Wikileaks is a treasure trove of the private-turned-public. It is full of documents produced by international governments, whistleblowers, corporations, and multiple other organizations. The documents collected from these organizations are meant to be kept hidden, as they contain information was meant to be censored, or even erased. According to the “About” page on Wikileaks, they procure these hidden gems relating to “war, spying and corruption,” and, according to founder Julian Assange, “We give asylum to these documents, we analyze them, we promote them and we obtain more.” This library of classified information promotes transparency between Us (citizens of the United States and other countries worldwide) and Them (organizations whose activities supposedly warrant the use of encryption and secrecy). Some would argue that Wikileaks is a threat to national security, and that its very existence threatens the safety of the American people. However, there is little to no evidence to suggest that this is the case. Wikileaks breaks ground that was only ever trod on by the likes of Daniel Ellsberg (leaker of the Pentagon Papers), Edward Snowden (so-called whistleblower on the NSA’s use of surveillance on the American people), and a few other brave souls who sought to awaken citizens to the corruption that corporations and government agencies sought to blind us from.

Wikileaks has been internationally recognized as a sort of political Robin Hood. Its seizure of documents from these political power, and its deliverance of those documents to citizens, has proved it worthy of many esteemed recognitions and awards. There are hypothetical risks of releasing sensitive information to the public, but are those risks greater than the threat of ignorance and blind patriotism? Wikileaks supports the right of citizens to be aware of, and in charge of, the political happenings around them. With an increasing level of disenchantment of the American people with its government and corporations, how could we as citizens not agree with the thought of taking power back into our own hands through the exposure of knowledge? Wikileaks is deserving of all of its support, as it gives Us more leverage from Them. Despite growing support of Wikileaks, there have been many attempts by international governments to silence the organization. Julian Assange has been held without charge, has been brought to court many times for exposing information, and has had death threats put upon him. The word whistleblower holds many negative feelings, but I think that word should be reclaimed. It means one who seeks to enlighten people with the truth. How is that negative?

As for whether the extended account from Wikileaks regarding the search for Bowe Bergdahl contradicts the account given by Serial 2, I do not necessarily think that the two conflict severely, but I do think that the Serial 2 podcast wishes to highlight the discrepancy between the various accounts of where Bergdahl might be located. In the podcast, the host makes a valid point that depending on who you talk to, the small details vary drastically, but the main plot points stay consistent. Serial 2’s summary of the Wikileaks transcripts filter out the details that either led nowhere, were inconsistent, or were extremely time sensitive. For example, Serial 2’s timeline left out all of July 2nd and 3rd. According to the extended account from the military, on July 2nd, they “DETAINED 25 FOR TACTICAL QUESTIONING” (July 2nd, 0246z), they were “CONDUCTING [Key Leader Engagement]  WITH ELDERS OF MEST AND COMMANDERS OF [Afghan National Police]” (July 2nd 0447z), they followed leads about certain vehicles (July 2nd 0542z, July 2nd 0644z-0653z, July 2nd 0743z), they captured 4 suspected Taliban members (July 2nd 0904z), a proposed trade deal between the Taliban of “15 OF THEIR TALIBAN BROTHERS IN U.S. JAIL AND SOME MONEY IN EXCHANGE FOR PVT BERGDAHL” (July 2nd 0708z). On July 3rd, the military emptied buildings and were conducting search procedures and missions.

Serial 2 left out these days entirely, presumably because none of the events that occurred that day led to any new, big developments that contribute to the ultimate timeline of events in the search. The podcast covers points and events that all parties involved with/interviewed about could all corroborate and agree on. Also a majority of the updates put forth by the Serial 2 podcast had to deal with sightings of Bergdahl, or relate directly to Bergdahl’s state of being/wellbeing, whereas the military updates provided more information that highlighted the military’s actions and state of operation. In a way I think this is Serial 2’s way of trying to humanize Bowe or at least shift the focus from the military’s perspective, and more toward Bowe’s perspective.  

Traitor, deserter, conspirator, hypocrite, turncoat, two-timer, treasonist, defector, betrayer, snake. These are all labels that have been thrust upon Bowe Bergdahl after he calculated and executed his plan to up and leave his post at OP Mest in Afghanistan. After leaving his post unannounced, Bowe set out to head to the Sharana base. This plan detailed a trek of almost twenty miles through steep, uncovered terrain that provided no protection from sun, or from the possibility of being spotted. Why does Bowe make this journey? Well, he wished to launch a complaint against the commanders of his current platoon for horribly managing the platoon. Not only this, but Bowe wished to prove to himself that he was strong enough, capable enough, to make such a journey in 24 hours. He wanted to have his Jason Bourne moment of heroism where he would go through tough trials in order to make Mest a better environment for himself and his fellow soldiers. But was his action truly a display of heroic justice, or was it a naive man’s attempt to prove himself distinguished amongst his peers, whom he wished to save, but ultimately put in harm’s way? Based off of the first episode of Serial 2 podcast, it seems that the former is most definitely the current case.

Let’s go into more detail as to why he wished to desert his team in the first place. According to Ben Evans, regarding his impression of Mest, “Wow, that place sucks… It gave me the willies just seeing that place,” and according to John Thurmond, “It’s probably the worst place imaginable.” John goes on to explain how unkempt and hazardous Mest was, and how it felt like Hell on Earth to be there. Perhaps the poor conditions of Mest are why Bowe left? Well, perhaps not. When asked why he wished to desert Mest, the only two reasons he stated were that he felt that his commanders were terrible leaders, and that he wanted to stand out from the crowd. He wanted to shock the entire army with his disappearance, then upon his return at the Sharana base, request an audience of the most prestigious rank to make his case for the changes he was seeking. Why did he feel the need to make such a grand entrance? Well, he felt that nobody would listen to him if he didn’t make a spectacle of himself. He felt that there was no way to get his complaints out there (even though he himself admitted there actually were ways to launch a complaint, but he had just been ignorant of those means) unless he put himself and his platoon in danger. Anyway, a man who feels the need to concoct such an elaborate plan must have some very detailed examples of the bad leadership that was taking place in his platoon right? No. In the first episode of Serial 2, he neglects to give any specific evidence of mistreatment and mismanagement. If I was to try to formulate some idea of why he could’ve done this, I would come to the conclusion that the real reason why he conducted this scheme was because he was suffocating under the boredom and pressure of being stationed at OP Mest. He felt it necessary to take such drastic measures after 5 years, even though he only had a little time remaining in Mest. In order for me, let alone the American people, to truly empathize with him and see his point of view, he has to be willing to offer more concrete examples of why it was necessary to take such extreme measures to address such a vague problem. Hopefully in the following episodes there will be more clarity, but as for now, his motivations are suspect.

Let’s pretend he did have a clear, compelling reason as to why desertion was necessary to solve to issues he was facing. If we pretend that this scenario is the reality of the situation, then we can also assume that he must have come up with a great plan, considering he spent 5 years coming up with it. When asked what he thought of his brilliant idea, he summed it up with four accurate, carefully chosen words: “Gutsy but still stupid.” His summary is very accurate, as clearly shown throughout the progression of said plan. Upon leaving the base, his plan was to use the local garment he purchased, along with $300 worth of Afghani and American currency to make his way across the steep desert to Sharana. Then he would change back into his uniform in order to sneak into the base at Sharana. He could definitely fit in with the Afghan locals, as he was often seen arriving late to guard duty as he had been spending time joking around with the locals. They were already familiar with him, so he would have no problem blending in as he made his journey. Sounds like a solid plan, right? Well it totally would’ve been if it wasn’t for the fact that he wasted two hours by getting lost after failing to check his compass (a rookie move, according to himself and the Serial 2 podcast). Even at the start of his journey, he got hit with the sudden realization that he was in over his head, and he felt that in order to justify his motivations (which he himself was beginning to lose faith in), he had to put his own life in danger by trying to gather more intel about possible explosives being planted between Mest and Sharana. After he finally got himself out of the navigational mess that he had put himself in, he had wasted several hours. By the time he was back on course, the sun was up, which, according to him, “put [him] in direct sight of the Taliban.” I applaud his honesty, as it must have been difficult for him to admit that he got caught by the Taliban as a result of his own short-sightedness.

Was his plan realistic? I think it was, but his poor execution is what led to his downfall. He was used to running, he was used to high altitudes, and he was physically fit due to rigorous training. His body was a machine built for this expedition, but he lacked the foresight to mentally prepare for the task. It would be a gross overestimation of my abilities to assert that I could have possibly done better on my own, but I like to imagine that he and I would have done a great job as a duo. What I lack in physical strength, he more than makes up for. And what he lacks in foresight, I would able to supplement.

To summarize my previous arguments, I shall answer the question “does his decision seem understandable to you?” Perhaps I will change my stance as the series goes on and more information is revealed regarding what specifically about the conditions of Mest compelled him to make such a rash decision. As for this current moment, I believe that his lack of loyalty, his lack of focus on his original motivations, and his lack of taking the consequences of his actions into account contribute greatly to my argument that his decision is inexcusable and unforgivable. In the reading guide that accompanies Serial 2, they assert that despite common speculation, his desertion did not lead directly to the deaths of any of his platoon members. While that is technically true, that does not mean that people were not injured in the process of finding him. Out of the many hazardous incidents that occurred that are contributed to his absence, all of them are quickly debunked as unrelated save for the final incident, which Serial 2 glosses over because it wasn’t “fatal.” In said incident, members of his platoon who were conducting an investigation into his desertion ended up getting badly injured in a skirmish that took place while they were conducting the search. One soldier was even shot in the head. Even though the soldier survived, I would be willing to argue that if Bowe hadn’t deserted Mest, the soldiers wouldn’t have been put into such a hazardous situation in the first place. His abscence left his comrades under-prepared and understaffed. And for that, I find his scheme reckless and unnecessary. One final question I feel should be addressed: “Does he deserve the harsh charges that are being pressed against him by the military?” I have mixed emotions about this question. The short answer is no. The longer answer is that while I think his reckless actions put others in harm’s way and are more than deserving of punishment, I feel as though the atrocities he must have suffered while under the imprisonment of the Taliban have made up for it. He put himself in the position to be captured, but it would be disgusting of any human being to wish such torture onto someone else. He has paid the price for his stupidity. It should not be expected of the American people for him to be welcomed back with open arms, but I sincerely believe that he has suffered enough for his actions.

Song that captures the mood: