Skip to main content
Sojourners
faith in action for social justice
Sojourners
About
About SojournersEventsOur TeamWork With UsMediaWays to GiveInvite a SpeakerContact Us
SojoAction
OverviewTake ActionIssue AreasResourcesFaith-Rooted AdvocatesChurch Engagement
Magazine
Current IssueArchivesManage My SubscriptionWrite for Sojourners
Sections
LatestPoliticsColumnsLiving FaithArts & CultureGlobalPodcastsVideoPreaching The Word
Subscribe
MagazineRenewPreaching the WordCustomer ServiceNewsletters
Donate
Login / Register

Pastor Says Released Soldier Has Mental Toughness to Recover

By Elizabeth Weise
Bowe Bergdahl, an American soldier captured during war in Afghanistan. Photo courtesy United States Army via Wikimedia Commons.
Jun 3, 2014
Share

The newly freed soldier who spent nearly five years in captivity in Afghanistan has the mental and physical toughness to survive the experience, his former pastor said.

Bowe Bergdahl grew up in a conservative Christian family in Idaho, studied ballet, was home-schooled, spent time in a Buddhist monastery and finally served in a parachute infantry regiment of the Army’s 25th Infantry Division.

“If there’s anybody I can think of pulling through this, and doing well, it’s Bowe,” said Philip Proctor, who was pastor of Sovereign Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Boise, Idaho, when Bergdahl was a teenager.

“He has the mental and physical stamina not to be crushed by this experience,” Proctor said.

Bergdahl — the last service member unaccounted for in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars — was released Saturday after being captured in 2009. The 28-year-old soldier is at a medical clinic in the U.S. base at Bagram, Afghanistan, said Army Lt. Col. Todd Breasseale, a spokesman for the Department of Defense. Bergdahl will eventually travel to Germany before heading back to the States.

At the White House on Saturday evening, Bergdahl’s parents, Bob and Jani, joined President Obama, who praised the troops and government officials who rescued their son.

“We will continue to stay strong for Bowe while he recovers,” Jani Bergdahl said after Obama turned the podium over to her.

Bob Bergdahl said he is not sure whether his son can still speak English, and he made some of his remarks in what appeared to be the Pashto language. “I’m your father, Bowe,” he said at one point.

Bob Bergdahl quit his job as a driver for UPS two or three years before retirement so he could spend all his time trying to win the release of his son, Proctor said.

Although raised in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, Bowe Bergdahl spent time during his late teens in a Buddhist monastery in the Pacific Northwest.

“He was going through an exploratory phase in life. He’d grown up in a conservative Christian home and he was trying to figure out if this was his faith or his parents’ faith,” said Proctor.

Bergdahl’s decision to join the military wasn’t a surprise to people who knew him.

It came partly out of a desire “to better understand a different part of the world and to try to see for himself what was going on,” Proctor said. “That would be a very Bowe thing to do.”

Elizabeth Weise writes for USA Today. Also contributing: David Jackson in Washington, D.C.; KTVB in Hailey, Idaho. Via RNS.

Image: Bowe Bergdahl, an American soldier who was captured during the war in Afghanistan. Courtesy United States Army [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

Got something to say about what you're reading? We value your feedback!

Tell Us What You Think!

We value your feedback on the articles we post. Please fill out the form below, and a member of our online publication team will receive your message. By submitting this form, you consent to your comment being featured in our Letters section. 

Please do not include any non-text characters, such as emojis or other non-standard content, into your submission.  It may cause errors in submitting the form.  Thanks!

Don't Miss a Story!

Sojourners is committed to faith and justice even in polarized times. Will you join us on the journey?
Confirm Your Email Address.
By entering your email we'll send you our newsletter each Thursday. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Bowe Bergdahl, an American soldier captured during war in Afghanistan. Photo courtesy United States Army via Wikimedia Commons.
Search Sojourners

Subscribe

Magazine Newsletters Preaching The Word
Follow on Facebook Follow on Bluesky Follow on Instagram Subscribe to our RSS Feed
Sojourners
Donate Products Editorial Policies Privacy Policy

Media

Advertising Press

Opportunities

Careers Fellowship Program

Contact

Office
408 C St. NE
Washington DC, 20002
Phone 202-328-8842
Fax 202-328-8757
Email sojourners@sojo.net
Unless otherwise noted, all material © Sojourners 2025