As the two-day hearing for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl wrapped up today in Texas, top military officials testified that the Hailey man said he walked away from his post as part of a plan to contact a general at a forward operating base roughly 19 miles away, to report concerns about his unit’s leadership; he also hoped to spark a search that would draw higher-ups’ attention for his concerns, the AP reports. Instead, he was captured by the Taliban and held for five years under horrific conditions.

Terrence Russell, a Department of Defense worker who helped debrief Bergdahl after the exchange, testified that Bergdahl was subjected to worse conditions than any American prisoner of war since the Vietnam War and was "skin over bones" near the end of his captivity. Others testified that Bergdahl suffered serious and permanent injuries from being kept in a crouched position for extended periods of time, and that he resisted his captors and repeatedly attempted to escape.

Military prosecutors charged Bergdahl in March with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. His Article 32 hearing, which was concluded Friday, will help determine if he should face a court-martial. His lead attorney, Eugene Fidell, said Bergdahl never intended to avoid his duty and that his case should be treated like a one-day AWOL stint, punishable by 30 days' confinement. If convicted of the charges he faces, Bergdahl could get life in prison, plus be dishonorably discharged, reduced in rank and made to forfeit all pay. AP reporter Juan Lozano in San Antonio, Texas, has a full report here.