Page 539 - Captivity News Today

Circumstances we are going to still learn about. he is, like all americans, innocent until proven guilty. hes being tried in the court of public opinion after going through an enormous five years of captivity. his parents the same. the most that we need to care about is his health and well-being and there will be an opportunity to review the circumstances of his capture if there is a consequence that results from that, that will be delivered. >> reporter: and jake, susan rice points out that bow...

That, bergdahl escaped from captivity. he was recaptured within five days, returned and was observed collapsing, in ill health. about a month after that, the guards imprisoned bergdahl in a special metal cage like an animal. by august 2012 in the last sit-rep prepared an eyewitness see bergdahl converted to islam, calling himself a warrior for ala and firing ak-47s in target practice. senior white house officials say they never heard these accounts, a stance that was echoed at the state departme...

A 19-year-old man is dead and three others injured after a gunman opened fire in a private christian university in seattle. we are learning about someone called a hero in the tragedy. he is john meas. he sprang in action and hitting him with pepper spray and disarming him with the help of a now others. one victim a 19-year-old woman is in critical condition. jon. >> the white house on the defensive on the bowe bergdahl swap. they played it up as a diplomatic victrow and rescuing a soldier after ...

Weeks. >> when you saw him get on the helicopter, do you remember -- how did you feel when you saw that? >> when i saw him, i said wow, he looks pretty good. we looked a lot worse than that looking for him. >> looking for him. >> i mean, it was kind of funny to me and after watching the whole video, it was a little uneventful. they just handed him over. them saying -- you heard he was sickly and stuff. he didnt appear to be too sickly to me. >> what really made me angry is when i saw on the news...

To subdue him. >> you did escape ultimately. for those that dont know, can you explain the calculus of that? the fears got to be sense of getting captured and what would happen then. >> for us, it was just hatred of our captors and the sense to hold us for years and years and years and if, frankly, you want it to end and if you die in the escape, you know, you die. and then -- >> you thought at the time? >> yes. >> you just wanted snout. >> i wanted out. i wanted -- i hoped it might work and we ...

The 5 1/2 years they have been there, if were going to release these five for one man, what happens when they capture a group of tourists, when they capture a congressman? what will be the negotiating point? >> just to be precise, you dont really care if he was death -- on the verge of death during those five years of captivity, a united states army soldier? >> well, wolf, i think its pretty clear that he was not on the verge of death. now, whether he was being beat, whether he was not as health...

Made sense to give back a guy. and wearing the american uniform in exchange for five hard-core taliban commanders. that is a good debate to have. it would look differently if bergdahl was allowed to die in captivity. and the parents are getting a bum rap. i think it is not breaking down the partisan lines and administration is not having much else to say to defend the rosy presentation of this and trying to blame the media. >> and a lot of big questions in the stories, whether it is it a va scan...

Delivered. in the meantime, lets remember, this is a young man who volen tissued to serve his country. he was taken as a prisoner of war. he suffered in captivity. hes now trying to begin the process of recovery. lets let that happen and know the facts and then we can make a judgment. >> were also learning more about bergdahls time in captivity. our pentagon correspondent barbara starr is following that part of the story. what do we know about bergdahls attempts to escape during those five years...

Wasnt made. what did she say about that? >> she didnt exactly confirm what we heard that the administration gave this briefing a couple days ago on capitol hill and told senators that if word had leaked out, if they notified congress about this deal to trade bergdahl for five taliban prisoners, that bergdahl would have been killed. she didnt exactly confirm that but there was a concern for his life and national security team had no regrets about the deal that freed the former p.o.w. >> were very...

Captivity for i think 13 years the war in afghanistan is going to be over in 2016. >> it doesnt matter. >> the war in afghanistan is going to be over in 2016 we are leaving. they are terrorists. >> again, i agree they are bad guys. >> no, no. they are worse than bad guys. >> they gave up 283 people serving a life sentence for an israeli. one israeli. and, you know what?s !¿ and people supported that. >> i just told you they didnt give him up for commanders who are war criminals. these guys have...