Episode 11: Present for Duty

In the final episode of season two, Sarah Koenig interviews several people from Bergdahl’s battalion in search of the question that at the time even the military is trying to find: Was anyone killed looking for Bowe Bergdahl?

The men on the left are the six men from Bergdahl’s battalion that many people say killed were killed as they were looking for Bergdahl. The problem with this theory, however, is that they were all killed on missions that happened later, seven to ten weeks after Bowe disappeared and none of those missions were search-and-rescue mission.

After this episode aired, Serial posted an update on their website that show the Army’s investigations, known as 15-6s, which tell you what the mission was supposed to be, what actually ensued, and what, if anything, could have been done differently. In these documents, none of the 6 deaths take took place had any mention of a DUSTWUN or Bergdahl’s name.

https://serialpodcast.org/posts/2016/10/was-anyone-killed-looking-for-bowe-bergdahl-some-hard-evidence-at-long-last

Sarah Koenig talked to a military therapist who told her about another man who deserted his post. More information can be found below:

https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/bergdahl-soldier-walk-off-afghan-outposts/story?id=24053366

 

In October 2017, Bergdahl pleaded guilty to charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. Bergdahl was given a dishonorable discharge from the military, which he is trying to appeal. The military judge also ruled that Bergdahl’s rank be reduced from sergeant to private and will be required to pay a $1,000 fine from his salary for 10 months following his trial.

 

 

Since the trial, the Military Times reported that an Army appeals court agreed to review the decision in Bergdahl’s case.This decision was largely influenced by Donald Trump calling him dirty traitor. However, the court upheld their decision.