An exclusive look back at the army unit Bowe Bergdahl deployed with in 2009.
- 10 years ago
EDITORS NOTE: Reporter Deborah Gembara was embedded with the 1st Battalion 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment in 2009, arriving two months after Bowe Bergdahl's duty status was changed to "captured." The unit has since left Afghanistan.
They operated in the heart of Taliban country, sometimes arriving under cover of darkness and other times, forced to take their chances in the wide open. The 1st Battalion 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment was the unit Bowe Bergdahl deployed to Afghanistan with. In 2009, they were based in some of the country's most hostile terrain.
Getting to Mest, the outpost Bergdahl was assigned to, was an ordeal. Armored vehicles were a moving target in Eastern Afghanistan, which is why soldiers equipped with night vision would often travel after midnight. Such precautions, however, were no guarantee.
SOUNDBITE: 1-501ST SOLDIER FAENZA SAYING:
"Our lead vehicle was struck by an IED and it hit the middle of their truck and it disabled it. We sa
They operated in the heart of Taliban country, sometimes arriving under cover of darkness and other times, forced to take their chances in the wide open. The 1st Battalion 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment was the unit Bowe Bergdahl deployed to Afghanistan with. In 2009, they were based in some of the country's most hostile terrain.
Getting to Mest, the outpost Bergdahl was assigned to, was an ordeal. Armored vehicles were a moving target in Eastern Afghanistan, which is why soldiers equipped with night vision would often travel after midnight. Such precautions, however, were no guarantee.
SOUNDBITE: 1-501ST SOLDIER FAENZA SAYING:
"Our lead vehicle was struck by an IED and it hit the middle of their truck and it disabled it. We sa