In Boise and 142 miles away in Hailey, no one seemed surprised Wednesday that U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was charged with desertion.
"When he was released, we acknowledged he might have to face military charges," Hailey Mayor Fritz Haemmerle said.
Residents in Bergdahl's hometown of 8,000 people were glad to see him released last May, Haemmerle said. But they knew all along that questions had been raised about how Bergdahl left his camp in Afghanistan and ended up with a terrorist group.
Now Bergdahl will have to answer to the military.
"We trust that those charges will be fairly evaluated," Haemmerle told the Idaho Statesman.
Hailey residents continue to go about their daily lives, he said: "We haven't spent the last nine months kvetching about Bowe Bergdahl. There are no yellow ribbons up and down our main street."
That's a change from the years when Bergdahl was captive. When he was released, Hailey planned a party, but canceled it when a national uproar led to safety concerns.
Boise resident Lance Stephensen, a member of the nonprofit Boise POW/MIA Corp., was one of dozens of group members who worked for five years to secure Bergdahl's release and to draw attention to his situation. He said Wednesday that he's still proud of the group's efforts.
"Every American soldier needs to come home," said Stephensen, whose father, Air Force Col. Mark Stephensen, was shot down over North Vietnam in 1967 and was listed as missing in action until his remains were returned to the United States in 1988. "A lot of people put their heart and soul into getting him home."
Stephensen said Bergdahl will be held accountable if he violated military regulations, which still must be proved. "He hasn't been found to be a deserter," he said.
All four members of Idaho's congressional delegation issued statements saying Bergdahl's fate should be in the hands of the military, not politicians.
"The judgment of Bowe Bergdahl's actions is where it should be - in the U.S. military justice system," said Sen. Mike Crapo. "The Department of Defense is proceeding with Bergdahl, as a U.S. citizen, retaining the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty."
Said Sen. Jim Risch, "I am confident the Army's skilled legal corps will continue to handle this matter appropriately."
Rep. Mike Simpson, whose district includes Hailey, said the charges are disappointing news for Bergdahl's family and friends but are neither surprising nor unexpected. "I believe we should respect the Army's processes and withhold any judgment until all of the evidence is presented and the proceedings have concluded," he said.
A spokesman for Rep. Raul Labrador said his boss has confidence in the military courts, too. "We need to let the military justice system run its course," Dan Popkey said.
A call to Bob and Jani Bergdahl, Bowe's parents, was not returned Wednesday.
State Rep. Christy Perry, R-Nampa, who has a son in the military, said she was disappointed by the news. "He has certainly paid for whatever he did. He spent five years in the hands of the Taliban," Perry told The Associated Press.
Blaine County Commissioner Larry Schoen told the AP that local residents still back the Bergdahls.
"There's still a family that lives there, and will continue to live there presumably, and they will continue to need support," Schoen said. "They will continue to find it in their hometown."
Source: Top Stories - Google News - http://ift.tt/1M583WK
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