America's Last Prisoner of War

[Token White Guy]

What I recall is that he departed his COP in order to get drunk with some locals.

I thought it was to buy weed.

[Impartial Bias]

I thought it was to buy weed.

Don't they test for weed on a regular basis for troops in Afghanistan?

[Reader I am]

Substantial?

How many Americans know his name, know how many POW's the United States may or may not have in enemy hands, and more importantly, how many care?

Currently,very few. But when the media ****storm commences...

[Gruntcap]

Don't they test for weed on a regular basis for troops in Afghanistan?

No they do not.If he wanted any thing the kids would of brought it to him.

[Token White Guy]

It's pretty sad how this country acts with such situations. Most people are detached and probably don't have a clue about this. Then you have the disgusting media that will eventually prey on this.

Sometimes I hate my fellow countrymen. *shakes head in shame*

[mhpr262]

What I recall is that he departed his COP in order to get drunk with some locals.

I thought it was to buy weed.

Just imagine how happy the top brass must be with this guy ...

[[WDW]Megaraptor]

I don´t want to be disrespectful but from the very first moment I thought that there was something wrong about it. Why should one soldier step outside his base (COP right ?) and walk straight into hostile territory ?

Nothing I've read about him makes him seem like the brightest bulb in the box.

[Carib]

"What I recall is that he departed his COP in order to get drunk with some locals."

That's not even close.

[CJvR]

Well the harsh truth is that if you are not willing to fight to the bitter end and victory then you can't force the enemy to exchange POWs if they don't want to. Perhaps having a few thousand Talibans locked up in Gitmo until a formal POW exchange is negotiated might not be a bad thing? Actually it is a bit surprising that there are not more hostage situations IMPO, AQ seems too murderous to realize what a good weapon they have there.

[[WDW]Megaraptor]

AQ seems too murderous to realize what a good weapon they have there.

The US government has a blanket policy of not negotiating for hostages which is supported by the vast majority of the American public. AQ did try seizing numerous American hostages in 2002-2005 (Daniel Pearl, Nick Berg, Paul Johnson, Eugene Armstrong). Each time, the US government refused to negotiate and the hostages were then beheaded on video and the videos posted on the internet. American public opinion was hardened to fight harder and not compromise with Al-Qaida.

Nothing like the Gilad Shalit deal would ever be supported by the public in the United States. There was huge condemnation a year ago when presidential candidate Herman Cain suggested he might consider making a similar deal.

[Laworkerbee]

The US government has a blanket policy of not negotiating for hostages which is supported by the vast majority of the American public. AQ did try seizing numerous American hostages in 2002-2005 (Daniel Pearl, Nick Berg, Paul Johnson, Eugene Armstrong). Each time, the US government refused to negotiate and the hostages were then beheaded on video and the videos posted on the internet. American public opinion was hardened to fight harder and not compromise with Al-Qaida.

Nothing like the Gilad Shalit deal would ever be supported by the public in the United States. There was huge condemnation a year ago when presidential candidate Herman Cain suggested he might consider making a similar deal.

Oh please. Like Americans can stay focused on one subject for more than 15 minutes. Months before 9/11 the PRC was holding our EP3 crew as virtual hostages, Americans hollered and claimed they would boycott China, blah, blah, blah, and then came Christmas and everyone forgot what they were hollering about in August.

That blanket policy is a joke and invites hostage taking to test our will.

[LineDoggie]

He is an American citizen and it paints the military in a brutally negative light if they just abandoned a captured soldier to the Taliban. It is also very significant that he is the only American POW in this conflict still unaccounted for, so media coverage will be substantial, with all the focus on him.

1-Was he Captured? or did he desert or turncoat? there was at the time significant evidence that he willingly left the base without permission, without his weapon, without his chain of commands knowing. That does sound like something a Deserter would do?

2- This happened during the Vietnam war as well. Pvt. Robert Garwood Being the most famous or infamous of the time, but also USMC Pvt. Douglas Beane, and others. Hell, in WWII a USAAF 2nd Lt deserted to the Enemy. Lt Martin James Monti not only deserted but turned over a P-38 Lightning in pefect condition to the enemy and Joined the SS.

[Mein Teil]

2- This happened during the Vietnam war as well. Pvt. Robert Garwood Being the most famous or infamous of the time, but also USMC Pvt. Douglas Beane, and others. Hell, in WWII a USAAF 2nd Lt deserted to the Enemy. Lt Martin James Monti not only deserted but turned over a P-38 Lightning in pefect condition to the enemy and Joined the SS.

Don't forget PFC Joe White and North Korea.