Bowe Bergdahl Moves to Outpatient Care

Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl has been moved from a hospital to an outpatient care facility in Texas, the military said Sunday, as he continues to recuperate from five years in Taliban captivity.

Bergdahl, who was released May 31 in a deal that also freed five Taliban leaders, was being treated at Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio but is now at an outpatient facility at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston. The military said Bergdahl is slowly being exposed to more people and increasing social interaction, with the hope that he can return to some semblance of normal life soon.

“His reintegration process continues with exposure to more people and a gradual increase of social interactions,” the Army said in a statement. “Debriefings and counseling from Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) psychologists continue to ensure he progresses to the point where he can return to duty.”

The Taliban captured Bergdahl in June 2009, after he intentionally left his outpost in Afghanistan in the middle of the night. Though many have called him a deserter, the Army is still investigating the circumstances of his departure from base.