U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl has completed the final phase of his therapy and counseling at an Army hospital in Texas since returning from captivity in Afghanistan, and will now be transitioning to regular active duty status, the Defense Department said on Monday.
Bergdahl, who was released on May 31 after five years as a Taliban prisoner of war in Afghanistan in a controversial trade for five Taliban commanders held at the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is being assigned to work at the Army North headquarters at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, the department said in a statement.
The move was characterized by officials as "the final phase of the reintegration process," Reuters reported. "He will now return to regular duty within the command where he can contribute to the mission," an Army statement said.
However, circumstances surrounding Bergdahl's 2009 disappearance from his post in Afghanistan and subsequent capture by Taliban militants is still being investigated by the Army, the Pentagon said. "The Army investigation into the facts and circumstances surrounding the disappearance and capture of Bergdahl is still ongoing." He will be meeting with Major General Kenneth Dahl, who is leading the investigation, in regards to his disappearance from his outpost, the New York Times reported.
Meanwhile, Bergdahl's new assignment will "commensurate" with his rank at the headquarters of U.S. Army North at Fort Sam Houston, said Don Manuszewski, a spokesman for the Army in San Antonio. A couple of soldiers will be assigned to help him transition to his new unit, as is customary for soldiers adjusting to a new unit, and will be assigned to a regular army barracks, the Army said. "He'll have members of his unit working with him on a daily basis," said Col.Scott Bleichwehl, a spokesman for U.S. Army North. "This is what we do for every new soldier that comes to the unit."
Last week Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., who heads the Senate Armed Services Committee, released letters from the Joint Chiefs expressing support for Bergdahl's "repatriation," USA Today reported. "Each of these military leaders emphasized a simple principle - America does not leave its troops behind," Levin said in a statement. "The unanimous support of the Joint Chiefs for securing Sgt. Bergdahl's release is a powerful statement on the importance of that commitment. I give great weight to their views, and I believe it's important for the American people to hear them."
Bergdahl was captured in Afghanistan on June 30, 2009, in unclear circumstances, with his release initially sparking euphoria in the U.S., which then quickly transpired into a political debate over whether he had abandoned his post and whether the prisoner swap should have gone ahead.
