06-03-2014, 08:18 AM
(06-03-2014, 06:28 AM)Duchess Wrote: The military does not promote those who go AWOL/desert. Can anyone explain why this kid has been promoted twice during his captivity and is soon to be promoted again?
Standard procedure. Bergdahl's status wasn't "Deserter or AWOL", it was "Missing/Captured" (he may well still be classified as in-service while he receives treatment, so he'd still be eligible for promotions and benefits increases).
Bergdahl walked off base and there's circumstantial evidence that seems to indicate that he was disillusioned and dissatisfied, based on interviews and statements from his fellow soldiers, statements from his parents, and Bergdahl's emails. But, whether he was deserting can only be positively confirmed by Bergdahl himself. He didn't leave a note before he walked off. He's the only one that can say whether he was going off for a long unauthorized walk, deserting and planning to carry out his survivalist dream, or had something else in his mind.
His unit was a mess -- that's not disputed.
The attempts to retrieve him once it was known that he was captured by the Taliban (via the video they released) were unsuccessful.
Bergdahl's status was changed from "Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown" or DUSTWUN to "Missing/Captured" after the first video surfaced. So, though the Pentagon apparently didn't categorize him as a POW because Afghanistan wasn't categorized as a "war", Bergdahl would be entitled to the same pay upgrades, benefits increases, and time-served based promotions as any other soldier (including those classified as POWs in previous wars/conflicts). He would be promoted again because he is still part of the US Army and probably still has a status of being in-service while he's getting treatment -- that's a guess.
Ref -- Army benefits/promotions entitlements for captives:
http://myarmybenefits.us.army.mil/Home/B...l?serv=147
http://nation.time.com/2012/05/17/pentag...s-anymore/