Pentagon Reacts To Bergdahl Press
Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, left, and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, conduct a press conference in the Pentagon press briefing room on Thursday, May 10. In the briefing, Panetta and Dempsey said the Defense Department is doing everything possible to secure the return of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, a Wood River Valley native who was captured by enemy forces in Afghanistan in June 2009. The press briefing came after the soldier’s parents, Bob and Jani Bergdahl, raised questions about the Pentagon’s rescue efforts in news stories published last week by the Idaho Mountain Express, The New York Times and other media organizations. “We certainly understand the concerns of the family, and we share the concerns about Bergdahl and the importance of getting him returned,” Panetta said. “And we're doing everything possible to try to see if we can make that happen.” Dempsey concurred. “If you go to the [U.S. Central Command] command center conference room, there's [a] four-by-six foot poster of Bowe Bergdahl sitting in front of the podium to remind them, and therefore us, every day that he remains missing in action,” he said. Department of Defense photo by Glenn Fawcett
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