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Bergdahl wants to leave the Army for college

WASHINGTON — Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl wants to leave the Army and get a college education.

Sgt. Bowe BergdahlEPA

After five years in Taliban captivity, Bergdahl has “bounced back quite nicely” and hopes to restart his life post-Army, his attorney told The Post.

“This is a chapter that’s going to come to an end, sooner rather than later, I hope,” Eugene Fidell said of Bergdahl’s Army duties, “so he can get on with his life and pursue a college education and do those things a person wants to do at his age and make up for lost time, frankly.”

Bergdahl, 28, first has to overcome the Army’s investigation into why he left his base June 30, 2009, in Afghanistan, where he was then nabbed by his Taliban captors.

Some fellow soldiers have labeled Bergdahl a deserter and blamed him for the deaths and wounds of soldiers who went looking for him. The Obama administration released five senior Taliban officials from Guantanamo Bay in exchange for Bergdahl’s freedom, sparking public and political outcry.

Bergdahl hasn’t let the criticism jar him.

“He’s kind of seen and heard everything at this point,” Fidell said. “To a person who has spent five years as a captive of the Taliban, it would take quite a lot to get his goat.”

Bergdahl has been stationed at Fort Sam Houston since returning to the United States on June 13. He’s been assigned a desk job.

Wednesday marked the first day of the Army’s questioning of Bergdahl over his disappearance. Maj. Gen. Kenneth R. Dahl probed Bergdahl with questions at the base for more than eight hours Wednesday. A second day of inquiry started at 7 a.m. Thursday.

Dahl’s recommendation will help determine whether Bergdahl is prosecuted for desertion or will face any disciplinary action.

Bergdahl was read his rights and waived them. He wants to tell his story, answering each question fully, his attorney said.

“I think it was helpful to him to have an opportunity to talk about his situation in his own words,” Fidell said.

His family was not present for the questioning and Fidell declined to say whether Bergdahl, an Idaho native, has seen them.