For all the detailed background about Bowe Bergdahl, the June 21, 2012 issue of Rolling Stone ran a 7-page story on his childhood, his attempt to join the French Foreign Legion and his thirst for adventure:
“At 20, Bowe went even farther afield in search of the kind of boy’s adventure that had mesmerized him for years: He decided to join the French Foreign Legion, the infantry force made up of foreigners who want “to start a new life,” as the legion’s recruiting website puts it. He traveled to Paris and started to learn French, but his application was rejected. “He was absolutely devastated when the French Foreign Legion didn’t take him,” Bob says. “They just didn’t want an American home-schooled in Idaho. They just said no way.” Bowe pored over a survival and combat handbook written by a former member of the British special forces, and he gravitated toward the TV show Man vs. Wild, hosted by another legendary British soldier. “This became his role model,” his father says. “He is Bear Grylls in his own mind.””
There’s much more to ponder in this story and here’s something I had been wondering about, like how a PFC wanders away from (deserts?) his base in Afghanistan and he’s now a Sergeant, well this story explains that:
“Officially, Bowe remains a soldier in good standing in the United States Army. He has continued to receive promotions over the past three years, based on his time in uniform, and he now holds the rank of sergeant. Unofficially, however, his status within the military is sharply contested. According to officials familiar with the internal debate, there are those in both”
libertybelle diaries 
Pingback: Our pathetic Republican Hypocrites | libertybelle diaries