An Army memo says Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl showed signs of mental illness when he walked off his post in Afghanistan in 2009.
The memo was one of a number of new documents released by Bergdahl’s defense attorneys Thursday.
It details the findings of a Sanity Board Evaluation that Bergdahl had a “severe mental disease or defect” when he walked off his post and was clinically diagnosed with schizotypal personality disorder.
Those with schizotypal personality disorder generally don’t fully understand the impact of their behavior on others and may develop significant distrust of other people, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Bergdahl is facing a court-martial for charges of desertion and misbehavior in front of the enemy for leaving his post in Afghanistan.
He was subsequently captured by the Taliban and held prisoner for five years. He was released in 2015 as part of a prisoner swap by the Obama administration for five senior Taliban commanders held at Guantanamo.
In interviews aired on NPR’s “Serial” podcast, Bergdahl said he left his post because he hoped to trigger an alert and gain the attention of senior military leaders. He wanted to alert them to what he believed were dangerous actions by his commanders.
Source: Army: Bergdahl had mental illness when he walked off post
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