Controversy is growing over the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl from Taliban captivity, as some fellow soldiers say he's no hero. INSIDE EDITION reports.
There's growing uproar over the release of U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, a prisoner of the Taliban for five years.
INSIDE EDITION's Megan Alexander spoke to former Army specialist Joseph Cox, who served with Bergdahl in Afghanistan.
Cox told Alexander, "He's a traitor. He walked off his base in the middle of the night."
Watch INSIDE EDITION's Interview with Cox
He says six U.S. soldiers were killed searching for Bergdahl after he disappeared from his Army post in the middle of the night. His weapon was left behind.
Alexander asked Cox, "What would you like to say to Bowe Bergdahl?"
"Honestly, I would like to say, if you're not happy with Americans, why would you want to return home? We should have left you in the desert," said Cox.
Alexander also spoke via Skype to Sam Masamitsu, an Army medic who treated one of the slain soldiers who went searching for Bergdahl.
Masamitsu told Alexander, "I would like to see him court martialed as a deserter. And I would like to see him spend the rest of his time in Leavenworth."
Bergdahl allegedly sent an email to his parents shortly before he was captured, saying: "I am ashamed to be an American. The horror that is America is disgusting."
On The View Jenny McCarthy said, "You can see why a lot of people are upset, going, we went and did all of this for a deserter.' "
Social media is exploding over Bergdahl's release, including a Facebook page showing the six dead soldiers with the title: "Bowe Bergdahl Is NOT A Hero!"
One post on the page reads: "He is a dirtbag....he is a sympathizer and deserves to be tried for desertion."
But some are coming to Bergdahl's defense: "This guy may have made a tremendously bad decision, but I'm willing to bet that what he's endured since then has been far worse than anything the U.S. or military judicial system would have imposed."
Alexander asked Cox, "What do you say to those people who feel that Bergdahl has suffered enough?"
Cox replied, "I don't believe that he's suffered enough at all. He made that choice. Nobody forced him to walk off the base in the middle of the night in Afghanistan."
In a video released by the Taliban, Bergdahl has a full beard and does push-ups, saying, "As you can see, I'm strong and physically fit."
He was a ballet dancer before he joined the Army, and photos have surfaced that show him performing at a studio in his hometown in Idaho.
Bergdahl was exchanged for five senior Taliban leaders who've been imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay.
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney defended the prisoner exchange today, stating, "We, in the United States do not leave our men and women in uniform behind during an armed conflict."
Bergdahl's parents spoke out in support of their 28-year-old son. His father even grew a beard and learned to speak the Afghan language in a show of solidarity. At a press conference, his father said, "I'm proud of how much you wanted to help the Afghan people."
Bergdahl's father is now coming under fire for tweeting: "I am still working to free all Guantanamo prisoners."
One outraged response: "Families of those they've murdered have no hope of their loved ones release."
Meanwhile, Bergdahl's former girlfriend, 25-year-old Monica Lee has moved on with her life. A Facebook photo shows her with the man she's been dating since 2012. She reportedly thought Sgt. Bergdahl was never coming home.
