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I have not been able to find a clear answer as to when Bergdahl was delpoyed for a school project. All sources I've found agree that he was deployed sometime during 2009, but many disagree on the month. CNN, Wikipedia, podcast 5 O’Clock Shadow by Serial, and Maxim claim Bergdahl specifically was deployed in May of 2009 (they vary though on when his unit was deployed), but other sources like the BBC claim it to be January or an entirely different month.

My question is, what was the true date of Bowe Bergdahl's deployment?

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    For those who think like me: "Who?" --> Robert Bowdrie "Bowe" Bergdahl is a United States Army soldier who was held captive by the Taliban-aligned Haqqani network in Afghanistan from June 2009 until his release in May 2014 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowe_Bergdahl
    – user22865
    Feb 5, 2016 at 16:15
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    @JanDoggen- Thanks for that. I was just wondering whether it's on-topic... not convinced.
    – PointlessSpike
    Feb 5, 2016 at 16:16
  • The linked Maxim story states "We deployed February, but Bergdahl didn’t even get there until May because he had a staph infection."
    – Reinstate Monica -- notmaynard
    Feb 5, 2016 at 16:57
  • I, coincidentally, have just listened to the first third of that podcast (Spoilers! :-( ) and they have described how he did NOT travel, as planned, on March 9 or 10, because he had a staph infection on his foot from a blister from marching.) Please cite where they make this claim because I don't think they do.
    – Oddthinking ♦
    Feb 6, 2016 at 4:57
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    I'm tempted to flag this to be migrated to History.SE
    – user5341
    Feb 6, 2016 at 15:09

1 Answer 1

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11 May 2009

Quoting RECORD OF PRELIMINARY HEARING UNDER ARTICLE 32

Robert Bowdrie Bergdahl -- or Bowe Bergdahl as he wished to be known enlisted in the Army on 12 June 2008. He completes basic training and AIT at the end of October 2008 and reports to Blackfoot Company, 1st of the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment at Fort Richardson, Alaska. Here he’s assigned to 2nd Platoon. 2nd Platoon is on its way to NTC -- or the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California, for training. After the exercise, 2nd Platoon and the accused return home for Christmas and block leave; and in March of 2009, 1st of the 501st deploys to Paktika Province in Afghanistan. The accused deploys with his unit, although he’s several weeks behind the main body due to an infection in his heel. He arrives in Afghanistan on 11 May 2009, and he joins his unit in the rotation schedule between Forward Operating Base Sharana and Observation Post Mest in Afghanistan.

Also, according to congressional testimony of Cody Herbert Full, Bergdahl's roommate:

In March 2009 our Brigade deployed to Afghanistan but Bergdahl did not make the deployment with us. He had gotten a staph infection and would not make it until May 2009.

(alternative official US link to Cody Herbert Full's testimony)

Additionally, Bergdahl posted to facebook with the user name "Wandering Monk". His last post was 22 May 2009 and described a mission in Afghanistan that took fived days.

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