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Afghanistan and America merge where Hailey, Idaho, begins todisappear into the woods, two blocks off Main Street, where Zaney'sRiver Street Coffee House sits behind a yard of bright yellowflowers. The one-story red wooden building is the heart of theSupport Bowe Bergdahl movement. Bergdahl, 26, is a native son,having grown up by a dirt road that winds through a narrow rivervalley a few miles outside of town. He is one of the proudcontributions of Hailey (pop. 8,000) to the U.S. military. Thesoldier has also been a captive of the Taliban in Afghanistan sincelate June 2009. He is America's only current prisoner of war. He isthe emotional vacuum in the heart of Hailey, with Zaney's as groundzero for meetings, rallies and yellow ribbons for Bergdahl. SaysLee Ann Ferris, a local interior decorator: "The whole town hasbeen affected. He's like our kid too." She says she imagines whatmust be going through his mind in faraway Afghanistan. "Every dayhe must be thinking about this little canyon, dreaming about it ...probably what keeps him going," she says. (PHOTOS: Making a Marine, Battleland Diary, May 5–11) Bergdahl's father Bob has driven the local UPS route, whichincludes the ski resort of Sun Valley, for 28 years. "Long enoughto know everyone," says Sue Martin, the family friend who ownsZaney's. A lean, athletic man in his early 50s, he has piercingblue eyes staring out of a head of sandy brown hair and the beardthat he has been growing since he got news of his son's capture. Hecould pass for a Taliban — in more ways than meet the eye. Hesays he is trying to learn Pashto and Urdu, the predominantlanguages along the Afghan-Pakistani frontier. Bob Bergdahl was on his route on July 1, 2009, when he receivedword over UPS radio that he needed to return immediately to localheadquarters. He arrived about 7 p.m. to see his wife Jani anduniformed Army officers standing in the company's gravel lot.That's when he received the devastating news. Jani Bergdahl wouldlater tell her friend Sue Martin that it was going to take a lot ofstrength to get through the ordeal. As for Bob, says Martin, it wasclear that "he was not going to succumb to the emotions of it asmuch as he's going to participate in the resolution." (VIDEO: Soldiers' Heart-to-Heart: A Story of Reunion and Recovery) It has been a three-year roller coaster of news, hope anddisappointment. There would be video evidence of Bowe's captivityand news of his abortive escape attempts. Bob would scouropen-source websites and chat rooms looking for any information,trying to understand the culture of his captors. Tantalizingmessages would reportedly creep out of the Taliban by way of theInternet, and then, suddenly, the family's expectations would bedashed. All the while, Bob was kept updated on what was known ofBowe's situation by some of the highest-ranking Army generals inWashington. Pious Presbyterians, the Bergdahls kept faith in whatthe government told them. And then, according to later pressreports, a breakthrough seemed to be taking place: unprecedenteddirect negotiations between the U.S. and the Taliban, allegedlyabout a swap of insurgent prisoners for Bowe. It was all hush-hush,but in retrospect, Martin says, "There must have been some goodnews. I saw Bob, and it seemed like he could smile." She adds,"There was a sense of optimism that 'We've done this. It's going tohappen.' " It did not. The supposed negotiations fell through in March 2012.The U.S. government refuses to discuss the issue. There werereports that the Bergdahls were frustrated and were going topublicize their son's plight — a move supposedly counseledagainst by the Pentagon. And indeed, Bob has broken his silence,but not in an angry way. "We do not want the American people tothink we are dissatisfied with the way our government hasproceeded," he tells TIME. "This isn't just about our son. This isabout national policy." PHOTOS: A Long and Distant War: Photos from Afghanistan,1988–2009 MORE: On Unannounced Visit, Obama Outlines 'New Chapter' for U.S.Role in Afghanistan. I am an expert from customnailstickers.com, while we provides the quality product, such as China 2d Nail Stickers , French Nail Stickers Manufacturer, French Nail Stickers,and more.
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