Although the public was notified on 02 July 2009 that PFC Bowe R. Bergdahl was captured by the Taliban, the actual date of capture was early in the morning of 30 June 2009. In order to prevent any undue discussions or questions that may arise from the disparity of the two dates, I offer this narative.
As noted by the media in many articles, details surrounding a captured, or even missing, soldier are often kept secret for a time. The reason behind this is not an act to keep the American public out of the loop, as it may seem sometimes. Instead these details, if kept secret, can aid in the recovery of the captured soldier. Due to this need for secrecy the American public and even the family of PFC Bergdahl were not privy to many of the details of his capture. In fact, for the first two days the family was simply told that Bowe was missing, not that he was captured. Not until June 2nd did the military inform the family that Bowe was indeed captured. The difference in dates can appear to some as details that prove the Bowe was wandering the desert for days prior to being captured. However, much to the chagrin of the conspiracy theorists, the answer is much more innocent than that. It is simply the difference in time between proactive operations to recover Bowe and the backfill of information to the Amercian public.
Bowe was indeed captured on the morning of 30 June 2009. The Army performed an 100% accountability check at 0900 local time in Afghanistan on the 30th. A scant 2 and a half hours earlier Bowe had completed his guard duty and retired to his bunk, where he prepared for a little shut-eye. What happened in the next 2 hours are pure speculation until we can ask Bowe himself, when he is returned. I do not intend to offer any details to prove or debunk the myriad of theories that led to Bowe's capture as I, nor anyone else, can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt any factual details supporting their theory. The bottomline is that within approximately 2 hours after Bowe was released from his guard duty the military had indications that a service member was captured. There was no indication as to who the service member was prior to the 100% accountability muster.
I hope this clears up at least the date of Bowe's capture. Please refrain from speculation, but instead pursue truth. Allow the military the freedom to do their job as the professional men and women that we know they are.
Most of all, continue to pray. Pray for Bowe's strength to endure the mental, and possibly physical hardship and pray for Bowe's swift rescue. Pray for our service men and women who are actively involved in the rescue effort that they will also remain from harm. Pray for our service men and women who are deployed to fight for freedom from terror. Pray for the families who wait at home, hoping that their loved one will return quickly and unharmed.
Very respectfully,
Michael, Bowe Bergdahl's brother-in-law
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