Bowe Bergdahl recounts his side of ‘desertion’ story in ‘Serial’ season 2 debut

The wildly popular podcast “Serial” returned for its second season Thursday, launching an all new week-by-week investigation into the mysterious disappearance of U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Berghdahl by allowing him to recount his story publicly for the first time since he was freed by the Taliban in May 2014.

Sgt. Bergdahl’s release, which came five years after he allegedly deserted his post and was captured, came in exchange for the release of five Taliban leaders who were being held at Guantanamo Bay. The prisoner exchange drew sharp criticism from conservatives.

In the first episode of the podcast’s second season, Sgt. Bergdahl recounts his desertion from a military base in Afghanistan in June 2009.

“Suddenly, it really starts to sink in that I really did something bad,” Sgt. Bergdahl says. “Or, not bad, but I really did something serious.”

Sgt. Bergdahl, 29, is currently facing a court-martial and possibly a life sentence in prison for abandoning his post.

As his case continues to unfold, House Republicans are claiming in a new report that the Obama administration misled Congress about the effort to release the five Taliban detainees, NBC reported. Lawmakers say the president did not give Congress a 30-day notice about transferring the detainees to Qatar, as required by law.

“Serial” creators say the new season will go beyond the scope of the investigation into Sgt. Bergdahl’s case and examine the affects of his decision and military policies that compounded the the problem.

“Unlike our story in Season One, this one extends far out into the world,” “Serial” narrator Sarah Koenig wrote in a statement announcing the launch of the new series. “It reaches into swaths of the military, the peace talks to end the war, attempts to rescue other hostages, our Guantanamo policy.”

The first season of “Serial” — a spinoff of the NPR radio program “This American Life” — became a phenomenon last year as it focused on Maryland convict Adnan Syed, who is currently serving a life sentence for the murder of his high school girlfriend in 1999. Many believe Syed was wrongly convicted, and the podcast is credited with helping him win another hearing that will allow him to present new evidence.