Aug. 6, 2014 4:04 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON—Two months after being freed by the Taliban in a controversial prisoner-exchange deal, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl got his first chance Wednesday to tell the story of his capture and five years in captivity.
Sgt. Bergdahl met for the first time with the U.S. Army general investigating his disappearance from an Afghanistan Army outpost. Eugene Fidell, Sgt. Bergdahl's private attorney, said the Army sergeant discussed his case for several hours at a Texas military base.
The daylong interview is meant to answer the central question at the heart of Sgt. Bergdahl's captivity: What happened on June 30, 2009, the day he disappeared from his Army outpost in eastern Afghanistan.
Some soldiers who served with Sgt. Bergdahl in Afghanistan have accused him of desertion and branded him a traitor who should be punished for walking away from his post.
The Army concluded at the time that Sgt. Bergdahl voluntarily walked away from the outpost, but stopped short of characterizing it as desertion, according to people familiar with a 2009 investigation into his disappearance.
Following his release in May, the Army opened a new investigation into the matter.
Joined by Mr. Fidell and his Army-appointed lawyer, Sgt. Bergdahl met with Maj. Gen. Kenneth Dahl in an informal sitting room at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio.
"My client has answered every question to him and he had an opportunity to present his account," said Mr. Fidell, who characterized the talks as cordial.
"Not a thumbscrew in sight," he said. "It's entirely unadversarial."
Gen. Dahl has until Aug. 16 to complete his examination unless he asks for more time. The findings could serve as a foundation for any disciplinary action the Army might take against Sgt. Bergdahl. That could include prison time or demotion.
Mr. Fidell said he thought it would be unlikely for the U.S. Army to imprison a soldier who spent five years in Taliban captivity.
After disappearing from his post in eastern Afghanistan, Sgt. Bergdahl was taken and held by Afghan insurgents for years.
To secure Sgt. Bergdahl's freedom in May, President Barack Obama authorized the release of five Taliban officials who had been held in the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The exchange sparked bipartisan criticism in Congress, where lawmakers questioned the decision to free Taliban leaders who could return to lead the fight against U.S. troops and their allies in Afghanistan. Administration officials defended the deal and said they had a responsibility to do everything in their power to secure freedom for the U.S. military's lone captive in Afghanistan.
The five Taliban leaders freed in the deal are currently living in Doha, Qatar, where they are subject to travel restrictions.
Sgt. Bergdahl returned to regular duty in mid-July when he was assigned a desk job at Fort Sam Houston.
Write to Dion Nissenbaum at dion.nissenbaum@wsj.com
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