You can very easily make a great sign that you can use in your work to raise awareness about Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl. Follow HERE for more details.
THE PRIDE OF OUR COUNTRY
Today as before, our brave do fight
For a land they love, a flag so right
The pride of our country, yes they are
The strength of our nation, best by far
Just as our brave from each war gone by
They march for us proudly, flag held high
From all over this land they come to serve
They’re taught by the best, this they deserve
When troops give their all, the world does see
Whether serving on land, in the air, or at sea
The pride from this country, march through war
With home drawn strength, held deep in their core
Our best are so awesome; their loved ones well know
May God guide their journey where they – for us – go
What these brave must have is support from their own
The love from their people, firm thankfulness shown
Our greatest achievement is that we’re still free
Please take time and ponder who caused this to be
by Roger J. Robicheau
Jani, we wish that we could give you the Mother’s Day gift you want more than anything, your son safe in your arms. If anything is true this is: we, all of us across America, will do everything in our power to assure that this is the last year you will spend Mother’s Day without your son. May God Bless you and your family every day and with that special day when Bowe returns home.
A son is a son
wherever he roams
no matter how far
or the years that have flown.
He may test the darkness
to challenge the unknown,
yet he’ll never be less
than your beloved son.
He may take your soul with him
from sea to sea;
but the child of your heart
he will ever be.
Doesn’t matter the distance
or trials he may know,
he is always ‘your son’
wherever he goes.
From the article By GREGORY FOLEY, Express Staff Writer:
Nearly three years after finding out their son Bowe was taken hostage by enemy forces while serving with the U.S. Army in Afghanistan, Hailey-area residents Bob and Jani Bergdahl are breaking a long silence, hopeful that renewed awareness about Bowe’s plight will lead to his release and return home to Idaho.
In an interview with the Idaho Mountain Express, the Bergdahls said they believe Bowe is alive and could be brought home through aggressive negotiations or, possibly, a prisoner exchange. They said they are now vocally supporting grassroots efforts to bring their son’s case into the spotlight, in part because of mounting frustration over the inability of the U.S. government to negotiate Bowe’s release.
“There is a dynamic here that has changed,” Bob Bergdahl said. “Everybody is frustrated with how slowly the process has evolved.”
Pursuant to that frustration, Mr. Bergdahl said he and his wife now want to publicly thank activists across the globe who have initiated petitions and awareness campaigns to recognize Bowe and plead for his safe return to the United States. And, Mr. and Mrs. Bergdahl said, they are advocating that the Pentagon and the White House consider swapping one or more U.S. prisoners being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for their son.
“I’m pushing it hard,” Mr. Bergdahl said. “We started out by trying to encourage the Taliban to take care of our son. … Now, we’re worried that the government isn’t concerned enough to put him on the (negotiating) table.”
Mr. Bergdahl said he and his wife want to see a peaceful resolution to the standoff, preferably one that doesn’t put other American soldiers in harm’s way in order to secure Bowe’s freedom.
“We don’t want to see Americans killed,” he said.
Mrs. Bergdahl said the family has reasons to believe that Bowe is still in captivity in Afghanistan or Pakistan.
“We know he is doing as well as he can be,” she said.
Mr. Bergdahl said he believes a deal to swap Taliban prisoners at Guantanamo for Bowe would be a “win-win” for the United States—his son could be returned safely to Idaho and the government could foster goodwill with the Afghan people. The ongoing imprisonment of suspected war criminals at the Cuba compound and reports of mistreatment of prisoners there encourages anti-American sentiment and might be helping some organizations to recruit soldiers to fight against the United States, he said.
Earlier this year, talks between the Afghan Taliban and the United States in Qatar failed, as the Taliban leadership reportedly refused to accept the U.S. demand of a cease-fire before swapping prisoners. Sources in the Taliban reportedly said the group had set up an office in Qatar and wanted to negotiate for five top commanders held at Guantanamo since 2002.
Mr. Bergdahl said he and his wife have worried extensively that Bowe has been in danger of being harmed as a pawn of the ongoing war.
“Bowe’s been (living) under the drone program the entire time,” he said, referring to U.S. military initiatives to use unmanned drones to bomb enemy posts. “It scares the hell out of us.” READ MORE
In light of the recent interview given by the family of SGT Bowe Bergdahl, it is all the more urgent for those who support Sergeant Bergdahl to contacted their Members of Congress and other government officials who have the power to Bring Bowe Home.
On supportbowe.org, we work hard to keep our focus on reporting the things that relate to Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl rather than editorializing and putting our opinions into the mix. That being said, we have come upon a some information that causes us to ask a question. While we know that the answer to the question might be that things are being done as they are for Sergeant Bergdahl’s well-being, we still feel that it’s a a fair question to ask. Please kindly bear with us because sometimes we get so frustrated we have to preach in order to vent the steam that builds up.
The video we are posting a link to below is from the archives. It’s an interview that Lt. Col. Oliver North made right after news broke in December 2011 about Bowe’s escape attempt. This time while listening to it, something caught our ears that hadn’t before. Cue up to 2:14 in the audio feed to find the beginning of the part about Bowe. Then listen carefully at 3:35 where Lt. Col. North says “But the United States does pay for information leading to the safe release of Americans who are being held under these kinds of circumstances.”
We know that early on there was a reward of $25,000 offered for information that would reveal Bowe’s location. ABC News reports:
“The U.S. military also had a succession of efforts to locate the missing soldier and free him. Initially, a reward of $25,000 for location tips was offered to Afghans in the eastern portions of the region from which he disappeared. According to a source involved in the effort, a large number of calls flooded, and overwhelmed U.S. military efforts.”
But what about now? Is there currently a reward in place for information that leads to Bowe’s location and rescue? If there is, it certainly is a big secret. Of course, if it’s a secret, then there obviously wouldn’t be much publicity about the reward and that would pretty much defeat the purpose of the reward as an incentive. So it would seem that there probably isn’t a reward. Why on earth not?!!! We wonder if perhaps this should be a question that we are including in our letters to Congress. Further, perhaps we should tell our elected officials that the absence of a reward doesn’t speak well of the commitment that America has to getting Bowe back home. The only acceptable reason NOT to have a reward in place would be because having one would jeopardize Bowe’s safety. But apparently that wasn’t the case when the $25,000 reward was previously offered. And was the 25k reward discontinued because “a large number of calls flooded, and overwhelmed U.S. military efforts”? Could it be that they need to assign more people to answer phones? Forgive the sarcasm, but as we mentioned in the beginning of this post, we are frustrated. We write our elected officials and many of us get the same old party line blah blah blah as a response. It’s time for those who give us these assurances to put their money where their mouths are. As long it doesn’t put Sergeant Bergdahl’s life at risk, it’s high time to offer a reward for information leading to his location and rescue. But if we are counseled that offering a reward should be avoided for his safety, then some details of that reasoning certainly would need to be satisfactorily explained. We can only speculate, but perhaps one of the reasons that Sergeant Bergdahl remains alive is that his captors realize that keeping him alive benefits them because he is indeed important to America. Having a reward would demonstrate that the government is willing to publicly support Bowe beyond the same old song and dance that many of us get in response to our efforts to communicate with our elected officials. In America, we measure commitment by what is being done.
The fact is, the United States is no stranger to offering rewards for information. Here are some rewards that the US is currently offering:
In April 2012, the US offered a $10 million dollar reward for reward for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba. The US State Department also announced a $2 million reward for Hafiz Abdul Rehman Makki, Saeed’s brother-in-law and the group’s second-in-command. The thing is, the US knows where Saeed is because he operates openly in Pakistan, giving public speeches and appearing on TV talk shows. Sounds like the US is trying to send a message. Why not send a message about Bowe??? SOURCE
In March of this year, the FBI offered an up to $1 million dollar reward for information leading to the safe recovery and return of retired FBI Special Agent Robert Levinson. Levinson, who retired from the FBI in 1998 after 22 years of service, was working as a private investigator when he traveled to Kish Island, Iran on March 8, 2007. He has not been seen or heard from publicly since he disappeared the following day. In 2010, a video showing him in captivity was sent to the Levinson family by his captors. SOURCE
The Rewards for Justice program has a whole list of terrorists which the U.S. government is willing to offer rewards ranging from $1 million to $25 million for actionable information. SOURCE
And the history of the US offering rewards for information is a long one. In 2004 the US State Department offered a $5 million reward for information leading to the release of Americans being held in Colombia by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). SOURCE
And in 2000 the US State Department offered $25,000 for the return of a lost laptop computer. SOURCE
WHAT!!! Why not one for Bowe???????
We have heard in the news that by the end of 2014, the number of United States Forces will be drawn down to 20,000. (source) A very important thing to remember is that it was insurgents belonging to the Haqqani network that took Sergeant Bergdahl captive and are believed to be currently holding him prisoner. The Haqqani insurgents could number as many as 15,000. They are hardcore fighters, many cut their teeth on Soviet bones. They are criminals and smugglers. They move back and forth across the Afghan-Pakistan border, attacking allied forces and spying for Pakistan. The Haqqani network is one of the most capable group of insurgents that America is opposing in the Afghanistan/Pakistan region. The U.S. exerts little influence over the Haqqani network now and will exert even less when U.S. forces are pared down to the proposed 20,000 troops. The release of Sergeant Bergdahl becomes even more urgent with the draw down. An article about the Haqqani network holds a somewhat chilling statement from a Pakistani official. Here’s the quote, but the entire short article is a worthwhile read. “A Pakistani official told The Washington Examiner that his government sees little incentive in warring with the Haqqanis, especially since the U.S. has been ambivalent in calling the group terrorists. “The Haqqanis will be with us forever,” he said. “And in two years the U.S. will be gone for the most part.”
Most will surely agree that it’s well past time to bring Bowe Bergdahl home. The time is now, this young American’s life depends on what we do both as individuals and as a nation.
11 March 2012: Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN)
The five Taleban who have been mentioned for possible release (reporting on today’s visit can be seen here and here) are: Khairullah Khairkhwa, the former governor of Herat and one of the founding fathers of the Taleban movement, Fazl Mazlum, former head of the Army, Nurullah Nuri, former head of the northern zone, Abdul Haq Wasiq, former deputy head of Afghanistan’s intelligence agency and Abdul Nabi Omari, a minor figure and former judge who appears to be on the list because he has links to the Haqqanis who are holding the captured US Soldier Bowe Bergdahl, whose exchange may be part of any deal. READ MORE
13 March 2012: Foreign Policy
The pending deal to move senior Taliban figures from Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, to Qatar is part of a trade for the return of a Western prisoner, according to Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-CA).
The Obama administration’s plan to move five top Taliban officials to live under house arrest in Qatar has been extensively reported but never openly discussed by administration officials. And until Feinstein confirmed it to The Cable, the fact that the crux of the deal is a swap for a Westerner had never been publicly disclosed.
“That’s the framework of the exchange. But it’s presented as a confidence-building measure,” Feinstein said. “We are giving up people who killed a lot of people, people who were head of major efforts of the Taliban.”
Feinstein said the deal involved the trade of one Westerner for the five Taliban leaders. She also confirmed the name of the Westerner in question, but The Cable has agreed to withhold that name at the request of U.S. officials out of concern for his safety.
Under the deal, the United States would reportedly place the Taliban officials under the responsibility of the Qatari government, where they would ostensibly remain under some degree of supervision and imprisonment. According to reports, the prisoners being considered for transfer include Mullah Khair Khowa, a former interior minister; Noorullah Noori, a former governor in northern Afghanistan; and former army commander Mullah Fazl Akhund. READ MORE
15 March 2012: Akron.com (The West Side Leader and South Side News Leader)
• During the communications from the public portion of the evening, resident Mike Hoofman asked Council to recognize U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who is currently an Afghanistan conflict prisoner of war.
“I’m a member of Rolling Thunder, a veteran of the Marines and mostly a concerned citizen,” Hoofman said. “We have one prisoner of war in Afghanistan and his birthday is March 28. He’ll be 26. I’m asking the city to place a happy birthday announcement and indication to show support for him. We’ve made up yard signs and I’d like permission to install one at Williams Peace Park.”
“We’ll make sure a sign gets put up there,” said Mayor Mike Zita. SOURCE
16 March 2012: KUOW.org Northwest News
The deteriorating situation in Afghanistan may hinder the most likely avenue for bringing a captured Northwest soldier home safely. Bowe Bergdahl of Hailey, Idaho, is the only known U.S. soldier in Taliban captivity.
Peace talks between the U.S. and a faction of the Taliban were already on unstable footing. Now the Taliban says it’s suspending contact with U.S. officials. READ MORE
16 March 2012: Idaho Mountain Express
Planned negotiations between U.S. and Taliban leaders aimed at a prisoner swap that could free captured soldier Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl took an apparent step backward this week.
For several months, numerous media sources have reported that top Taliban leaders in Afghanistan planned to open a “political office” in Qatar, a wealthy Persian Gulf emirate, to begin negotiations with the United States. The Associated Press reported in August that the negotiations included plans for the possible swap of Bergdahl for Taliban prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
However, The Washington Post reported Thursday that Taliban leaders were “suspending preliminary peace talks with the United States because of Washington’s ‘alternating and ever-changing position,’ and accused U.S. officials of reneging on promises to take meaningful steps toward a prisoner swap.” READ MORE
Dear Bowe Supporters,
We cannot tell you how important it is at this time to make those in America aware of the fact that Bowe is still being held as a prisoner of war. We have to reach out to bring more people into the circle of those who are fighting to bring Bowe home. The more people who are willing to demand of our government that Bowe’s release be a top level priority, the more pressure we can put on those who make the decisions that will lead to Bowe’s safe return.
There are several current events that add even more to the need to act with urgency to rescue Bowe from his captors. Due to the recent Koran burinings. the mood in Afghanistan is not good. US ambassador Ryan Crocker said, “the situation is tense.” One observation further describes the situation “The anger of Afghans is evident, whether it be over the sense of religious insult or the sheer frustration with a war that has gone on too long and yielded too little.” What remains to be seen is how this situation will alter the strategic plans implemented or the tactics which will be used to achieve America’s goals in Afghanistan. According to a report in the New York times: “The United States now has what one senior American official said was ‘almost no margin of error’ in trying to achieve even limited goals in Afghanistan after a series of crises that have stirred resentment.” We know that anything that affects the mission in Afghanistan will also have an affect on America’s influence in Pakistan which will in turn affect efforts to prevail over the Haqqani network. Since the Haqqani network has been determined to be the group that is holding Bowe captive, the recent developments in Afghanistan are of even more concern to us who are working to make haste efforts to obtain Bowe’s release.
Of further concern, the AP and Washington Post reported that Ambassador Crocker sent a top-secret cable to Washington last month warning that the existence of “enemy havens” in Pakistan was placing the success of the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan in jeopardy. The report says the message was so secretive that it was sent through CIA channels rather than the usual ones in the State Department.
The Washington Post says the contents of the cable could become “ammunition” for some senior military officials who favor more aggressive action by the U.S. against the Haqqani havens in Pakistan. The Post also goes on to say “the cable written by Ambassador Ryan C Crocker last month ‘amounted to an admission that years of US efforts to curtail insurgent activity in Pakistan by the lethal Haqqani network, a key Taliban ally, were failing.”
Something that adds to the doubts that the Haqqani network is being deterred from pursuing its militant goals is a recent report that it has just has issued guidelines to its insurgents in a newly published book called the ‘Nizami Darsona’, which is comprised of more than 160 pages and written by unknown Abu Umar Asaltfi in Pashto language.
‘Nizami Darsona’ says that it aims at helping active members of the Taliban in organizing themselves so that they may effectively increase their activities against foreign forces active in war-torn Afghanistan.
The book, in its initial chapters, expands on the need of a holy war and its types through Quranic verses and through the prophet Mohammed’s sayings.
On a positve note, according to a statement issued by International Security Assistance Force, a Haqqani leader was captured by Afghan and coalition security forces during an operation on Monday at eastern Afghanistan. The statement further added, the operation was conducted in Nadir Shah Kot district, Khost province. The leader managed an insurgent network and directed operations against Afghan civilians and security forces in the district.
All of these events are inspring much debate on the internet on the various news information sites as well as in discussion forums. This gives us all an opprtunity to add to these discussions by posting comments that remind people that no matter what happens in Afghanistan, obtaining Bowe’s release must absolutely be a top level priority. Without a doubt, your comments will be read by people who don’t even know that Bowe is a prisoner of war.
Please join us today, BOWE TUESDAY, to remind America about Bowe. Please feature a picture of him on your Facebook profile. If you get through to even one more person who will actively stand up for Bowe, your effort would be more than worthwhile. Just 24 hours, that’s all we ask that you show Bowe’s image on your profile. That is just a drop of time compared to the 23,352 hours that he has been held captive. Twitter users, please fire out some tweets throughout the day to get Bowe’s name in the feed. #Bowe #Bergdahl #bowetuesday #POW #supportbowe. Some Bowe Supporters are starting a movement to contact their Members of Congress each Tuesday to remind them that it has been another week.
We have to ramp up our efforts to bring Bowe’s story into the spotlight. Please be part of this, we need your voice, Bowe needs your voice. Thank You all.
Follow HERE for More Info about BOWE TUESDAY
Find us HERE on FACEBOOK
Wednesday March 28, 2012 will be Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl’s 26th birthday. Two days later, the 3oth, will mark 2 years and 9 months that he has been held in captivity. Please join us on the 28th and take some extra time to remember Bowe in prayer. Also, please take a few minutes to contact your Members of Congress either by phone or letter. Please click the “JOIN” button on our event page on Facebook. FOLLOW HERE
Follow HERE for more information on how to contact your elected officials.
If you use twitter, please consider firing out tweets at various times during the day to remind people about Bowe. Make your voice heard by aiming some tweets at the White House, both the Senate and House Armed Services Committees, and your Members of Congress. Be sure to use these hash tags: #Bowe #Bergdahl, #POW, #supportbowe
If you would like to leave a message of encouragement for Bowe and his family, please follow HERE to the Guest Book
To keep up on what’s happening to support Bowe, please join us on Facebook at Waiting and Advocating for Sgt Bowe Bergdahl, US Army – POW.
~ Stranger
We tell America about Sgt Bowe Bergdahl one person at a time, many times, for many days.
