Limitations of Our War-Time Promises

The statement that “no soldier will be left be­hind,” regardless, is being presented as an all-in­clusive policy. First, it is not true. Personnel in the Benghazi embassy might not have been soldiers, but they were abandoned to their fate even though surrounded and facing death. Also, injured soldiers are in a sense held captive by their injuries and we know that rescue is postponed or rejected by the VA facilities for treatment in some cases.

Second, when a soldier is captive, or alleged to be captive, as the result of going AWOL, it is uncon­scionable to force soldiers to search for him. Conse­quent search parties should be strictly voluntary. To have lost personnel searching for Bergdahl is not conducive to discipline or respect for authority. In Bergdahl’s case, we do not know whether he was a captive, or voluntarily served as bait for search parties and repatriation of Taliban terrorists.

Whether voluntary or under compulsion that was the result of his AWOL performance. Both the media and the Obama administration fail to recognize this fact.