CMDR HAPNER REACTS TO THE TALIBAN VIDEO OF U.S. POW

More than two weeks ago, the U.S. military acknowledged that an American soldier was missing from a forward operating base in Afghanistan. In the days that followed, the Taliban took responsibility. Over the weekend, the Taliban posted an illegal video of their prisoner online.

On behalf of AMVETS and the veterans’ community, I want to condemn this cowardly act. Aside from the ridiculous demands made by the Taliban, operating as rogue gangs inside the borders of two sovereign countries, I must also condemn the posting of the Taliban video, which blatantly violates international law.

The Third Geneva Convention treaty strictly prohibits leveraging prisoners and exposing them to public curiosity. This propaganda film is a serious violation of this provision. The convention also explicitly forbids the measures of reprisal that the Taliban have threatened. 

Since its inception, AMVETS has been a vocal advocate for all POW/MIA. Many of our members remember the horrors endured by the WWII, Korea and Vietnam generations at the hands of our often-brutal enemies. Today, we seek to ensure that our military men and women receive the same kind of humane, dignified treatment that we are legally obligated to afford our enemies.

In American detainee facilities, Taliban and Al Qaeda operatives are afforded three “hots and a cot” each day, along with top-notch health care and time to freely practice their beliefs free of persecution or subversion. I implore the Taliban to afford our service members the same level of dignified care.

The Pentagon sought to protect the soldier’s identity and to protect his loved ones by refusing to release the soldier’s name. The soldier’s home town in Idaho knew of the young man’s capture, but also kept the information under wraps in an effort to protect the young man and his loved ones. Unfortunately, we now know that the missing soldier is 23-year-old Idaho native Pfc. Bowe R. Bergdahl.

Today, Bergdahl is the only U.S. service member missing in Afghanistan, and he joins the ranks of U.S. Army Spc. Ahmed Altaie, who disappeared while visiting family in Iraq, as the only U.S. service members still listed as missing by the Department of Defense.

AMVETS calls on the Departments of Defense and State to do everything in their power to safely recover Pfc. Bergdahl and reunite him with his unit and his loved ones. We also call on the U.S. government and the government of Afghanistan to hold his Taliban captors accountable for their actions.  

In the meantime, my thoughts and prayers, and the thoughts and prayers of AMVETS across the country, remain with the Bergdahl family.

Continuing to serve our veterans and our communities,

John C. Hapner
AMVETS National Commander