May 31, 2014

US lone POW Bowe Bergdahl Free!

May 31, 2014. Afghanistan. It’s official. After five years of being held prisoner by Taliban-allied forces in Afghanistan, America’s one and only official POW from Iraq and Afghanistan was turned over to US forces this morning. Media reports confirm that it was the result of a prisoner exchange in which five prisoners being held in Guantanamo Bay have also been released.

President Obama personally notified Bergdahl’s parents Bob and Jani this morning. And Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is scheduled to address the nation on the matter later today. Initial reports confirm however that US Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is in the hands of US forces in Afghanistan. The exchanged five US prisoners from Guantanamo Bay have been handed over to the Qatari government.

A statement released by the White House specifically credited the government of Qatar with being the force behind the scenes that made the exchange possible. This wouldn’t be the first attempt by the Middle East country to secure the prisoner exchange. Previous attempts were made public over the past couple years, only to fall apart before a deal could be made.

As Whiteout Press readers know, we’ve been in the middle of the fight to get Bowe back for three years now. A quick visit to some of our friends social media pages who’ve also tirelessly fought to bring him back shows the reaction. “So happy! I am crying hysterically!!” one person posted. “Afraid to believe it’s just another false report,” another added. “Lord grant that this is true,” responded another. Yet another said, “BEAUTIFUL!!! I just got the breaking news alert on my phone and I could cry I’m so happy!!!!!!” Still another echoed the same tearful response posting, “I’ve got tears flowing! Welcome home soldier.”

Apparently, team Bowe aren’t the only ones in tears. CNN is reporting that a senior US official described the first seconds POW Bowe Bergdahl stepped onto a US military helicopter after being turned over by his captors. The copter landed into a group of 15 Taliban fighters and the American POW was pushed on board.

Over the deafening noise of the chopper, Bergdahl reportedly scribbled a quick note on a paper plate asking if the soldiers were US Special Forces. When the soldier replied to Bowe that they were and that they’d been looking for their fellow soldier for a long, long time, Bergdahl reportedly knew for the first time he was free and he broke down in tears.

For more information, visit the first news outlets to confirm the story this morning – ABC News and the NY Times.

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