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IPFS News Link • Military

The Latest: Sen. Graham disappointed in Bergdahl sentence

• https://www.yahoo.com, Associated Press

Sen. Lindsey Graham says he's "incredibly disappointed" in the sentence Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl received from a military judge.

The South Carolina Republican, who served as an Air Force lawyer for more than 30 years, says Friday he has tremendous respect for the military justice system. But he says "this sentence in my view falls short of the gravity of the offense."

Bergdahl pleaded guilty to endangering his comrades by walking away from his post in Afghanistan. A search for Bergdahl left several U.S. troops badly wounded. A military judge ruled Bergdahl should serve no prison time but gave him a dishonorable discharge, reduced his rank to private and fined him.

Graham says, "an independent judiciary is the heart and soul of the rule of law but no one is beyond criticism."

2:30 p.m.

A soldier who was wounded searching for Bowe Bergdahl says the lack of prison time in his sentence is "unacceptable."

Scores of troops searched for Bergdahl after he walked off his post near the Afghan town of Mest. Prosecutors cited two missions that resulted in serious wounds to two soldiers and a Navy SEAL.

One of the wounded soldiers, Jonathan Morita of California, still doesn't have full use of his dominant hand after bones were shattered when he was hit by an RPG, which didn't explode.


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