-
charge brought against career-ending leg wound they not been searching The judge ruled in February be commander in chief.q
him for endangering com-
rades sent to find him. Passenger:
The misbehavior charge
carries a maximum pen- Delta crew stopped her from singing anthem
alty of life in prison, the
desertion charge up to
five years. Bergdahl’s an- By RUSS BYNUM an honor guard escorted Gaudry said she kept quiet was carrying the remains of
swers to the judge’s ques- Associated Press the casket from the plane until she was off the plane. a fallen American soldier.
tions represented some of SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — A Saturday at Hartsfield-Jack- Then she found an unoc- She said she began asking
his most extensive public Georgia physician said her son Atlanta International cupied stretch of the air- other passengers if they
comments yet. He told the plan to honor a fallen sol- Airport. A flight attendant port terminal where she would join her in singing the
judge he tried to escape dier by singing the U.S. na- told her that singing “The took out her cellphone and anthem as the casket was
from his captors 12 to 15 tional anthem aboard a Star Spangled Banner” self-recorded a 6 minute, taken off the plane. Many
times with varying degrees Delta Air Lines plane carry- would make passengers 30 second video that she agreed enthusiastically,
of success. Once, he was ing the soldier’s casket was from other countries un- posted on Facebook. By she said.
on his own for about a stopped by a flight atten- comfortable, she said. Monday afternoon, it had “The chief flight attendant
week — hoping U.S. drones dant who told her it would “I couldn’t put up with been viewed more than came back to my seat and
would spot him — before violate company policy. that,” Gaudry told The As- 778,000 times. she kneeled down and she
he was recaptured. He said Dr. Pamela Gaudry of Sa- sociated Press in an inter- Gaudry said she was flying said, ‘It is against company
he also tried to escape on vannah said she and fellow view Monday. “I wouldn’t Saturday from Philadelphia policy to do what you’re
his first day in captivity. passengers were told “to be offended if I was in their to Atlanta when the pilot doing,’” Gaudry said in the
“As I started running there stay quietly in our seats” as country.” told passengers the plane video. q