--- title: Bowe Bergdahl Reportedly Won't Call Family After Release description: Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl has reportedly declined to call his family canonical: https://time.com/2845429/bowe-bergdahl-parents-taliban/ author: Sam Frizell article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-06-08T19:08:32.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-21T08:17:09.032Z article:section: Politics og:title: Bowe Bergdahl Reportedly Won't Call Family After Release og:description: Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl has reportedly declined to call his family og:url: https://time.com/2845429/bowe-bergdahl-parents-taliban/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blteaf0597de02bc74d/698696ac3bc9993f571a3fb2/495330957-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1499 og:image:height: 843 og:image:alt: Bergdahl Being Treated At U.S. Military Hospital In Germany og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Bowe Bergdahl Reportedly Won't Call Family After Release twitter:description: Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl has reportedly declined to call his family twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blteaf0597de02bc74d/698696ac3bc9993f571a3fb2/495330957-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Freed American Soldier Reportedly Won't Call Parents > Sponsored content. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Sam Frizell](https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Jun 8, 2014 7:08 PM UTC  In this undated image provided by the U.S. Army, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl poses in front of an American flag. In this undated image provided by the U.S. Army, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl poses in front of an American flag. U.S. Army/Getty Images by [Sam Frizell](https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Jun 8, 2014 7:08 PM UTC Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl [suffered harsh treatment](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/08/us/after-release-from-taliban-bowe-bergdahl-suffers-from-skin-and-gum-disorders-but-is-physically-sound.html) at the hands of his Taliban captors and is [not yet emotionally ready](http://online.wsj.com/articles/u-s-official-sgt-bowe-bergdahl-has-declined-to-speak-to-his-family-1402242356) to speak with his family more than a week after his release, according to reports Sunday. Bergdahl, who was freed May 31 by the Taliban in a controversial exchange for five Guantánamo Bay prisoners, has not yet contacted his parents even though he is free to do so at any time, [multiple news](http://online.wsj.com/articles/u-s-official-sgt-bowe-bergdahl-has-declined-to-speak-to-his-family-1402242356) [sources reported](http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/06/08/us-usa-afghanistan-bergdahl-idUSKBN0EJ0HL20140608), citing anonymous U.S. officials. He has received a letter from his sister but has not yet responded, [the New York _Times_](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/08/us/after-release-from-taliban-bowe-bergdahl-suffers-from-skin-and-gum-disorders-but-is-physically-sound.html) reports. The _Wall Street Journal_, citing an anonymous official, reports Bergdahl has declined to speak with his family so far. The 28-year-old is suffering from disorders affecting his gums and skin after five years in captivity, though he is otherwise in sound health and shows few signs of the malnourishment apparent in earlier videos the Taliban made of the soldier late last year. Bergdahl was held in a metal cage in the darkness for weeks after a failed escape attempt, according to reports, and is emotionally unstable. Despite that, he is physically healthy enough to travel back to the U.S. for treatment, officials said. “The Department of Defense does not comment on discussions that Sergeant Bergdahl is having with the professionals who are providing him medical and reintegration care,” Rear Admiral John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, said in a statement. “We will respect that process in all regards.” His release has ignited a political firestorm, with members of Congress clamoring that President Barack Obama broke the law by transferring detainees from Guantánamo Bay without congressional notification, and some of his fellow soldiers accusing him of desertion. “As we have noted, the Army will conduct a comprehensive review to learn the circumstances of Sergeant Bergdahl’s disappearance and captivity,” Kirby added. “That process, too, needs to be respected. Our focus remains on providing him with the care he needs.” Republican Representative Mike Rogers of Michigan said on Sunday he was sure that three of the five former Guantánamo prisoners exchanged for Bergdahl would return to the battlefield. “I am absolutely convinced of that,” Rogers said on ABC’s [_This Week_.](http://abcnews.go.com/ThisWeek/video/week-interview-chairman-mike-rogers-24047115) Secretary of State John Kerry vigorously defended the prisoner swap on Sunday, saying it would have been “offensive and incomprehensible” to leave Sergeant Bergdahl in the hands of people who might torture him or “cut off his head.” Kerry [warned](http://time.com/2845236/bowe-bergdahl-taliban-john-kerry/) that the released Taliban leaders could be killed if they return to the fight. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/2845429/bowe-bergdahl-parents-taliban/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/2845429/bowe-bergdahl-parents-taliban/"},"headline":"Freed American Soldier Reportedly Won't Call Parents","datePublished":"2014-06-08T19:08:32.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T08:17:09.032Z","description":"Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl has reportedly declined to call his family","url":"https://time.com/2845429/bowe-bergdahl-parents-taliban/","keywords":["Military","Veterans","Bowe Bergdahl"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blteaf0597de02bc74d/698696ac3bc9993f571a3fb2/495330957-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sam Frizell","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blteaf0597de02bc74d/698696ac3bc9993f571a3fb2/495330957-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Bergdahl Being Treated At U.S. Military Hospital In Germany","caption":"Bergdahl Being Treated At U.S. Military Hospital In Germany","creditText":"U.S. Army/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/military/","name":"Military"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/2845429/bowe-bergdahl-parents-taliban/","name":"Freed American Soldier Reportedly Won't Call Parents"}}]}] ```