Wed, Dec 9, 2015
Sarah Koenig begins her examination of the case of Private Bowe Bergdahl who left his U.S. Army post in Afghanistan in 2009 in an effort to trigger a "DUSTWUN" manhunt. Bergdahl claims he wanted to expose poor leadership at his post, but he is instead captured by enemy fighters and disappears.
Wed, Dec 23, 2015
Sarah Koenig talks about Bergdahl's attempts to escape after he was captured. His first attempt result in a brief bit of freedom, but he was later chained to a bed for three months as punishment. His next escape lasted eight days before he was injured falling off a cliff. He remains in captivity until he is released in 2014.
Wed, Jan 6, 2016
Sarah Koenig examines Bergdahl's account of his captors since his account from captivity is confusing. She talks to David Rohde who was held captive by the Haqqani network for several months. He gives a clearer picture since he was accompanied by Afghan colleagues who could understand what his captors were doing.
Wed, Feb 3, 2016
Sarah Koenig talks about the 380-page statement Bowe Bergdahl gave shortly after his return. Bowe was a good soldier initially, but he became disillusioned after training. When he got to Afghanistan, he became alienated from his commanders and came to believe that his commander's priorities were incorrect. He chose to leave the based after his battalion was scolded for a minor offense.
Wed, Feb 17, 2016
Sarah Koenig examines the reasons why Bowe Bergdahl left the base. Bowe says that he left the base because his commanders were incompetent. Koenig discusses Bergdahl's psychological state noting that his stint in the Coast Guard ended because of depression. She wonders whether the army should have let him in.
Thu, Feb 18, 2016
Sarah Koenig examines whether Bowe Bergdahl should have been accepted into the Army after his breakdown in the Coast Guard two years earlier. She talks to a psychologist and several of Bergdahl's friends about his paranoia. She discusses how many of the soldiers in his platoon think he should have been court-martialed.
Wed, Mar 2, 2016
Sarah Koenig examines Bowe Bergdahl's release from the Taliban. It was conducted through a secret peace negotiation in Munich in 2010. The United States agreed to trade Bergdahl for two prisoners being kept in Guantanamo, but the negotiator passed away leaving everything on hold. Eventually after further negotiations, the Taliban agreed to release Bergdahl in return for five Taliban prisoners.
Wed, Mar 30, 2016
Sarah Koenig examines the many questions that remain about the Bowe Bergdahl's case. She talks about how Bergdahl's Coast Guard friends cannot understand how he could have got into the Army given his breakdown. She discusses the military's desire to punish Bergdahl and whether people died in the search for him.