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While we're in pre-prodction for next season we're re-releasing episode from our archive, in case you missed its (ICYMI). This week we're revisiting the Bowe Bergdahl story. Thirteen years ago Army infantryman Bowe Berghdal walked off of Observation Post Mest near the town of Yahya Kheyl in the Paktika Province of Afghanistan. He was held captive for almost five years. Jack Murphy talks with Michael Ames, co-author of "American Cipher: Bowe Bergdahl and the U.S. Tragedy in Afghanistan." Is there more to the story of Bowe Bergdahl's capture and detention? Over a decade later, new questions are being raised and the answers aren't what you think.
I am joined by Matt Farwell author of AMERICAN CIPHER and THE HUNT FOR TOM CLANCY Substack to discuss the one man military-pop-cultural-industrial complex that is Tom Clancy. Follow Matt! https://twitter.com/HuntClancy https://thehuntfortomclancy.substack.com/ FOR AS LOW AS THREE DOLLARS A MONTH YOU CAN FEED A STARVING SCHIZOTOPIAN!
Rod Rodriguez and Jack Murphy discuss last week's episode, an interview with the co-author of "American Cipher: Bowe Bergdahl and the U.S. Tragedy in Afghanistan." Why was Bergdahl allowed to even join the military, were CONOPS fabricated, and did we all get the story wrong on Bergdahl?
Host Marcia Franklin interviews Michael Ames, the co-author of "American Cipher: Bowe Bergdahl and the U.S. Tragedy in Afghanistan." Ames, a former reporter for the Idaho Mountain Express and Sun Valley Magazine, became fascinated with the story of Bowe Bergdahl, an U.S. Army soldier who grew up in Hailey, Idaho, who was captured by the Taliban and held for five years. Ames and co-author Matt Farwell take a deeper look into Bergdahl's life and the politics surrounding the search for him and his eventual release. Franklin talks with Ames about his conclusions and why he felt it was important to write the book. Originally aired: 12/13/2019
Thirteen years ago Army infantryman Bowe Berghdal walked off of Observation Post Mest near the town of Yahya Kheyl in the Paktika Province of Afghanistan. He was held captive for almost five years. Jack Murphy sat down with Michael Ames, co-author of "American Cipher: Bowe Bergdahl and the U.S. Tragedy in Afghanistan." Is there more to the story of Bowe Bergdahl's capture and detention? Over a decade later, new questions are being raised and the answers aren't what you think.
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--why did he leave his post? What kinds of efforts were made to recover him from the Taliban? And why, facing a court martial, did he plead guilty to the serious charges against him?--have proved elusive. Taut in its pacing but sweeping in its scope, American Cipher is the riveting and deeply sourced account of the nearly decade-old Bergdahl quagmire--which, as journalists Matt Farwell and Michael Ames persuasively argue, is as illuminating an episode as we have as we seek the larger truths of how the United States lost its way 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: a fumbling recovery effort that suppressed intelligence on Bergdahl's true location and bungled multiple opportunities to bring him back sooner; a homecoming that served to deepen the nation's already-vast political fissure; a trial that cast judgment on not only the defendant, but most everyone involved. 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 heartbreaking story of a naïve young man who thought he could fix the world and wound up the tool of forces far beyond his understanding. Support the stream on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/m/TheTeamHouse Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Cl7igKj1RI SubReddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/TheTeamHouse/
Michael Ames is an investigative reporter and features writer for Newsweek and Harper’s Magazine. His work for Newsweek revealed the mishandling of military intelligence in the days following Bergdahl's 2009 disappearance and the ensuing coverup by the Pentagon. His work has also appeared in The Atlantic, The Daily Beast, and The Believer. He worked for nine years in Idaho as a newspaper reporter and magazine editor, and now lives in Brooklyn. He is the coauthor of American Cipher, Bowe Bergdahl and the United States tragedy in Afghanistan.www.michael-ames.com
Michael Ames - Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Michael Ames. Michael is an author who grew up on the East coast and eventually found himself in Idaho (yes, that's a real place). In this episode we chat about great Italian food in New Jersey, then we move on to some hot corduroy talk, before diving head first into his new book. AMERICAN CIPHER: Bowe Bergdahl And The U.S. Tragedy in Afghanistan. This is a pretty fascinating interview and we learn that once again, media coverage of this event was wildly misinformed and widely misreported. Enjoy!Follow Michael on social media:Twit: @MirkelInsta: @MGAmesMichael's website: Michael-Ames.comBuy American Cipher from Amazon: https://amzn.to/2xd7sil
In this episode, we’re discussing this summer’s wilderness mystery hit, The River by Peter Heller. In addition to sharing our thoughts on Jack and Wynn’s survival story, we revisit a memory from our honeymoon in Wyoming and offer book recommendations based on Heller’s prose. We’d love to hear what you think of The River or what you’re reading this summer. Connect with us at any of the links below: Email us here Follow us here Sign up for Libro.fm here Support the show here The Dog Stars by Peter Heller Celine by Peter Heller Sea Stories by William H. McRaven Endurance by Alfred Lansing The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien In the Lake of the Woods by Tim O’Brien Castle of Water by Dane Huckelbridge Serial Season 2 American Cipher by Matt Farwell and Michael Ames Fleabag on Amazon Prime The Popcast with Knox and Jamie Bodyguard on Netflix Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke
This episode's guest is Michael Ames. He is an investigative reporter and book author based in Brooklyn, New York. After a decade working in media in southern Idaho, Ames moved east and shifted to national issues, writing mostly for the Daily Beast and Harper's and Newsweek magazines. His first book, American Cipher, which he co-authored with former US Army infantryman Matt Farwell, was published by Penguin Press in March. In this interview, Michael set the record straight about this former soldier, along with the manner in which his capture was a pretext for many vested interests. Ames also demonstrated a variety of ways in which Bergdahl's exploited public image paralleled the endless war in Afghanistan. This excellent and critically-acclaimed book, American Cipher: Bowe Bergdahl and the U.S. Tragedy in Afghanistan, is available on Amazon, in Barnes and Noble, and all independent book stores. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/rackets/support
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl has been called a "traitor" and a "defector" by the likes of prime time television hosts on mainstream media, military personnel, and even our current President. The narrative has also been that the Obama administration traded him for five terrorists, and the lives of American war fighters were lost in the process to get this man back in country. Michael Ames, co-author of "American Cipher" says not so fast, as he investigated Bergdahl's background in-depth, and learned the true story of what really went down. Michael spent a lot of time in Hailey, Idaho as a "glorified ski bum" as he puts in, and when the news broke of Bergdahl being freed, he realized that he was familiar with this young man who grew up there. His interest became the catalyst for the book out now co-written with Matt Farwell, and on this episode, Michael joins us in studio and gives us the facts behind such a major news event that became plagued with falsehoods and misinformation. Be sure to pick up "American Cipher: Bowe Bergdahl and the U.S. Tragedy in Afghanistan" to gain some real insight into American foreign policy and how the narrative often told to us gets out there before all the facts come out. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Michael Ames's book "American Cipher" tells the story of Bowe Bergdahl, the U.S. Army private who spent five years as a captive of the Taliban to later be released in a controversial prisoner swap. Many have called Bergdahl a deserter; others have pointed to mental health issues. Ames joins Idaho Matters to share insight into the life of this Idaho native.