Jonathan Drake/Reuters
Dan Lamonthe, Washington Post: Bowe Bergdahl’s mental disorder identified in new ‘Serial’ podcast episode
Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl exhibited symptoms of a mental condition known as schizotypal personality disorder at the time that he chose to walk away from his platoon’s base in Afghanistan in 2009 and was subsequently captured, according to a new episode of the podcast “Serial” released Friday.
It marks the first time that a specific diagnosis for Bergdahl has been reported for the period in which he left his platoon’s base alone and without a gun just before midnight June 29, 2009. Bergdahl now faces charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. After walking away, he was held in brutal captivity for the next five years in Pakistan by militants affiliated with the Taliban in a case that has become one of the most notorious of the U.S. war in Afghanistan.
The new report highlights how much Bergdahl’s mental condition could play a role in his court-martial, which is scheduled for August at Fort Bragg, N.C. He was diagnosed last year by an independent Army forensics psychiatrist, Christopher Lang, who met with him after Bergdahl’s defense team requested what is commonly called a “sanity board” in May, the podcast reported.
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WNU Editor: This case is going to get even more messier if they pursue this .... Justice Department May Probe Alleged Bergdahl Ransom Payment (Daily Beast).