U.S. Army Sgt. Evan Buetow, Bowe Bergdahl’s former team leader said that he suspected the night that Bowe Bergdahl disappeared that he walked away voluntarily. Buetow told CNN’s “The Lead” anchor Jake Tapper that he “immediately” said “[Bergdahl] walked away.”
Sgt. Buetow also confirmed earlier reports that Bergdahl left his body armor, night vision, and weapon at the base, and that a child told the soldiers he saw an American crawling in the weeds. He stated that Bergdahl’s statements and behavior before his disappearance were “alarming.” He detailed that Bergdahl would talk about “how he did not agree with the war effort in Afghanistan.” Buetow added that “[Bergdahl] did come to me at one point and asked me, he said, ‘what would happen if my sensitive items go missing?’”
Buetow also stated that he found out through radio transmissions that Bergdahl was “looking for someone who spoke English” so he could speak to the Taliban, and that after Bergdahl disappeared, the attacks on the group became more accurate, something he found “incredibly suspicious.” Buetow concluded Bergdahl was a “deserter,” “not a hero,” and someone who needs to “answer for what he did.”
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