According to his biography, LCol. Peters (ret.) served one tour with an infantry unit - after enlisting in 1976 he was assigned to the 1st battalion, 46th inf. Regiment. 1st Armored Division in Germany. He earned his commission in 1980 and then spent the remainder of his career as an intel officer and Area Officer specializing in the Soviet before retiring in 1998. A carrier to be proud of, but he was not an infantryman or an "11 Bravo" as he refers to them - the MOS for Army Infantry, the Marines are 03xx's. With this career in mind, lets turn to the good LCol's comments:
he [Bergdhl] is collaborating with the enemy. Under duress or not, that’s really not relevant. He’s making accusations about the behavior of the military in Afghanistan that are unfounded, saying there are no rules.
This statement is nothing more than the droppings of a male bovine. I had to attend SERE School - Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape - which is a bit more than a week of hell ending in a few days in a "POW" camp, that at the time was run by Americans who were former Vietnam POWs. One of the many things the instructors stressed was that you did everything you could not to help the enemy's propaganda machine - short of getting killed. The theory being, you were to survive being a POW - not seek some misguided glorious death. So yes, giving televised statements is not a good thing, but when being tortured - or "under duress" as Peters calls it - it is allowed if necessary to survive.
Hell, even Senator McCain, who I consider a hero, appeared on T.V. as a POW and made false statements about the U.S. - torture will do that to a person. Do I hold it against Senator McCain? Not in the least - the torture he endured was amazing and something I doubt I could have handled, let alone handled with the dignity Senator McCain did.
Is PFC Bergdhl another McCain? I doubt it. Further, I do not know what type of torture - if any - Bergdhl was subjected to - and neither does Peters. That's the point - Peters should not be condemning Bergdhl on national television until he knows what went on - or to put it bluntly - Peters should shut his pie hole until he has some facts to support his beliefs. Alas, it seems Peters is one of those self centered jackasses who believes he can determine the motives of those captured by the Taliban from the comfort and safety of his easy chair in the States. Disgusting.
Next the good LCol Peters pulls out his crystal ball and states:
He’s lying about how he was captured, saying he lagged behind a patrol.
Julie, I’ll tell you, any 11 Bravo infantryman will tell you, that’s not how it works. In a war zone, any soldier is aware of where all his buddies are. If it’s a night patrol, you’re sure of where the guy in front of you and behind you is. So we know this private is a liar. We’re not sure if he’s a deserter.
Given LCol Peter's military career, just how the hell does he know how anything works in a war zone? Do I question the solder's account - yes, especially given the conflicting statements regarding his actions leading up to his capture. However, to state categorically that he did not get separated from his patrol because it never happens is a display of ignorance that boggles the mind - it happens. Don't believe me? Google it - but probably the most famous instance is that of Bravo Two Zero, an 8 man British SAS patrol. While conducting surveillance ops in Iraq I in 1991, 3 men of the eight man patrol became separated. One of the three in the separated group became separated from that group and died. The two remaining men became separated - one escaped and the other was captured. If it can happen to a SAS unit, then it certainly can happen to regular units, and has.
Is peters' right that Bergdhl is lying about how he was captured? Maybe, maybe not. Point is - Peters should keep is self righteous pronouncements about whether others are lying and selling out their country to himself until he has something more to back those assertions up then a career as an intel officer and speculation grounded firmly in the shifting sands of his mind.
Don't get me wrong, if it turns out that Bergdhl deserted or that he gave that taped interview of his own free will, then I will be the first to scream for a courts martial. However, I refuse to condemn Bergdhl based on nothing more speculation - Peters would be well advised to do the same and Fox would be well advised to find a military analyst who knows of what he speaks.
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