Stop in for a cup of coffee

Nor will a long prison sentence. 5 years captive by the Taliban makes 20 years in a military prison look like a cake walk.

Nothing can undo the damage done to those that searched for him...and those that laid their life on the line to do it are true heros. But punishing the man further won't change anything, nor dissuade anyone from doing it again when they have similar mental issues. Nor will this verdict dissuade the heros of the future from risking all to rescue them.

Justice is pointless without mercy. We cannot become so cold that evil wins another gain on our humanity and makes us one step closer to the ideals of those we fight.
Yeah well, he violated his oath, his general orders and his fellow soldiers. I could careless about mercy. He deserted plain and simple. This is why we are still in that hell hole 16 years later. This is whole bull crap of show mercy. No it's war. You kill the enemy. Not run off pretending to be James Bond. Not willingly giving information that lead to your fellow soldiers getting ambushed. No punishment is too cruel or too harsh.

Trust me, what just happened today in that court room just weakened the entire US Army. There are excuses for his behavior and his choices. He got off free and clear.