Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl spent just short of a month in basic training with the United States Coast Guard in early 2006 before he was given an administrative discharge, military officials said Wednesday.
The disclosure that Sergeant Bergdahl failed to make it through the Coast Guard's boot camp may raise questions about whether he should have been allowed to enlist in the Army in 2008.
Sergeant Bergdahl walked off his base in eastern Afghanistan on June 30, 2009, setting off a manhunt throughout Paktika Province. He was captured by the Taliban and held for nearly five years before being handed over last month to American commandos in Afghanistan in exchange for the release of five Taliban detainees being held at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
Military officials on Wednesday did not provide any specific reason for why Sergeant Bergdahl - who was a private first class when he was captured and was promoted while in captivity - left the Coast Guard boot camp.
Chief Warrant Officer Barry Lane, a Coast Guard spokesman in Washington, said Sergeant Bergdahl was 26 days into an eight-week boot camp at the Coast Guard's training center at Cape May, N.J., when he was discharged.
Key Questions in the Release of Bowe Bergdahl
'That's not a long time in the Coast Guard,' Chief Warrant Officer Lane said. Sergeant Bergdahl served in the Coast Guard from Jan. 30, 2006, to Feb. 25, 2006.
His discharge from the Coast Guard was first reported by The Washington Post, in an article that said that friends of the sergeant believed that he was discharged for psychological reasons.
Chief Warrant Officer Lane also said Sergeant Bergdahl's discharge was labeled 'uncharacterized,' and as such was neither honorable nor dishonorable. He said that such discharges were typical for enlistees who did not complete boot camp, and that he had no information about any psychological problems Sergeant Bergdahl may have had.
An Army official confirmed that Sergeant Bergdahl was administratively discharged from the Coast Guard before he enlisted in the Army.
The Post also reported that before he left his outpost, Sergeant Bergdahl had mailed a handwritten journal, laptop and other items to a close friend, Kim Harrison. In an email to the daughter of Ms. Harrison just weeks before his disappearance, Sergeant Bergdahl said he had 'plans' he was working on.
'If at any point in time, kim gets a call from red cross, or the mill, no matter when, in a week, month, or years . . . Keep her from panic and bad ideas,' his email stated, in what The Post called 'his often unorthodox spelling.'
'You know what I do, and ash I am still perfecting, actions may become . . . odd. No red flags. Im good. But plans have begun to form, no time line yet. . . love you! Bowe.'
When the daughter subsequently sent an email to Sergeant Bergdahl that said, 'Just don't do anything stupid or pointless,' The Post reported, he replied, 'You know I plan better then that.'
Entities 0 Name: Bergdahl Count: 9 1 Name: Coast Guard Count: 8 2 Name: Army Count: 3 3 Name: Post Count: 3 4 Name: Afghanistan Count: 2 5 Name: Bowe Bergdahl Count: 2 6 Name: Sergeant Bergdahl Count: 2 7 Name: Taliban Count: 2 8 Name: Lane Count: 2 9 Name: Bowe Count: 1 10 Name: Cuba Count: 1 11 Name: N.J. Count: 1 12 Name: Cape Count: 1 13 Name: The Washington Post Count: 1 14 Name: Kim Harrison Count: 1 15 Name: Barry Lane Count: 1 16 Name: Paktika Province Count: 1 17 Name: American Count: 1 18 Name: Guantánamo Bay Count: 1 19 Name: Washington Count: 1 20 Name: United States Coast Guard Count: 1 21 Name: Harrison Count: 1 Related 0 Url: http://ift.tt/1miRELU Title: The week in 32 photos Description: U.S. President Barack Obama, center, walks with the parents of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl after making a statement about Bergdahl's release Saturday, May 31, at the White House in Washington. Bergdahl had been held captive in Afghanistan for nearly five years, and the Taliban released him in exchange for five U.S.-held prisoners.
