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American Cipher: Bowe Bergdahl and the U.S. Tragedy in Afghanistan
The explosive narrative of the life, captivity, and trial of Bowe Bergdahl, the soldier who was abducted by the Taliban and whose story has served as a symbol for America's foundering war in Afghanistan
"A riveting journalistic account of Bowe Bergdahl's disastrous--and weirdly poignant--choice to walk off his military base in Afghanistan. . . . A spectacularly good book about an incredibly painful and important topic."--Sebastian Junger, author of Tribe and War
Private First Class Bowe Bergdahl left his platoon's base in eastern Afghanistan in the early hours of June 30, 2009. Since that day, easy answers to the many questions surrounding his case have proved elusive. American Cipher is the riveting and deeply sourced account of the nearly decade-old Bergdahl quagmire and its place in the larger conflict in Afghanistan. The book tells the parallel stories of a young man's halting coming of age and a nation stalled in an unwinnable war, revealing the fallout that ensued when the two collided. The book's beating heart is Bergdahl himself--an idealistic, misguided soldier onto whom a nation projected the political and emotional complications of service.
Based on years of exclusive reporting drawing on dozens of sources throughout the military, government, and Bergdahl's family, friends, and fellow soldiers, American Cipher is at once a meticulous investigation of government dysfunction and political posturing, a blistering commentary on America's presence in Afghanistan, and a hearbreaking story of a na�ve young man who thought he could fix the world and wound up the tool of forces far beyond his understanding.
"A riveting journalistic account of Bowe Bergdahl's disastrous--and weirdly poignant--choice to walk off his military base in Afghanistan. . . . A spectacularly good book about an incredibly painful and important topic."--Sebastian Junger, author of Tribe and War
Private First Class Bowe Bergdahl left his platoon's base in eastern Afghanistan in the early hours of June 30, 2009. Since that day, easy answers to the many questions surrounding his case have proved elusive. American Cipher is the riveting and deeply sourced account of the nearly decade-old Bergdahl quagmire and its place in the larger conflict in Afghanistan. The book tells the parallel stories of a young man's halting coming of age and a nation stalled in an unwinnable war, revealing the fallout that ensued when the two collided. The book's beating heart is Bergdahl himself--an idealistic, misguided soldier onto whom a nation projected the political and emotional complications of service.
Based on years of exclusive reporting drawing on dozens of sources throughout the military, government, and Bergdahl's family, friends, and fellow soldiers, American Cipher is at once a meticulous investigation of government dysfunction and political posturing, a blistering commentary on America's presence in Afghanistan, and a hearbreaking story of a na�ve young man who thought he could fix the world and wound up the tool of forces far beyond his understanding.
400 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
March 19, 2019
"Bergdahl’s truth was far sadder than the version that his country had written for him upon his return. His truth also matched what Coe and his friends in Idaho had believed all along: Bowe was a well-intentioned, remarkably naïve twenty-three-year-old with the impulsiveness and judgment of a kid half his age."
- Matt Farwell, et al, American Cipher
I was conflicted both about reading this book and reviewing it. The book was a bit tender for me. Bergdahl's parents came to my brother's funeral about 9 years ago in South Eastern Idaho. My brother had recently died in a black hawk crash. He served in Iraq twice, served in Afghanistan twice, was awarded numerous medals for valor, including the Distinguished Flying Cross. My little brother served 16 months in Eastern Afghanistan in the same area, roughly as Bowe Bergdahl spent spent his first month+ in Afghanistan. My father-in-law was a contractor in Kabul, Afghanistan for almost 3 years. My brother-in-law was an Army artillary officer who trained Afghans on using big guns. It is hard for me to have a conversation with a male in my family without discussing Afghanistan. I've read a bunch on Afghanistan, but felt a bit overwhelmed by the subject.
We've been in this war for nearly 18 years. Men and women are going over to Afghanistan now who weren't alive when 9/11 began. Like many in the West, I can also pretend for days and weeks and months that there isn't a war going on; that people aren't dying, being shot, and being broken (on both sides). In truth, I'm exhausted by it. But I also, at the same time, feel a tremendous responsibility to TRY to understand why we are there, to uncover the "truth" from the wreckage of time, politics, and propaganda. So, I continue to try to read books that get me a bit deeper into understanding the mess that IS the war in Afghanistan.
So, why did I find it hard to review this book? Well, this book was basically the brain-child of, and co-written by, my brother. My brother and Michael Hastings broke the story open years ago in Rolling Stone. Matt brought the story to Hastings and Hastings mentored my brother as they worked on this piece in 2012. A few years after they began their collaboration (they co-wrote several articles in Rolling Stone) Hastings died. Bowe Bergdahl and Afghanistan has consumed my brother since. How do I review THAT? How do I keep my bias to a minimum?
The reality was, however, once I actually started the book I was hooked. The writing was great. There were a couple jumps that were a bit wonky but other than that it seemed to sit easily on the shelf next to Wright's The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 and Junger's War. Just look on the back. Sebastian Junger, Karl Marlantes, Andrew Bacevich, Andrew Cockburn, and Anand Gopal all wrote stunning praise for the copy. Perhaps, my love for the book was independent of my love for one of its authors.
The book does two things amazingly well: 1. It humanizes Bowe Bergdahl. 2. It illuminates, through the Bergdahl episode, the disfunction of the US military, political system, foreign policy, and our press. This isn't a superficial and partisan look at Bergdahl. The authors don't trash one party, they show the weakness of every administration going back to Carter (and perhaps even Eisenhower) in dealing with Afghanistan. Matt is able to bring out the devil in the details of the military, the CIA, and the bureaucracy in Afghanistan. Michael Ames (and previous work done by Michael Hastings and Matt) provides background on Bowe's youth and family in Idaho. It is hard to read this story without appreciating the complexities of Bowe's relationship with his father.
But it is the way this book weaves the story of Bowe with the policies and decisions in Afghanistan that make this a great (and yes important) book. The prose is fantastic (go read shorter pieces written by my brother in the New York Times or Vanity Fair or Playboy to see my brother knows how to bend a sentence and expand a word). It is well-researched, balanced, and does what good reporting is supposed to do - inform. It also, in the end, provides a nice, neat metaphor for our experience in Afghanistan. It was easy to get over there, but because of our overconfidence and naïveté, extremely expensive and complex trying to leave.
If you still doubt me, just read Matt's interview with the New York Times. It is fire:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/15/ma...
- Matt Farwell, et al, American Cipher
I was conflicted both about reading this book and reviewing it. The book was a bit tender for me. Bergdahl's parents came to my brother's funeral about 9 years ago in South Eastern Idaho. My brother had recently died in a black hawk crash. He served in Iraq twice, served in Afghanistan twice, was awarded numerous medals for valor, including the Distinguished Flying Cross. My little brother served 16 months in Eastern Afghanistan in the same area, roughly as Bowe Bergdahl spent spent his first month+ in Afghanistan. My father-in-law was a contractor in Kabul, Afghanistan for almost 3 years. My brother-in-law was an Army artillary officer who trained Afghans on using big guns. It is hard for me to have a conversation with a male in my family without discussing Afghanistan. I've read a bunch on Afghanistan, but felt a bit overwhelmed by the subject.
We've been in this war for nearly 18 years. Men and women are going over to Afghanistan now who weren't alive when 9/11 began. Like many in the West, I can also pretend for days and weeks and months that there isn't a war going on; that people aren't dying, being shot, and being broken (on both sides). In truth, I'm exhausted by it. But I also, at the same time, feel a tremendous responsibility to TRY to understand why we are there, to uncover the "truth" from the wreckage of time, politics, and propaganda. So, I continue to try to read books that get me a bit deeper into understanding the mess that IS the war in Afghanistan.
So, why did I find it hard to review this book? Well, this book was basically the brain-child of, and co-written by, my brother. My brother and Michael Hastings broke the story open years ago in Rolling Stone. Matt brought the story to Hastings and Hastings mentored my brother as they worked on this piece in 2012. A few years after they began their collaboration (they co-wrote several articles in Rolling Stone) Hastings died. Bowe Bergdahl and Afghanistan has consumed my brother since. How do I review THAT? How do I keep my bias to a minimum?
The reality was, however, once I actually started the book I was hooked. The writing was great. There were a couple jumps that were a bit wonky but other than that it seemed to sit easily on the shelf next to Wright's The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 and Junger's War. Just look on the back. Sebastian Junger, Karl Marlantes, Andrew Bacevich, Andrew Cockburn, and Anand Gopal all wrote stunning praise for the copy. Perhaps, my love for the book was independent of my love for one of its authors.
The book does two things amazingly well: 1. It humanizes Bowe Bergdahl. 2. It illuminates, through the Bergdahl episode, the disfunction of the US military, political system, foreign policy, and our press. This isn't a superficial and partisan look at Bergdahl. The authors don't trash one party, they show the weakness of every administration going back to Carter (and perhaps even Eisenhower) in dealing with Afghanistan. Matt is able to bring out the devil in the details of the military, the CIA, and the bureaucracy in Afghanistan. Michael Ames (and previous work done by Michael Hastings and Matt) provides background on Bowe's youth and family in Idaho. It is hard to read this story without appreciating the complexities of Bowe's relationship with his father.
But it is the way this book weaves the story of Bowe with the policies and decisions in Afghanistan that make this a great (and yes important) book. The prose is fantastic (go read shorter pieces written by my brother in the New York Times or Vanity Fair or Playboy to see my brother knows how to bend a sentence and expand a word). It is well-researched, balanced, and does what good reporting is supposed to do - inform. It also, in the end, provides a nice, neat metaphor for our experience in Afghanistan. It was easy to get over there, but because of our overconfidence and naïveté, extremely expensive and complex trying to leave.
If you still doubt me, just read Matt's interview with the New York Times. It is fire:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/15/ma...
March 21, 2019
I've been borderline obsessed with the Bowe Bergdahl situation since the beginning, so I've sought out information all along and gone down some weird rabbit holes in the process. American Cipher is the best reporting I've read on the topic. Goes way beyond the Serial podcast in its quest for actual truth (and this book exposes the Serial podcast as, at best, problematic). This is a damning expose of the military's neglect, the right-wing media's cruel and dangerous lies, and of the endless, forgotten, absurd war/tragedy in Afghanistan.
When I think of what this country subjected Bowe Bergdahl to, it frankly makes me sick to my stomach. I pray he'll be okay despite our unforgivable failures of empathy and humanity.
When I think of what this country subjected Bowe Bergdahl to, it frankly makes me sick to my stomach. I pray he'll be okay despite our unforgivable failures of empathy and humanity.
March 17, 2019
fair, objective, and deeply empathetic. It isn't the book Americans want, but it may be the book we deserve.
June 16, 2019
The Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of “cipher” is: 1) a) ZERO (the numerical designation denoting any absence of quantity); b) one that has no weight, worth, or influence: NONENTITY.
I vaguely recall all the noise about Bowe Bergdahl, the young Army soldier who was captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2009 and released in 2014 due to a deal involving the release of several men from Guantanamo Bay. At the time, I was unaware of most of the facts of the case, although I remember many theories and rumors that were being reported by the media as fact.
Indeed, much of what the media reported at the time has since been refuted or proven to be misinformation that was leaked to the media for political gains. So much of what we read about Bergdahl---that he deserted his post in order to join the Taliban, that he was a traitor to his country---was blatantly untrue, but it served a narrative that was manufactured by higher-ups in the U.S. government and the military and was seemingly bolstered by a media that was marketed to the lowest common denominator.
I remember seeing a cover of TIME magazine---a magazine for which I once had some semblance of respect---that depicted a profile of Bergdahl in front of an American flag with a byline that read “Was He Worth It?” I admit that I didn’t read the article. The very audacity of the article’s title alone was enough to set me off and pique my umbrage.
Where had we, as a country and a nation, taken such a wrong turn at morality that a soldier’s life was no longer worth saving?
I admit to not being a strong supporter of the military. As an institution, I think that the U.S. military has some serious cancers metastasizing within its core values and central tenets that have developed over the past fifty years to become a corrupt and dangerous organization. The same, of course, can be said of our entire government. That being said, I still hold individual men and women who serve in our military with the utmost admiration and respect. And yes, I do believe that one can despise the institution while still respecting those who serve in it.
My main criticism of the U.S. military is, in fact, its treatment of the men and women who serve in it. If a country prides itself on an ideal of every citizen having worth but repeatedly treats a segment of its own citizens as ciphers, then there is clearly something wrong with that country, and the pride that a majority of the people feels is misplaced.
Our soldiers who fight and die for us---especially those of us who are safe and sound at the homefront, who have not chosen a life in the military---deserve to be treated with the respect that they deserve and the adulation that they have earned. Instead, they are treated as simply bodies to fill a task, numbers on a data-sheet, targets for the enemies, and pawns to be used by politicians in Washington war-rooms.
Matt Farwell and Michael Ames collaborated their investigative journalistic talents to write “American Cipher: Bowe Bergdahl and the U.S. tragedy in Afghanistan”, perhaps one of the most disturbing and scathing critiques of the institution of the U.S. military that I have ever read. It confirms nearly everything that I have suspected and feared about what goes on in shady backrooms of our nation’s capital.
At the heart of the story, of course, is a troubled kid who grew up in a small town in Idaho. Home-schooled, raised a devout Christian, Robert “Bowdrie” Bergdahl (named after a fictional western hero in a series of books by Louis L’Amour) was, by all accounts, a sweet-natured young man who was always lending a helping hand. He was also somewhat of a loner, a bookworm, who harbored strong ideals about life and, some might say, unrealistic expectations.
He had wanted to join the military from a young age, but a stint in the Coast Guard resulted in a breakdown that would have him discharged on medical grounds: mentally, he just wasn’t suited for the military. Later, of course, he would be diagnosed with serious mental illnesses that any astute doctor should have seen right away.
That, of course, didn’t stop the Army from grabbing him up, thanks to a lowering of entrance standards that enabled a seriously mentally unstable kid to become a soldier in a war that nobody---including the politicians who had started it---understood the point of.
Bowe didn’t make a hell of a lot of friends when he was stationed in Afghanistan, mainly because he didn’t like the crass and cruel behavior of some of his fellow soldiers. He also didn’t like the inefficiency of the military rules and regulations. Some of them didn’t make sense, and some of them were just plain stupid. Why, for example, was having a clean-shaven face more important than a good night’s sleep before setting off into battle?
But Bowe never complained, other than the few things he wrote about (very circumspectly---he knew his letters were read) to his father. Indeed, everyone who ever dealt with Bowe, including his Taliban captors, always seemed to be impressed by the young man’s manners and demeanor: he was a gentleman at all times.
Why Bowe decided to leave his post on the night of June 30, 2009 is still somewhat unclear, but the fact that he left it has never been questioned. Rumors that Bowe wanted to leave the Army, renounce his U.S. citizenship, join up with the Taliban have never been adequately substantiated, and to this day, Bowe denies that any of those are the reasons why he did what he did. The truth is: we may never know. All that we know for sure, and all that Bowe himself is willing to admit, is that he did something stupid. A momentary lapse of reason and good judgment. Unfortunately, the series of events that that action started would snowball into a horrendous situation.
Farwell/Ames documents an almost-insane story of military and CIA in-fighting and face-saving that would put many more soldiers in harm’s way and threaten to make things far worse for the war in Afghanistan and Pakistan. It would involve the actions (and inactions) of then-Director of Intelligence for NATO’s ISAF coalition Michael T. Flynn and General Stanley McChrystal. It would involve statements and mis-statements by President Barack Obama, Senator John McCain, FOX News talking heads Bill O’Reilly, and Sean Hannity that would have dire consequences for the early release of Bowe from his Taliban prison in Pakistan. It would involve Bowe’s father, Bob, facing the worst scrutiny and abuse by the media and members of the Republican Party. It would lead to a ridiculous show trial that many would argue was already decided on by the court of public opinion and by, of all things, tweets from a president who was already on record for saying deplorable things about soldiers and prisoners of war.
“American Cipher” is a book that will make one feel disgust and hatred for one’s country, assuming, of course, that one didn’t feel that way to begin with. For the record, I don’t hate my country. I feel disgust for it sometimes, but I don’t hate it. I just don’t like it all that much.
Happy Flag Day.
I vaguely recall all the noise about Bowe Bergdahl, the young Army soldier who was captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2009 and released in 2014 due to a deal involving the release of several men from Guantanamo Bay. At the time, I was unaware of most of the facts of the case, although I remember many theories and rumors that were being reported by the media as fact.
Indeed, much of what the media reported at the time has since been refuted or proven to be misinformation that was leaked to the media for political gains. So much of what we read about Bergdahl---that he deserted his post in order to join the Taliban, that he was a traitor to his country---was blatantly untrue, but it served a narrative that was manufactured by higher-ups in the U.S. government and the military and was seemingly bolstered by a media that was marketed to the lowest common denominator.
I remember seeing a cover of TIME magazine---a magazine for which I once had some semblance of respect---that depicted a profile of Bergdahl in front of an American flag with a byline that read “Was He Worth It?” I admit that I didn’t read the article. The very audacity of the article’s title alone was enough to set me off and pique my umbrage.
Where had we, as a country and a nation, taken such a wrong turn at morality that a soldier’s life was no longer worth saving?
I admit to not being a strong supporter of the military. As an institution, I think that the U.S. military has some serious cancers metastasizing within its core values and central tenets that have developed over the past fifty years to become a corrupt and dangerous organization. The same, of course, can be said of our entire government. That being said, I still hold individual men and women who serve in our military with the utmost admiration and respect. And yes, I do believe that one can despise the institution while still respecting those who serve in it.
My main criticism of the U.S. military is, in fact, its treatment of the men and women who serve in it. If a country prides itself on an ideal of every citizen having worth but repeatedly treats a segment of its own citizens as ciphers, then there is clearly something wrong with that country, and the pride that a majority of the people feels is misplaced.
Our soldiers who fight and die for us---especially those of us who are safe and sound at the homefront, who have not chosen a life in the military---deserve to be treated with the respect that they deserve and the adulation that they have earned. Instead, they are treated as simply bodies to fill a task, numbers on a data-sheet, targets for the enemies, and pawns to be used by politicians in Washington war-rooms.
Matt Farwell and Michael Ames collaborated their investigative journalistic talents to write “American Cipher: Bowe Bergdahl and the U.S. tragedy in Afghanistan”, perhaps one of the most disturbing and scathing critiques of the institution of the U.S. military that I have ever read. It confirms nearly everything that I have suspected and feared about what goes on in shady backrooms of our nation’s capital.
At the heart of the story, of course, is a troubled kid who grew up in a small town in Idaho. Home-schooled, raised a devout Christian, Robert “Bowdrie” Bergdahl (named after a fictional western hero in a series of books by Louis L’Amour) was, by all accounts, a sweet-natured young man who was always lending a helping hand. He was also somewhat of a loner, a bookworm, who harbored strong ideals about life and, some might say, unrealistic expectations.
He had wanted to join the military from a young age, but a stint in the Coast Guard resulted in a breakdown that would have him discharged on medical grounds: mentally, he just wasn’t suited for the military. Later, of course, he would be diagnosed with serious mental illnesses that any astute doctor should have seen right away.
That, of course, didn’t stop the Army from grabbing him up, thanks to a lowering of entrance standards that enabled a seriously mentally unstable kid to become a soldier in a war that nobody---including the politicians who had started it---understood the point of.
Bowe didn’t make a hell of a lot of friends when he was stationed in Afghanistan, mainly because he didn’t like the crass and cruel behavior of some of his fellow soldiers. He also didn’t like the inefficiency of the military rules and regulations. Some of them didn’t make sense, and some of them were just plain stupid. Why, for example, was having a clean-shaven face more important than a good night’s sleep before setting off into battle?
But Bowe never complained, other than the few things he wrote about (very circumspectly---he knew his letters were read) to his father. Indeed, everyone who ever dealt with Bowe, including his Taliban captors, always seemed to be impressed by the young man’s manners and demeanor: he was a gentleman at all times.
Why Bowe decided to leave his post on the night of June 30, 2009 is still somewhat unclear, but the fact that he left it has never been questioned. Rumors that Bowe wanted to leave the Army, renounce his U.S. citizenship, join up with the Taliban have never been adequately substantiated, and to this day, Bowe denies that any of those are the reasons why he did what he did. The truth is: we may never know. All that we know for sure, and all that Bowe himself is willing to admit, is that he did something stupid. A momentary lapse of reason and good judgment. Unfortunately, the series of events that that action started would snowball into a horrendous situation.
Farwell/Ames documents an almost-insane story of military and CIA in-fighting and face-saving that would put many more soldiers in harm’s way and threaten to make things far worse for the war in Afghanistan and Pakistan. It would involve the actions (and inactions) of then-Director of Intelligence for NATO’s ISAF coalition Michael T. Flynn and General Stanley McChrystal. It would involve statements and mis-statements by President Barack Obama, Senator John McCain, FOX News talking heads Bill O’Reilly, and Sean Hannity that would have dire consequences for the early release of Bowe from his Taliban prison in Pakistan. It would involve Bowe’s father, Bob, facing the worst scrutiny and abuse by the media and members of the Republican Party. It would lead to a ridiculous show trial that many would argue was already decided on by the court of public opinion and by, of all things, tweets from a president who was already on record for saying deplorable things about soldiers and prisoners of war.
“American Cipher” is a book that will make one feel disgust and hatred for one’s country, assuming, of course, that one didn’t feel that way to begin with. For the record, I don’t hate my country. I feel disgust for it sometimes, but I don’t hate it. I just don’t like it all that much.
Happy Flag Day.
May 16, 2019
Anybody remember the Powell Doctrine? It defined policies to avoid entangling the United States in another military disaster like Vietnam. In a nutshell, the Powell Doctrine (which should also be credited to former Secretary of Defense Casper Weinberger) argued the U.S. should only go to war if it had the support of the American people, had exhausted peaceful alternatives, protected a vital national security interest, analyzed the risks honestly, and set a clear, attainable objective with a realistic exit strategy to avoid eternal entanglement.
So why did the United States become bogged down in a war whose main difference with Vietnam is that it is set in a desert, not a jungle? Why has this catastrophe dragged on for almost as long as our 20-year ordeal in Vietnam—and still shows no sign of ending? Matt Farwell and Michael Ames’s American Cipher: Bowe Bergdahl and the U.S. Tragedy in Afghanistan address what is at its heart a national disaster, our never-ending “war on terrorism” that seems promises to keep our country fighting another unwinnable war against a noun from here to eternity.
American Cipher is a remarkable work of historic journalism. It chronicles previous empires, from Alexander to the Soviets, who found their graveyard fighting the Central Asian warlords who have forever ruled this remote conglomeration of tribes and peoples called Afghanistan. The book traces the decline of American journalism from Walter Cronkite to the follies, fables, and lies that Fox News and CNN repeat mindlessly. It replaces the televised caricature of Bergdahl with a realistic character study of a profoundly patriotic, proud, and naïve American kid. His fellow soldiers considered him a good soldier who was, a general concluded, “disciplined, serious, motivated,” and “excelled at his basic warrior tasks and skills.” Seriously, should a cartoon president get away with calling with his execution?
The book traces Bergdahl’s five year ordeal as an international pawn at the mercy of merciless captors and whipping post for televised celebrity liars who cared nothing about the facts and presented Taliban propaganda as “breaking news.” More heartbreaking is how politics trumps honesty: one of the few facts the army knew about Bergdahl was that his captors had transferred him into the wilds of Pakistan within hours of his capture. To avoid offending treacherous Pakistani allies, military brass insisted on pretending he was still in Afghanistan. Ironically, the Afghan War had made the United States Army so desperate for recruits that it dropped its standards to enlist Bergdahl, who had already washed out of the Coast Guard’s basic training.
One of the book’s most disturbing aspects is the involvement of military officers and intelligence gurus who exploited the Bergdahl paradoxes—notably generals Petraeus, Flynn, Mattis, McMaster, and McChrystal—and went on to later and greater infamy. In contrast, the book provides portraits of officers determined to do their duty, such as General Kenneth Dahl, who, “in contrast to the scare headlines dominating the media,” conducted an honest investigation of the Bergdahl affair that was “remarkably concise, dispassionate, and clear.”
In many ways, Bowe Bergdahl’s personal foibles—his youth, immaturity, romanticism, and ingenuous patriotism—make him the perfect prototype for what has kept his country knee-deep in Afghani quicksand for going on two decades. In many ways, our American empire behaves like a willful teenager who can’t learn from his own mistakes.
Did Private Bergdahl desert his comrades? Yes. Did he try to find the Taliban? No. Did his captors treat him well? No: they starved and tortured him. Did he convert to Islam and join the jihad? No. Did American soldiers die searching for him? No. What actually happened was that U.S. news outlets butchered the facts of the case and slandered an American prisoner of war to feed their political agendas. American Cipher’s indictment of the corruption of corporate cable media may be its most important service.
Remember the Powell Doctrine? Apparently neither did American Secretary of State Colin Powell nor the rest of us in 2001 when we invaded Afghanistan to destroy al-Qaeda and take vengeance for 9/11. Why was Bowe Bergdahl there in 2009? Why are we Americans still feeding corruption and dying 7,500 miles away from home in Afghanistan? American Cipher explains why.
So why did the United States become bogged down in a war whose main difference with Vietnam is that it is set in a desert, not a jungle? Why has this catastrophe dragged on for almost as long as our 20-year ordeal in Vietnam—and still shows no sign of ending? Matt Farwell and Michael Ames’s American Cipher: Bowe Bergdahl and the U.S. Tragedy in Afghanistan address what is at its heart a national disaster, our never-ending “war on terrorism” that seems promises to keep our country fighting another unwinnable war against a noun from here to eternity.
American Cipher is a remarkable work of historic journalism. It chronicles previous empires, from Alexander to the Soviets, who found their graveyard fighting the Central Asian warlords who have forever ruled this remote conglomeration of tribes and peoples called Afghanistan. The book traces the decline of American journalism from Walter Cronkite to the follies, fables, and lies that Fox News and CNN repeat mindlessly. It replaces the televised caricature of Bergdahl with a realistic character study of a profoundly patriotic, proud, and naïve American kid. His fellow soldiers considered him a good soldier who was, a general concluded, “disciplined, serious, motivated,” and “excelled at his basic warrior tasks and skills.” Seriously, should a cartoon president get away with calling with his execution?
The book traces Bergdahl’s five year ordeal as an international pawn at the mercy of merciless captors and whipping post for televised celebrity liars who cared nothing about the facts and presented Taliban propaganda as “breaking news.” More heartbreaking is how politics trumps honesty: one of the few facts the army knew about Bergdahl was that his captors had transferred him into the wilds of Pakistan within hours of his capture. To avoid offending treacherous Pakistani allies, military brass insisted on pretending he was still in Afghanistan. Ironically, the Afghan War had made the United States Army so desperate for recruits that it dropped its standards to enlist Bergdahl, who had already washed out of the Coast Guard’s basic training.
One of the book’s most disturbing aspects is the involvement of military officers and intelligence gurus who exploited the Bergdahl paradoxes—notably generals Petraeus, Flynn, Mattis, McMaster, and McChrystal—and went on to later and greater infamy. In contrast, the book provides portraits of officers determined to do their duty, such as General Kenneth Dahl, who, “in contrast to the scare headlines dominating the media,” conducted an honest investigation of the Bergdahl affair that was “remarkably concise, dispassionate, and clear.”
In many ways, Bowe Bergdahl’s personal foibles—his youth, immaturity, romanticism, and ingenuous patriotism—make him the perfect prototype for what has kept his country knee-deep in Afghani quicksand for going on two decades. In many ways, our American empire behaves like a willful teenager who can’t learn from his own mistakes.
Did Private Bergdahl desert his comrades? Yes. Did he try to find the Taliban? No. Did his captors treat him well? No: they starved and tortured him. Did he convert to Islam and join the jihad? No. Did American soldiers die searching for him? No. What actually happened was that U.S. news outlets butchered the facts of the case and slandered an American prisoner of war to feed their political agendas. American Cipher’s indictment of the corruption of corporate cable media may be its most important service.
Remember the Powell Doctrine? Apparently neither did American Secretary of State Colin Powell nor the rest of us in 2001 when we invaded Afghanistan to destroy al-Qaeda and take vengeance for 9/11. Why was Bowe Bergdahl there in 2009? Why are we Americans still feeding corruption and dying 7,500 miles away from home in Afghanistan? American Cipher explains why.
November 20, 2019
Started this on veteran's day weekend. It's not my usual subject matter, but I found the military, political, and personal story fascinating. Knew next to nothing about it before reading it, which might have contributed. Also helped that I may have made the same dumb move at that age if I were in the military.
July 17, 2019
American Cipher: Bowe Bergdahl and the U.S. Tragedy in Afghanistan (2019) Matt Farwell & Michael Ames
You Can’t Handle The Truth.
This book should win a Pulitzer Prize—the story is well told, shocking, disturbing, frightening, important; and if widely read might, might, have a huge impact on the state of affairs in the U.S. and the world. But, for those reasons probably won’t, because it exposes just how wrong-headed and dysfunctional our (U.S.) systems, organizations, and institutions are, starting at the very top. Those people, the people in charge, the leaders and thought leaders, the policy makers, the deciders, are doing just fine and so, why change? Which is not to say that the systems, etc. don’t work, they do – at a systems, organizational, and institutional level. It’s at the individual level that they fail, and sometimes, that failure spirals up to the very top and makes “headlines” that grab peoples’ attention, for a moment and then, that moment passes and the system or “machine”, reasserts itself and “things” carry on. Just like any natural, biological system. It is the “population” as a whole that Life is concerned with, not the individual—who is replaceable.
This story was told as a fiction, in movie form, years ago (1992) and was nominated for four Academy Awards. It’s most famous spoken line was, “You can’t handle the truth!” Probably one of the most widely used quotes in history, ironically, by persons on either side of an issue. It is here, too. What is the “truth”? As Dr. Charles Morgan, a Yale University professor, forensic psychologist, former CIA medical officer, and SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape) specialist laid out in the court-martial trial of Sgt. Bergdahl (Spring 2015) for desertion and treason – “the facts depended on the perspectives and perceptions of the men involved.” In other words, it depends. And what that depends on is one’s beliefs and interpretations, which are so damn complicated as to be un-unentanglable. Dr. Morgan came to the conclusion that Bergdahl had a schizotypal personality disorder, and suffered from PTSD and depression and social anxiety BEFORE he joined the US Army, and walked away from his post in hostile territory in Afghanistan, and spent five torturous years in horrid conditions as a POW! (prisoner of war).
I took notes as I read this story and halfway through the book came to a similar conclusion. A case could be made that this event was a “Perfect Storm” with no outcome possible except for that which happened. (God’s plan?) The family holds to the belief that “everything happens for a reason”; and that it is God who is the director. One take-a-way “truism” could be, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” Who is to blame, who is responsible, for all the pain, suffering, and death? I constructed a time-line of significant factors as the story unfolded:
1. The Bergdahl family was governed by a strict father (“tough-love Christian”), who believed the Protestant work ethic and the high value of personal responsibility were “nonnegotiable”.
2. They lived in rural Idaho, contrasted by the close proximity to the upscale resort town of Ketchum and Sun Valley Ski area.
3. Bowe Bergdahl was born March 28, 1986—“The Day of Innocence.” with a genetic predisposition toward schizophrenia (?)
4. Bowe was home-schooled.
5. September 11, 2001, Bowe was fifteen, his personality still developing.
6. October 2001, the Taliban reject president Bush’s demands.
7. October 7, 2001, president George W. Bush began a war with the Taliban in Afghanistan. (The war still ongoing.)
8. At seventeen, Bowe began isolating, left his birth family, began cutting himself, and moved into town with Wiccan ‘friends’.
9. October 2005, age twenty, Bowe enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard, where he freaked out and subsequently discharged with a diagnosis of Adjustment Disorder with Depression (February 25, 2006).
10. May 2008, the U.S. Army, desperate for soldiers and having lowered their standards, said, ‘come on in’ will make a warrior out you.
11. June 30, 2009, Under cover of darkness, Prvt. Bergdahl slipped out of OP Mest (obervation post in hostile territory) heading for the Forward Operating Base Sharana, 18+ miles north, so as to inform the commanding general that his superiors at his post were insane and putting the mission at risk.
Now, I’ve left out a lot of the details and intricacies of the story, which the authors do a great job with; but, you get the gist. The military has an acronym for this, SNAFU (situation normal all f____d up). Everyone did their jobs—granted, some better than others. It’s the machine! Or is it a simulation? Five stars.
You Can’t Handle The Truth.
This book should win a Pulitzer Prize—the story is well told, shocking, disturbing, frightening, important; and if widely read might, might, have a huge impact on the state of affairs in the U.S. and the world. But, for those reasons probably won’t, because it exposes just how wrong-headed and dysfunctional our (U.S.) systems, organizations, and institutions are, starting at the very top. Those people, the people in charge, the leaders and thought leaders, the policy makers, the deciders, are doing just fine and so, why change? Which is not to say that the systems, etc. don’t work, they do – at a systems, organizational, and institutional level. It’s at the individual level that they fail, and sometimes, that failure spirals up to the very top and makes “headlines” that grab peoples’ attention, for a moment and then, that moment passes and the system or “machine”, reasserts itself and “things” carry on. Just like any natural, biological system. It is the “population” as a whole that Life is concerned with, not the individual—who is replaceable.
This story was told as a fiction, in movie form, years ago (1992) and was nominated for four Academy Awards. It’s most famous spoken line was, “You can’t handle the truth!” Probably one of the most widely used quotes in history, ironically, by persons on either side of an issue. It is here, too. What is the “truth”? As Dr. Charles Morgan, a Yale University professor, forensic psychologist, former CIA medical officer, and SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape) specialist laid out in the court-martial trial of Sgt. Bergdahl (Spring 2015) for desertion and treason – “the facts depended on the perspectives and perceptions of the men involved.” In other words, it depends. And what that depends on is one’s beliefs and interpretations, which are so damn complicated as to be un-unentanglable. Dr. Morgan came to the conclusion that Bergdahl had a schizotypal personality disorder, and suffered from PTSD and depression and social anxiety BEFORE he joined the US Army, and walked away from his post in hostile territory in Afghanistan, and spent five torturous years in horrid conditions as a POW! (prisoner of war).
I took notes as I read this story and halfway through the book came to a similar conclusion. A case could be made that this event was a “Perfect Storm” with no outcome possible except for that which happened. (God’s plan?) The family holds to the belief that “everything happens for a reason”; and that it is God who is the director. One take-a-way “truism” could be, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” Who is to blame, who is responsible, for all the pain, suffering, and death? I constructed a time-line of significant factors as the story unfolded:
1. The Bergdahl family was governed by a strict father (“tough-love Christian”), who believed the Protestant work ethic and the high value of personal responsibility were “nonnegotiable”.
2. They lived in rural Idaho, contrasted by the close proximity to the upscale resort town of Ketchum and Sun Valley Ski area.
3. Bowe Bergdahl was born March 28, 1986—“The Day of Innocence.” with a genetic predisposition toward schizophrenia (?)
4. Bowe was home-schooled.
5. September 11, 2001, Bowe was fifteen, his personality still developing.
6. October 2001, the Taliban reject president Bush’s demands.
7. October 7, 2001, president George W. Bush began a war with the Taliban in Afghanistan. (The war still ongoing.)
8. At seventeen, Bowe began isolating, left his birth family, began cutting himself, and moved into town with Wiccan ‘friends’.
9. October 2005, age twenty, Bowe enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard, where he freaked out and subsequently discharged with a diagnosis of Adjustment Disorder with Depression (February 25, 2006).
10. May 2008, the U.S. Army, desperate for soldiers and having lowered their standards, said, ‘come on in’ will make a warrior out you.
11. June 30, 2009, Under cover of darkness, Prvt. Bergdahl slipped out of OP Mest (obervation post in hostile territory) heading for the Forward Operating Base Sharana, 18+ miles north, so as to inform the commanding general that his superiors at his post were insane and putting the mission at risk.
Now, I’ve left out a lot of the details and intricacies of the story, which the authors do a great job with; but, you get the gist. The military has an acronym for this, SNAFU (situation normal all f____d up). Everyone did their jobs—granted, some better than others. It’s the machine! Or is it a simulation? Five stars.
September 4, 2019
The two writers do a great job taking you through the history of our involvement in Afghanistan using the Bergdahl story as the thread. Bergdahl is a young man who should be pitied and not shot (as Trump frequently said). It's quickly established that the young Bergdahl is a loner with a difficult relationship with his strict father. I worried that the story would be simply watching Bergdahl unravel in situations he wasn't equipped for. Instead the writers painstakingly uncover the political motivations and coverups and deceits by the Army to make Bergdahl a fall-guy for military and state dept failures in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Interesting side-stories about Rolling Thunder rallies - the motorcycle groups who rallied for POW/MIA, the Dad Bergdahl who learned some Pashtun in order to offer himself in trade for his son, military justice protocols, and our difficult relation with Pakistan.
Interesting side-stories about Rolling Thunder rallies - the motorcycle groups who rallied for POW/MIA, the Dad Bergdahl who learned some Pashtun in order to offer himself in trade for his son, military justice protocols, and our difficult relation with Pakistan.
November 1, 2019
As someone who was unable to stick with Serial Season 2, I loved this telling of the Bowe Bergdahl story. The authors do a brilliant job of weaving in cultural, political and historical context both of Bowe and Afghanistan, and explain all of it clearly. Like all great stories, no one player is above criticism, and every hero is flawed. I'd really recommend this book even if you think you're not interested in the subject -you will learn so much about military culture and recent US history.
April 15, 2020
Highly recommend this one. The book does a really good job of putting the Bergdhal case in the context of the wider, failing war in Afghanistan. I had listened to Serial, and followed the case as it was happening, but this book made me really rethink a lot of my thoughts around the whole affair. I was mot surprised at what it revealed about the integrity of the producers of Serial.
Highly recommend.
Highly recommend.
November 11, 2020
American Cipher is the incredibly well-written book about Bowe Bergdahl and as a result the war in Afghanistan. Whether you're a student of history, human behavior or even if you're trying to understand the current events in the United States, the book is for you. There are so many lessons in this book, not least that 'truth' is not just a casualty of the last 4 years.
November 17, 2019
American Cipher gives one of the clearest, most thorough accounts of the desertion, captivity, release, and trial of Bowe Berghdal that I have read.
April 1, 2019
4.5 * A disturbing report on the quagmire of our ongoing war in Afghanistan, inefficiencies in our military chain of command, the cross-purposes at which our various intelligence agencies operate, and a delay-to-action divisiveness and lack of clear goals within our government. Our media continues to devolve into a political circus, where rumors are presented as facts and a mob justice mentality slants headlines. (We learned after Vietnam and Watergate that we couldn’t trust our government; what happens when we can’t trust our media, an effective tool for exposing government corruption?)
The Bowe Bergdahl story is complex, heavily nuanced and tragic. It seems clear in retrospect that he should never have been deployed and this brings up troubling questions regarding our overall purpose and policy in Afghanistan. Farwell and Ames did a superlative job in gathering and culling all the information, defining the critical issues involved and presenting factual evidence in a story all too often dominated by hysteria and misinformation. This book has earned a place on my shelves alongside Dexter Filkins’ “The Forever War,” David Finkel’s “The Good Soldiers” and Jon Krakauer’s “Where Men Win Glory.” Well done.
The Bowe Bergdahl story is complex, heavily nuanced and tragic. It seems clear in retrospect that he should never have been deployed and this brings up troubling questions regarding our overall purpose and policy in Afghanistan. Farwell and Ames did a superlative job in gathering and culling all the information, defining the critical issues involved and presenting factual evidence in a story all too often dominated by hysteria and misinformation. This book has earned a place on my shelves alongside Dexter Filkins’ “The Forever War,” David Finkel’s “The Good Soldiers” and Jon Krakauer’s “Where Men Win Glory.” Well done.
May 11, 2019
A thoroughly researched chronological account of the Bowe Bergdahl affair and the political, military and civilian machinations that occurred as a result of his decision to leave his guard position on an operating post in Afghanistan.
The book explains the complete cluster that was, and still is, the reality of the United States' intervention in that country since 9/11 and how the lack of governmental agency collaboration works to extend the battle each agency is attempting to end. It was fascinating, and infuriating, in equal measure.
The book explains the complete cluster that was, and still is, the reality of the United States' intervention in that country since 9/11 and how the lack of governmental agency collaboration works to extend the battle each agency is attempting to end. It was fascinating, and infuriating, in equal measure.
November 14, 2021
Bowe Bergdahl's story is clearly vastly more complex than certain loudly screaming voices would have one believe. The authors separate fact from fiction and dig through to the true story buried under media frenzy, public vilification and military and government screw-ups and mishandling of the entire situation. A fair, balanced and well written account.
April 5, 2019
A deep dive into the Bergdahl desertion and the mess that is the war in Afghanistan. I listened to the second season of Serial so nothing shocked me in regards to Bergdahl, but I got a clearer picture into how it was handled by the government through this. It's easy to read and impeccably sourced. I think all Americans should be curious enough about both subjects (which really are the same subject) to want to read this.
April 23, 2019
Bowe Bergdahl is a name that brings many things to mind in many people. This in depth look at his life and the events surrounding his capture and his time in captivity provide insight into the reasons why he walked off an American base in Afghanistan and why it took so long for his release.
This book provides a revealing look at one of the more misunderstood stories in the never ending war in Afghanistan.
This book provides a revealing look at one of the more misunderstood stories in the never ending war in Afghanistan.
August 15, 2019
I was interested to see how this happened to Bergdahl. It turns out he's kind of a wingnut, which they knew, and still dumped him out on the front lines. The amazing thing is that no one who knew him was at all surprised it happened.
July 24, 2019
This book had great coverage of a controversial issue. I think the author did a good job of showing both sides and providing context for the issue.
July 24, 2019
An interesting read that is well-researched and well-balanced. This book succeeds where the Serial podcast failed and manages to provide a comprehensive overview of events as well as a nuanced telling of Bowe Bergdahl's personal experience.
July 17, 2019
This book made me cry. We failed Bowe Bergdahl and his family. We should be ashamed of ourselves.
December 21, 2019
Listened to this book. A thorough and fascinating telling of a complicated person and story, both small scale (the individual), and large (Afghanistan, the US and its military, etc)
October 3, 2019
Beautifully written look at the Afghanistan War through the lens of the Bergdahl case. This will not give you confidence in our government, security forces, or military. Deeply affecting. Deeply depressing.
May 28, 2019
The information in this book was upsetting but I coudn't put it down.
June 6, 2019
A very even handed treatment of a hot button issue. You get a look at the how and why Bergdahl did what he did and how the US military handled or mishandled most aspects of this from the beginning.
Gives you a lot to think about and a different point of view but overall an interesting read that makes you realize how complicated the world has become and the US is no longer the powerhouse policeman of the globe.
Gives you a lot to think about and a different point of view but overall an interesting read that makes you realize how complicated the world has become and the US is no longer the powerhouse policeman of the globe.
November 26, 2019
A good book & I'm grateful to the stranger at the library who recommended it to me. Bowe Bergdahl is a strange sort, a misfit in my estimation, the scion of the kind of survivalist stock that moves to Idaho or Montana, homeschools their children & claim to be committed christians. The military had good reason to subscribe to that conclusion - they had evidence from his US Coast Guard fiasco - but they needed warm bodies in the worst way so what the hell? So they took him in & sent him to Afghanistan where they knew they needed warm bodies but it seems they didn't know why. Anyway, he formulated his own ideas about why & headed off on his own to save the world from all forms of unpleasantness & very quickly he got himself captured by the Taliban. The Army & much of the rest of the country then found it useful to use him to play the blame game. Seems like the blame game has become the national pastime. It attracts more passion than baseball. There are a few people in the book who do not seem to be fucked up & that is reassuring but they are in short supply.
February 29, 2020
Lots of historical background for the issues at play in Afghanistan. Fair and even handling of the material. Made me think and reconsider my thoughts on the "problem" of Beau Bergdahl and his culpability in the predicament he found himself in. This book presents the facts and lets you make up your own mind. So therefore a good book in my opinion.
May 1, 2020
A surprising, well sourced study of the Bowe BergdahI case, written by a soldier who has served in Afghanistan. The whole story is not at all what I had gleaned from the news. I was interested and surprised through this entire book. Also interesting to see a few notable characters such as General Flynn and Michael Hasting make cameos. Highly recommended!
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June 23, 2019Amazing amount of work that went into all of the interviews, fact checking, detail, etc. Changed how I look at that time and occurrence.
August 4, 2024
listened to this on audiobook for 12 straight hours, gripping start to finish
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