A soldier who was shot in the head while searching for another soldier in Afghanistan who had deserted his post and was captured by the Taliban died Saturday.
Master Sgt. Mark Allen, 46, of Loganville, Ga., was one of several soldiers who was wounded during a 19-day search for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl who had walked away from his post in 2009.
“I’m heartbroken to let you all know that my husband passed away peacefully yesterday morning with his family by his side,” wife Shannon Allen wrote in a Facebook post. “Over ten years ago, he sustained a severe head injury while serving in Afghanistan, which caused him lifelong health problems. These past few months, he has faced some significant illnesses, and his body was finally ready to rest.”
Bergdahl testified that he was tortured by his Taliban captors after he was released as part of a prisoner exchange in 2014.
At his sentencing hearing in 2017, Shannon Allen testified about how Mark Allen’s injuries had caused hardship for her family.
“He is present, makes eye contact,” she told the court. “He can laugh, smile, cry. That is the extent of the communication.”
Bergdahl avoided prison time and received a dishonorable discharge from the US Army after pleading guilty to desertion and misbehavior before the enemy.
The funeral will be held Friday.
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