The wife of a soldier injured while searching for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl choked with emotion on Monday during court martial proceedings as she testified that her husband is now like an infant.
Bergdahl, 31, pleaded guilty October 16 to desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. The judge, Army Col. Jeffery R. Nance, said Bergdahl could face up to life in prison.
Bergdahl deserted from his outpost in Afghanistan in June 2009. Hours later, he was captured by the Taliban. He was eventually released in a prisoner swap in exchange for five Guantanamo Bay detainees in May 2014.
During the sentencing hearing, Shannon Allen, the wife of Master Sgt. Mark Allen, described life before and after her husband was shot in the head. She is one of a number of witnesses for the prosecution testifying about the impact of Bergdahl’s desertion on fellow soldiers sent to find him.
Last week, retired Navy SEAL Chief Petty Officer James Hatch, wept on the witness stand as he described being shot in the knee and seeing his K-9 partner killed during the search.
Before the search for Bergdahl, Allen was happy-go-lucky, loved the military, was a good father, coached kids’ teams and loved music, his wife said. Since he was shot in the head, he has had as many as 20 surgeries, needs scores of medicines, vitamins and supplies and requires nursing care 24 hours a day.
As with an infant, he cannot be left alone because he might have seizures, she said. Allen cannot eat or drink by mouth and groans with pain. His young daughter Journey crawls onto his wheelchair and plays on him because he cannot pick her up or hold her, Shannon Allen said.
“He is present, makes eye contact,” she said. “He can laugh, smile, cry. That is the extent of the communication,” she said.
The prosecution played a video of Shannon Allen and a nurse helping Mark Allen get out of bed and maneuver through the home, which is filled with specialty medical equipment. Bergdahl did not move his eyes from the video but showed no emotion while watching it.
A Veterans Administration doctor also testified Monday by telephone about Allen’s condition. His eyes are open but there is no awareness of his environment, Dr. Rafael Mascarinas said. Part of Allen’s brain was removed to relieve pressure — the part that controls thinking, speaking and voluntary movement, Mascarinas said. Allen is between 90% and 100% paralyzed.
The hearing was expected to continue Monday afternoon.
