Dear Hailey, Idaho:

I understand that you are going to be throwing a party for Bowe Bergdahl on June 28th.  This was originally supposed to be a “bring him home” rally, but with the news of his release yesterday, the party theme has changed.

Somehow, good people of Hailey, you seem to think that your hometown “hero” (and I use that term in the loosest way possible, and only because that is what you are insisting on calling him) will be coming home eventually.  Possibly even within a month or two.

The short answer to that is no.  If Bowe Bergdahl sets foot in Idaho within a year, it will be because he is being used as a propaganda piece and no one truly cares what happens to him.

The fact is that there are real problems and issues with the circumstances surrounding Bergdahl’s disappearance (as readily admitted by his own parents in this Rolling Stone article from 2012, and substantiated by as-yet unconfirmed eyewitnesses).  I don’t really think the population of Hailey, Idaho, wants to throw a party for an alleged deserter.  I understand that they are excited because they once knew Bowe, or they know his parents (and let’s not get started on the things his father has said and just said – I had no idea that you were just like Afghanistan, Hailey), but the man you think you are welcoming back is not the same person who disappeared five years ago.

It has been reported that Bergdahl is having a hard time speaking English.  He’s been with the Taliban for five years, so this is understandable.  He needs a good mental health professional to assess what his past and current state of mind is.  Since he is currently at Landstuhl Medical Center in Germany, we can hope that he is having a full physical and mental evaluation.  We really have very little idea, aside from a handful of propaganda videos, what has happened to Bergdahl in five years.  And more than one media outlet has noted the similarities to the TV show “Homeland.”

And both Susan Rice and Chuck Hagel, who made the rounds on talk shows today, declined to talk about any investigation into how Bergdahl came to be in Taliban custody.

In short, Hailey, Idaho, you have no idea what you are celebrating or who you are potentially welcoming back.

If I were you, I’d hold off on that party.