Fmr Bergdahl Comrade: ‘Finally, Some Justice’

Fmr. Army Sgt. Josh Korder, a comrade of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl said that Bergdahl being charged with desertion is “finally, some justice” on Wednesday’s broadcast of “The Lead” on CNN.

“I feel that it’s finally some justice being done, took a long time to get here from when he returned, but I think it’s probably because the military was doing their due diligence. And I’m glad that they did, because I’m sure at this point they probably have enough evidence to convict him of whatever charges they’re putting him up against” he stated.

Korder added, “I don’t think that he should get any kind of forgiveness for time served. I heard that at one point. They said ‘well, maybe he’s going to get forgiveness for five years for time served.’ In my opinion, that’s kind of like his punishment for abandoning us in Afghanistan like he did. If they tell us — if they say that it’s life in prison, then I really hope that he serves the sentence.”

Korder also said “I don’t think that it’s especially worth the life of a deserter to return five high Taliban commanders back to the battlefield. That’s just — that’s beyond me.”

When asked whether he thought not going forward with the swap would be leaving a man behind, Korder responded, “the same thing could be said about the people who are captured by ISIS, and we didn’t do any negotiating to get those people back. He was in the hands of a terrorist organization. Yes, he was in the armed services, but the fact that he deserted should have been part of the equation.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett