Agents: Bergdahl debriefs were intelligence ‘gold mine’
FORT BRAGG, N.C. — Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was a “gold mine” of intelligence, helping the military better understand insurgents and how they imprison hostages, two agents testified Tuesday as defence attorneys sought to show the soldier’s contributions since he was returned in a prisoner swap.
The testimony at Bergdahl’s sentencing was meant to counter prosecution evidence favouring stiff punishment, including several service members who testified about wounds they suffered on search missions after Bergdahl’s 2009 disappearance. Bergdahl faces up to life in prison after pleading guilty to desertion and misbehaviour before the enemy for walking off his remote post in Afghanistan in 2009.
The Army judge has wide leeway to decide Bergdahl’s sentence because he didn’t strike a plea agreement with prosecutors.
Amber Dach, who spent 16 years in military intelligence, was the primary analyst assigned to Bergdahl’s case for the five years after he disappeared. She described how eager he was to help intelligence officials at a hospital in Germany days after he was returned to U.S. authorities. Though his voice was weak and raspy, he helped authorities and even drew diagrams in his downtime to bring to his next debriefing session.