Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl to Face Hearing for Desertion Charges

HOUSTON (AP) — The Army is set to hold an Article 32 hearing for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who faces military charges for leaving his post in Afghanistan.

The hearing begins Thursday and could last several days. Prosecutors and Bergdahl's lawyers will make their cases for why he should or shouldn't face a court-martial, the military equivalent of a trial. Legal experts say Bergdahl's lawyers are likely to argue his years of being held captive by the Taliban were punishment enough.

The hearing will be at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, where Bergdahl has been since returning to the U.S. last year. Officials say the Taliban captured Bergdahl after he left his post. He was a prisoner for five years before being released in an exchange for five Taliban commanders at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.