Bowe Bergdahl Released From Hospital And Back On Active Duty

RTR3RNL6 — U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Berghdal is pictured in this undated handout photo provided by the U.S. Army and received by Reuters on May 31, 2014. Bergdahl, who had been held for nearly five years by Afghan militants, was handed over to U.S. Special Operations forces in Afghanistan on May 31, 2014 in a dramatic swap for five Taliban detainees who will be handed over from Guantanamo Bay prison to Qatar. REUTERS/U.S. Army/Handout via Reuters

Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the American POW freed by the Afghan Taliban May 31, has been released from the hospital and is back on active duty at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, the Army said Monday.

The 28-year-old Idaho native’s debriefing and psychological counseling is complete and he is “a normal soldier now,” according to Col. Steve Warren. The Army investigation into his 2009 disappearance while on active duty in Afghanistan continues, however.

Some members of Bergdahl’s unit in Afghanistan say he deserted his post and sought refuge with the Taliban. He was held captive for five years before the U.S. exchanged five high-level Taliban leaders for his release. The decision drew criticism from conservatives, both for the security risk and lack of notification before the exchange from the Obama administration.

Bergdahl spent two weeks recuperating in an Army facility in Germany before spending this past month at Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston. Bergdahl is now in a role in which he “can contribute to the mission” at Fort Sam Houston, says the Army.

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