“Stay Strong”
Boston Herald, with the father of slain al Qaeda captive S/Sgt Alex Jimenez to the family of Taliban captive PFC Bowe Bergdahl:
A Lawrence man whose soldier son was held captive and killed by al-Qaeda in Iraq has this message for an Idaho family whose son’s frightened face appeared in a Taliban video yesterday:
“Stay strong.”
Ramon “Andy” Jimenez’s son Alex, an Army staff sergeant, was found murdered more than a year after he was taken in 2007. But Jimenez says he believes there is hope for Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl, 23, who was seized in Afghanistan June 30 after he wandered away from his post.
Jimenez said Bergdahl’s family should draw comfort from the fact that their son’s captors videotaped him – something that never happened in his son’s case – and may be willing to negotiate.
Jim Wareing of New England Caring for Our Military, a Jimenez family friend, said the Bergdahl case is still promising. “They have a video of a living soldier. Alex’s video was of (his) ID,” Wareing said.
On the 28-minute video, the visibly shaken soldier is shown eating food and sitting cross-legged in a traditional pale-gray Afghan outfit.
Prompted by an unseen captor to deliver a message to his country, Berghdahl pleads for U.S. troops to leave the war-ravaged country, saying, “We have invaded an independent state . . . Please bring us home so we can be back where we belong and not over here wasting our time and our lives.”
His head is shaven and he is wearing a beard. He grows emotional when talking about his girlfriend, whom he plans to marry, and his family.
“I’m afraid that I might never see them again and that I’ll never be able to tell them that I love them again. I’ll never be able to hug them,” he says, noting the day as July 14. “I’m scared . . . scared about not being able to go home again.”
U.S. military officials condemned the video, calling it “Taliban propaganda” and saying it violated international law.
“We hope and pray for our son’s safe return to his comrades and then to our family,” the soldier’s father, Bob Bergahl, said in a statement issued through the military. “Please continue to keep Bowe in your thoughts and prayers.”
The images revived the anguish Andy Jimenez felt for 14 months after the bloody ambush in which Sgt. Alex Jimenez, 25, vanished along with two other soldiers on May 12, 2007, in Iraq.
“I said, ‘Oh my God,’ another family is in the same situation like me before. And I think of that day,” said Jimenez, 55.
One soldier’s body was found 11 days later floating in the Euphrates River, but Jimenez and another 10th Mountain Division member, Spc. Byron Fouty, 19, of Waterford, Mich., were declared “missing/captured” until U.S. forces were led to their remains in a shallow grave on July 8, 2008.
“It’s tough waiting. It’s difficult. I waited 14 months for Alex to come home alive,” Jimenez recalled yesterday, standing in front of his son’s memorial plaque near a Lawrence field where he played baseball. “But you gotta have faith.”
Jimenez said he held out hope that his boy would return home safe up until his remains were identified.
“You have to stay strong and wait and pray,” he said.
This remains an unusual case. Unclear what this kid was doing, what the intentions of his captors may be. The Taliban have shown significantly more interest in horsetrading than al Qaeda, which has been mainly interested in shock value. This captured soldier is of significantly higher value than the assorted aid workers captured before, and there is probably a fair amount of angling going on over who gets to keep him and what they’ll do with him. There is also the question of what kind of deal, if any, the United States might be willing to make, or allow to be made on its behalf by others.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calls the vid a sign of “desperation and inappropriate criminal behavior on the part of these terrorist groups.” AFP. She might be overstating the “desperation” part, though I’m uncouraged to see the Taliban referred to at the highest levels of the Obama admin as a “terrorist” group, rather than man-caused disasterists. Very Bush retro.
CBS has a terrorism expert calling the video reason for hope, as well as a Taliban propaganda message:
”They’re sending a message to the United States and its allies, and equally they’re sending a message to the Afghan public: We can treat soldiers — we can treat prisoners better than the Americans are treating us,” said Van Dyk, citing myriad reports of prisoner abuse in U.S.-run prisons for terror suspects in Afghanistan and Iraq.
“What they are saying to the Afghan public is that we can do a better job — Do not be afraid of us.”
“He’s wearing nice clothes. He’s being fed. He has a cup of tea there. This is ancient tribal code that predates Islam,” explains Van Dyk, who says local tradition dictates, “We will protect to the death a guest in our home — He is in someone’s home right now.”
That’s wonderful. So does that mean they’re all done with suicide bombs, beheading opponents and beating women to death? I doubt it. However, in Bergdahl’s favor is the track record. Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell fell briefly into Taliban hands and took a beating. He survived due to Pashtunwala, the tribal code Van Dyk refers to, which detered them from removing him from the friendly village where he was being harbored, though they later chose to mount an assault on that village. Unlike al Qaeda, the Taliban has some decorum or rules of behavior it feels compelled to observe, flexible though it may be about its aproach to those rules. And as Van Dyk suggests, it may be to their advantage to take the high road.
Via UK’s Daily Mail, Gates says the American people are war-weary and need to see progress. The latter is certainly true though I think the American people have been on war vacation, not thinking about it much lately. With Iraq largely quiet and deaths way down, they’ve had that opportunity. The question is whether this will turn into a test of the Obama admin. Unclear as yet. A Pentagon spokesman says the Taliban is out of luck on the “go home” demand, by the way, which is not exactly surprising. I doubt the Taliban even expect that. They will want money, prisoner exchange, and maybe even angle for tactical advantage or some kind of truce or standdown. It would not be surprising if they got the first two, via proxies. If they get anything approaching the latter, that would be a serious lapse of leadership. Putting it mildly.
Quick scan of NYT and WPost websites, this story isn’t even out front today. Let me know if you spot any evidence other out there that anyone gives a damn about this or is curious about how the admin will handle it.
“Stay strong” is pretty good advice for all of us. War’s not over.
Malkin is raising questions about the strange circumstances. Yeah, they’re strange. There could be a lot of explanations for the kid’s behavior, from misguided to dumb to desertion to wanted to see a puppy to something we don’t know about yet. Maybe even heroic. Doesn’t seem to be in question that he put himself in harm’s way without authorization, to no particularly worthwhile end, but I’m not ready to pull any triggers on that issue yet.
Mudville, “Psyops (or ‘What have you done for the Taliban lately?’)”
Meanwhile, in good news from Afghanistan, WSJ, Afghan villagers attack Taliban:
Villagers attacked the Taliban in eastern Afghanistan, a rare instance of locals turning on insurgents after being promised aid money and security by the government.
Friday’s confrontation was welcome news for Afghan and U.S. authorities, in what is shaping up to be one of the bloodiest months for the U.S-led coalition since the start of the war.
Tribesmen in Nangarhar, a province in the east, broke ties with the Taliban after being promised development money and security at a pair of meetings with Afghan officials in recent months, said tribal elders and a spokesman for the provincial government, Ahmad Zia Abdulzai.
While Mr. Abdulzai said the effort that led to Friday’s clash was purely the work of the provincial government, U.S. civilian and military officials have been working with Afghan authorities to try the same strategy in other parts of the country. Those efforts, however, have met with limited success.
The fighting in Nangarhar, which was reported over the weekend, began after Taliban fighters attempted to kidnap an Afghan army officer in the Achin district, witnesses said. The officer escaped and took refuge among villagers, who refused to turn him over to insurgents.
The Taliban then attacked, prompting a firefight with the villagers, who killed three insurgents and captured 11, said Mr. Abdulzai, the provincial spokesman. Nearly a half-dozen villagers who witnessed the fighting confirmed his account.
The villagers handed over 10 prisoners to authorities and kept one in hopes of exchanging him for a tribesman being held by the Taliban, Mr. Abdulzai said.
It gets more interesting. Whole thing.
Topics: Afghanistan, military
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 9:17 am Comments (2) on Monday, July 20, 2009
2 Responses to ““Stay Strong””
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July 20th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
[...] Jules Crittenden: This remains an unusual case. Unclear what this kid was doing, what the intentions of his captors may be. The Taliban have shown significantly more interest in horsetrading than al Qaeda, which has been mainly interested in shock value. This captured soldier is of significantly higher value than the assorted aid workers captured before, and there is probably a fair amount of angling going on over who gets to keep him and what they’ll do with him. There is also the question of what kind of deal, if any, the United States might be willing to make, or allow to be made on its behalf by others. [...]
July 20th, 2009 at 9:28 pm
I hope you folks don’t mind me writing you, but, as a mom of a wounded soldier…I just had to write with hopes of sharing this message of thought, prayers & hope, through song… to the family of PFC. Bowe R. Bergdahl.
My name is Susan D. Wiseman – ” The Tribute Lady “… due to a number of Tribute songs I’ve written since our son, SPC David Dale was sworn into the Army, Sept. ‘04…he later deployed to IRAQ & was wounded (TBI) May ‘07. These years of military life have led to many songs from the heart of this soldier’s mom, regarding what we military families go through.
There’s one song, in particular I would like to share, it’s a prayer of hope & is often referred to as a song of hope for our POW/MIAs … it’s all free…nothing I do is sold…it’s titled,
” I Just Keep On Dreamin’ ” – ( Prayin’ & Believin’ ) ( Lyrics are below )
ALL my music is free to Stream/Download … There are some 98+ Tributes.
http://www.ItIsTheSoldier.com or http://www.TheTributeLady.com
My music is my personal “THANK YOU” to ALL those who step forward to serve this GREAT NATION!
My husband & I perform all across the nation, in support of our troops…and, this is one of the most requested songs we do…I wrote it just 2 weeks after our son deployed, but, it has become so popular as a song of hope for our POW/MIAs…especially since we do so much work with the Vietnam vets…you see, I lost a cousin in Vietnam, too.
Please feel free to share the sites/songs/lyrics/etc with anyone you so desire, provided proper copyright info is given, so others may access the free downloads. They may also be used for webpages, videos etc…with correct info, please.
Also, below the lyrics…I’ve added more info regarding all that my husband & I do, if you’re interested in knowing more about us & our hearts as we serve those who serve.
May something you hear be a blessing to you & your’s, and, lead to Christ!
God Bless PFC Bowe R. Bergdahl…and, ALL our Veterans & Troops!
In HIS service,
Susan D. Wiseman – ” The Tribute Lady ”
http://www.TheTributeLady.com
http://www.ItIsTheSoldier.com
(98+ Tributes ALL Free Stream/Downloads)
http://www.TheTributeLady.blogspot.com
” I Just Keep On Dreamin’ ”
( Quiet Mystical, Slow Intro )
In my dreams … I see … your smile.
In my dreams … There are … NO miles.
In my dreams …You’re … ALWAYS … there.
And, In my dreams … We have … NO … fear.
In my dreams … They’re ALL the same,
In my dreams … YOU … Call my name.
And, In my dreams … You’re … ALWAYS … there.
And, In my dreams … We have … NO … fear,
In my dreams.
(Rockin’ Upbeat 5/4 Chorus Begins)
” I Just Keep On Dreamin’ ”
Tryin’ to Believe in …
All … the things … I can’t deny.
I just keep on … tryin’
Believin’ … we’ll survive
I keep the dream … of YOU … ALIVE !
But, There is NO denying
This …fear …I have inside,
While I keep the dream … of YOU … ALIVE !
( Soft Solo Chorus )
” I Just Keep On Dreamin’ ”
Prayin’ & Believin’
” I keep the dream … of YOU … ALIVE !
” I Just Keep On Dreamin’ ” ( Whispered )
http://www.ItIsTheSoldier.com
( ALL Streams/Downloads are free )
Copyright – March 19, 2007
Susan D.Wiseman – ” The Tribute Lady ”
http://www.TheTributeLady.com
” Christ-Centered Pieces ” – Given Gifts
P.O. Box 1591
Fayetteville, Ga. 30214-1591