Gruesome injuries marked hunt for U.S.
Army's Bergdahl: soldiers
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[October 27, 2017]
By Greg Lacour
FORT BRAGG, N.C. (Reuters) - During a July
2009 raid seeking intelligence on the whereabouts of U.S. Army Sergeant
Bowe Bergdahl, who had walked off his post in Afghanistan, a
rocket-propelled grenade hit Army Specialist Jonathan Morita and mangled
his right hand.
Minutes later, a second grenade exploded and sent shrapnel into the
rifleman's left elbow.
"I definitely thought I was going to die in Afghanistan," the former
soldier testified on Thursday at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, where
Bergdahl awaits sentencing on charges spurred by his decision to ditch
his duties in Paktika province in southeastern Afghanistan.
Bergdahl, who was captured by the Taliban and spent five years suffering
harsh conditions in captivity, has pleaded guilty to desertion and
misbehavior before the enemy. The 31-year-old Idaho native faces a
maximum penalty of life in prison and a dishonorable discharge.
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A parade of prosecution witnesses this week have described the danger
they faced while searching for Bergdahl after he disappeared in June
2009 and the lasting effects of injuries they sustained in the futile
hunt.
Bergdahl was released in a 2014 Taliban prisoner swap criticized by
Republicans.
Several service members on Thursday recounted a hastily organized
mission in July 2009 to search villages near Forward Operating Base
Kushamond that ended in a Taliban ambush.
Early the morning of July 9, 2009, troops came under heavy fire. A
grenade exploded near Texas Army National Guard Staff Sergeant Jason
Walters, then an Army Ranger.
"Everything went black," he testified. "I saw stars."
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![](../images/102717pics/news_I49.jpg)
U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl leaves the courthouse at the end of
the third day of sentencing proceedings in his court martial at Fort
Bragg, North Carolina, U.S., October 26, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan
Drake
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As soldiers scrambled back to their position behind a berm, Walters
saw Sergeant 1st Class Mark Allen get shot in the head.
U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel John Marx, then a captain, said he
helped load Allen unto a medical helicopter.
"That was probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to do,
getting Sergeant Allen on that chopper," Marx said. "It was hot, we
were dehydrated, and just carrying his limp body - it was tough."
Allen suffered a traumatic brain injury and is now confined to a
wheelchair and unable to communicate, according to prosecutors. His
wife and doctor are expected to testify on Monday, when the
sentencing hearing resumes.
Army Specialist Morita, who was hurt in the same ambush, underwent
three surgeries to repair his hand.
He said he is more agitated and angry than before, and he directs
his anger "toward one person in particular." As Morita left the
courtroom on Monday, he leveled a steady glare at the defense table
where Bergdahl sat.
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(Reporting by Greg Lacour; Writing by Colleen Jenkins; Editing by
Jonathan Oatis)
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