Sweethearts: Monica, left, and Bowe, were dating when he was taken hostage by the Taliban
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| Moving on: Monica pictured, left, with her new boyfriend Justin Forsdick |
For five long years Monica Lee has been anxiously waiting for news of her soldier boyfriend, who was captured by the Taliban. On Saturday morning she finally got the call she had been waiting for.
As she backpacked with friends in remote Idaho mountains, her mom, Allison called with unexpected - but long hoped for - news.
With poor cell phone reception, Mrs Lee had only enough time to tell Monica that Bowe Bergdahl was safe and on his way home. The stunned 25-year-old simply asked her mom: 'What do I do now?'
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After years of waiting - and with Bowe's blessing - Monica has moved on with her life. Mrs Lee confirmed to MailOnline that although her daughter still cares deeply for Bowe, she is no longer romantically involved with him.
On Facebook she shares multiple pictures of a man who appears to be her new boyfriend and just weeks ago lovingly posted a picture of the two of them together.
'She was told to go on with her life, but she waited a long time,' Mrs Lee said. 'It's been pretty emotionally draining and she's had her ups and downs. The sheer loneliness has been pretty tough on her.'
Since 2012 Monica has posted pictures online with the man who appears to be her new boyfriend, Justin Forsdick.
The two are pictured enjoying the wilderness and carving pumpkins for Halloween. They underline the difficult dilemma the young woman now faces with her captive boyfriend returning while she's in a well-established relationship.
Monica and her family have known Bowe since he was a little boy, and used to attend the same church as his parents.
'She was very surprised and excited to hear he'd been freed. We've been praying daily for his release and safety,' Mrs Lee told MailOnline.
'His capture was of great concern to her. She and the Bergdahls support each other a lot, and Monica was involved in their campaign.'
Her relationship with Bowe's parents is clearly supportive, with the soldier's mother, Jani, even commenting about how happy Monica looks in a photo of her and Justin.
Sadly, Monica was forced to take a step back from the efforts to bring Bowe back, because she needed to search for work.
With no apparent end in sight to his captivity, Bowe eventually sent a message to Monica telling her not to wait for him.
Mrs Lee said that Bowe had wanted to protect Monica, and tried to keep her out of his hostage situation so she wouldn't feel obligated to him.
'Emotionally, it was very trying for her. She was 19 going on 20 at the time. It was a lot more than most people have to deal with,' her mother said.
'She's learned a lot to be quiet about how she feels but she has always been very supportive of Bowe, and very anxious about him.'
Monica was just 19 years old when Bowe was captured by the Taliban.
When he was first deployed to Afghanistan with the army, the pair would speak daily on Skype, but that was the last personal contact they had after he wandered off the base in June 2009 and was taken hostage.
There were still messages for Monica however, that Bowe would slip into hasty messages his captors released to his family.
In one final message to Monica, concerned about the emotional toll his capture was having on the young woman, he told her she should move on with her life.
'He said he wanted her to go with with her life, and not feel like she had to wait. No one knew how long he would be held for,' Mrs Lee said.
Mrs Lee told MailOnline she had been able to speak to her daughter only briefly Saturday, but 'she was excited Bowe was back with the Americans'.
'She asked me, "What should I do now?". She is a little confused what is going on. She hadn't been briefed lately about his situation,' Mrs Lee added.
Monica is still out on a mountain with a group of friends, so it will be a few days before she can return home and learn more about Bowe's release.
'We're just so thankful, and excited, and hope to see Bowe,' Mrs Lee said. 'He used to come by and visit quite often, so it will be nice to see his face again.
'There's a good home for him to come to, that will be good, safe and comfortable. We are just so thankful to the Lord that he's safe.'
It could be a few months before Bowe returns to his Idaho home. After special forces airlifted him out of Pakistan, where he had spent most of his captivity, Bowe was flown to Bagram in Kabul.
From there he is due to be taken to Rammstein Air Force Base in Germany, before finally arriving on home soil, where he will spend time at Brooke Army Medical Center, in San Antonio, Texas.
Officials say he is in good condition and able to walk, but that medical and psychological evaluations must take place before he is released.
When he finally makes it back to Idaho, the entire community will be ready to welcome him home.
The soldier's release came after contentious negotiations between the U.S. and the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani network that were moderated by the Qatari government.
To secure his safe return, the U.S. had to agree to release five high-ranking members of the Taliban who were being held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
With Bowe's parents, Bob and Jani Bergdahl flanking him on Saturday, Barack Obama sought to reassure the American public that the release of the senior Taliban members would not impact safety.
Culled - DailyMail
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