US

Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl Speaks Publicly For The First Time

Kaitlan Collins Contributor
Font Size:

Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is speaking publicly for the first time about his experience in the second season of the podcast “Serial.”

It is the 29-year-old’s first interview since he left his base in Afghanistan in 2009 and was held captive by a group affiliated with the Taliban for five years.

“Serial” has 25 hours of recorded conversations between Bergdahl and Hollywood screenwriter Mark Boal, and the first episode of the series was published Thursday.

Bowe Bergdahl Serial season 2

(Photo: Getty Images)

In the interview, Bergdahl recalls how he felt the night that he left.

“I’m going, ‘Good grief, I’m in over my head,’” Bergdahl said. “Suddenly, it really starts to sink in that I really did something bad. Or, not bad, but I really did something serious.”

Bergdahl said the reason he didn’t return to base was because he planned to track Taliban insurgents first to ease “the hurricane of wrath that was going to hit” him when he did.

“When I got back to the F.O.B., you know, they could say, ‘You left your position,’” Bergdahl said in reference to his forward operating base.

“But I could say: ‘Well, I also got this information. So, what are you going to do?’ That would have been a ‘bonus point.'”

Listen to the rest of the first episode here.