Afghan War Vet Matthew Farwell on ‘America’s Last POW’

As the controversy over the prisoner swap grows, new information has emerged about Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl’s time in Afghanistan. Matthew Farwell, a journalist and veteran of the Afghan war who has been following the Bergdahl story for years, discusses the developments with “Democracy Now!” on Friday.

“Democracy Now!” reports:

On Thursday, administration officials said Bergdahl’s life could have been in danger if details of the prisoner swap had been leaked. While some in the media have speculated that Bergdahl became sympathetic to his captors, new reports reveal Bergdahl actually escaped from his captors on at least two occasions, once in the fall of 2011 and again sometime in 2012. In another development, the New York Times reveals a classified military report concluded Bergdahl most likely walked away from his Army outpost in June 2009 on his own free will, but it stops short of concluding that there is solid evidence that he intended to permanently desert. The report also revealed that Bergdahl had wandered away from assigned areas while in the Army at least twice before prior to the day he was captured, including once in Afghanistan.

Farwell helped the late Michael Hastings write his 2012 Rolling Stone article, “America’s Last Prisoner of War.” Farwell became acquainted with Bergdahl’s parents after they attended the funeral of his brother who served and died in Afghanistan.

‘Democracy Now!’:

— Adapted from “Democracy Now!” by Alexander Reed Kelly.