Nick Anderson/Houston Chronicle

This Christmas will be the 3rd Bowe Bergdahl has missed with his family since being held captive in Afghanistan by the Taliban. Recently reports came out that Bowe was recaptured after a short three-day escape in August or early September and appeared to be in good health. A well-read national publication called the Daily Beast, an affiliate of Newsweek Magazine, says the soldier tried to escape. Quoting a Taliban source, the Daily Beast reported that Bergdahl told his captors that he wanted to find civilianvillagers who would help him and notify the U.S. I can’t help but wonder Why if the Daily Beast reporter can get close enough to his captors to get this information, why can’t the U.S. military? We want Bowe home.  What is being done?/Idaho Conservative Blogger. More here. H/T: iSightOnline. (AP/IntelCenter photo of captured Bowe Bergdahl on Dec. 8, 2010)

Question: Has the American government done enough to get Idaho soldier Bowe Bergdahl home from Afghanistan?

Darrell Rusk provided this photo today of his son, Marine Pfc. Colton Rusk, with Eli, a black Labrador being retired from military service following the death of the younger Rusk. Colton's parents are adopting the bomb-sniffing dog who the military says loyally rushed to their son's side when he was fatally shot. The 20-year-old Texan died in December during a gun battle with Taliban fighters. (AP Photo/courtesty of Darrell Rusk)

DFO: This is a heart-breaking photo. It makes me think of my niece, a lieutenant in the Army National Guard, who just returned to the Middle East for her second tour of duty. She was deployed in Afghanistan first. Now, she's in Iraq. Sometimes, we forget that many families still have loved ones in harm's way.

Question: Do you have a loved one currently deployed in either Afghanistan or Iraq?

This image provided by IntelCenter today shows a framegrab from a new video released by the Taliban containing footage of a man believed to be Spc. Bowe Bergdahl, the only known American serviceman being held in captivity in Afghanistan, a group that tracks militant messages on the Internet said Wednesday. Story here. (AP Photo/IntelCenter)

• 2 WSU football players face pot charges/Vince Grippi, SR
• Boise State AD working to keep Petersen, coaches/Brian Murphy, Statesman
• Repeat offender gets 100 months for 100 mph/Meghann Cuniff, Sirens & Gavels
  
• Ex-guv candidate Rammell charged with poaching/Spokesman-Review
• Zags, Cougs continue rivalry in Pullman tonight/Vince Grippi, SR
• Idaho suspends wolf management plan/Rich Landers, Outdoors Blog
• New Idaho sheriff shoots himself in the hand/Associated Press
• GOP legislators in Montana target abortion for 2011/Charles Johnson, Missoulian
• NW Montanan jailed for joking about bank robbery/Eric Schwartz, Inter Lake
• High schooler who forgot hunting rifle in trunk faces expulsion/AP
• Orbusmax Special: Bedridden Idaho man faces 1982 murder charge here
  

This frame from the video released Friday purportedly shows Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl, 23.

KABUL, Afghanistan – The Taliban released a video Friday of an American soldier captured in Afghanistan, showing him apparently healthy but spouting criticism about the U.S. military operation.

In Idaho, Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl’s family pleaded on Christmas Day for his release and urged him to “stay strong.”

Bergdahl disappeared June 30 while based in eastern Afghanistan and is the only known American serviceman in captivity. Full Story.