HAILEY, Idaho — It looked as if it was going to be a big weekend here in the Wood River Valley in Central Idaho.
After all, fishermen were excited about a rare Brown Drake hatch, an ecological phenomenon that provides exceptional fishing as large trout rise on a few calm evenings in late spring to take the short-lived insects and more than a few dry flies.
But when news began to spread Saturday that Bowe Bergdahl was finally free it became a far more momentous weekend than anyone could have imagined in a community where Sergeant Bergdahl’s fate has been a central fact of life since his capture by the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2009.
“It’s really, really amazing and incredible, fantastic news,” said Molly Goodyear, who was getting lunches at Atkinson’s Market for children playing soccer with Sawtooth United under-13 girls’ team on Saturday when she got a text with the news.
“You can’t go anywhere in Hailey without thinking about it,” she said. “There was a sticker for Bowe at the deli counter. I remember thinking about how long it has been. Even in 2011, it seemed so long. It’s going to be a long, hard reintegration for him, I think. But this is such a great community for him to return to. People will do so much for him.”
In churches on Sunday and among the steady stream of residents sharing information at Zaney’s River Street Coffee House, Sergeant Bergdahl’s release dominated all talk. The focus was both on what he had gone through and on what they all could expect in the future.
“I encourage you to keep praying for Bowe and their family,” Mark Clementz, pastor of the Wood River Assembly of God, told congregants on Sunday morning. “Not too many of us have been kind of held captive for five years, we probably don’t know what that’s like, do we? I believe it’s going to take him some time and effort to assimilate back into, ‘O.K., what do I do now?’ So let’s keep praying for their family and keep lifting them up in prayer.”
A main focus of attention was at Zaney’s, where people have gathered throughout the town’s continuing vigil to grab tidbits of information about Sergeant Bergdahl’s captivity and efforts to gain his release. “For nearly five years there has been a constant flow of people in here,” said Sue Martin, the owner of the cafe, where Sergeant Bergdahl once worked for about two years. “The first thing I felt was relief.”
Debbie ONeill and her daughter, Stefanie, have been leading much of the public vigil and are organizers of a second-annual event scheduled for June 28 that was to be called Bring Bowe Back 2014, intended to focus attention to the soldier’s plight. Carole King is scheduled to perform along with Travis Hardy.
Some 7,000 people were expected to attend, but interest began to skyrocket on Saturday, Ms. ONeill said.
“Now it’s going to be called Bowe Is Back, and it’s going to be a big party,” she said.
Speculation about how and why Sergeant Bergdahl became a captive is largely absent for now.
“Until Bowe is home and able to tell his own story, nobody knows what happened that day,” Debbie ONeill said. “However he got from A to B isn’t what’s important. He’s an American that needs to come home. I could not be happier that Jani is going to be able to hold her son in her arms again.”
Along with happiness for the family, there was admiration.
“I think one of the remarkable things is how his family did everything they could for him,” said Kate Ristow, a longtime resident of the area. “They were at concerts. They were visible.”
Chris Verrill, a resident of nearby Sun Valley, said he was struck by the efforts of Sergeant Bergdahl’s father, Robert, to learn Pashto, the language common to the Taliban.
“I’ve just heard him speak,” Mr. Verrill said. “I think it’s a great strategy to humanize the person and the family and the stupid war we’re in.”
A so-called proof of life video reportedly surfaced in mid-January, in which Sergeant Bergdahl was said to have referred to the death of Nelson Mandela, which restored hope for the Bergdahl family and their growing number of supporters.
“To have one’s family so involved in the process, to have Bob learn the language and to truly, amazingly have no animosity, it was powerful,” Ms. Martin said. “I feel gratitude that all of this came to a peaceful resolution.”
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