I wonder why Obama never attempted to help Sgt Andrew Tahmooressi, a hero Marine when he was so anxious to free Bergdahl.
A US Marine held in a Mexican jail for over two months after mistakenly entering the country with guns has made an impassioned plea today for President Obama to secure his release.
Sgt Andrew Tahmooressi said as the head of the military Mr Obama should get personally involved in his plight.
'Mr. President, you are my Commander in Chief. Please get me out of jail.'
Speaking exclusively to Mail Online from his Mexican prison, the 25-year-old said: 'I am still in the Marines and President Obama is my Commander in Chief.
He is pleading to President Obama to help him the way he helped POW Bowe Bergdahl. 'I am being treated like a POW too,' he says
He was stripped naked and chained to a bedpost. When they undid the chains he was so weak he could not walk.
At one point he was shackled to a bed with a four point restraint. That is not right. 'No soldier, no person should have to endure that sort of treatment'
vOver 100,000 people have signed a White House petition that has been sent to the White House calling for action.
Two US Senators have taken up the case, and Secretary of State John Kerry has spoken to Mexican authorities.
'I want him to get involved. He was involved in helping to free a prisoner of war, and that is how I feel I am being treated'
But despite this Sgt Tahmooressi still languishes in prison and could be jailed for up to six years if convicted.
For Mrs Tahmooressi as she anxiously awaits for news at her home in Weston, Florida, it is not enough.
'Why as Commander in Chief would he allow one of his soldiers to remain in prison for something he has not done,' she said.
Tahmooressi's ordeal began on March 31 when he says he mistakenly drove into Mexico with three guns in the back of his pickup truck.
He had recently relocated from Daytona Beach, Florida, where he was studying to be an commercial airline pilot.
Suffering from PTSD from his two tours of duty in Afghanistan, he had been persuaded by a Marine friend to seek help from the Veterans Administration in San Diego.
On the morning of March 31 he had a meeting with doctors who agreed a course of treatment for PTSD.
Mom Jill, holding his medals of honor from his two tours of Afghanistan.
As he had yet to rent a place to live he had all his possessions in the back of his pick up truck, including a AR-15 rifle, shotgun and handgun.
All the weapons were legal and licensed to Tahmooressi.
After his hospital appointment he drove to the border town intending to stay overnight.
He parked his car on the US side and walked across the footbridge that links the two countries.
But after checking out of the hotel because it felt unsafe he returned to his car around 10.30pm.
Instead of heading North on Interstate 5 he took a wrong turning out of the car park and ended up a Mexican checkpoint.
Tahmooressi told the border guards about the three weapons in the back of his pickup truck and explained he had taken a wrong turn after getting lost.
It is illegal to cross the border to Mexico with any weapons.
'Why as Commander in Chief would he allow one of his soldiers to remain in prison for something he has not done?'
Instead of being escorted back across the border he was arrested.
The Marine Sgt managed to make a 911 call to seek help from US authorities but was told as he was in Mexico nothing could be done for him.
He also called his mom to explain that he had been arrested and asked her to get him a lawyer.
A 911 tape released by U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-California, backs up what Tahmooressi has said.
A 911 tape released by U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-California, backs up what Tahmooressi has said.
In the call he is heard saying, 'I crossed the border by accident, and I have three guns in my truck, and they're trying to take my guns from me'.
But on hearing the caller is in Mexico, replies: 'There's nothing I can help you with then, sir. I do apologize. You're not on American soil anymore.'
After he was jailed, Tahmooressi tried to escape by climbing over a gate and heading up onto a roof, and then onto another one. He gave up when a guard opened fire, but the incident earned him the nickname 'Spider-Man'.
He later grabbed a light bulb and stabbed himself in the neck. He was taken to the hospital and given stitches.
Mrs Tahmooressi, a nurse, said her son has not changed his story once since being arrested and has suffered brutally at the hands of the Mexican authorities.
Mrs Tahmooressi said Andrew had always wanted to serve his country, and his bedroom at the family home in Weston is testament to his love of the Marines and his country.
Mrs Tahmooressi, who has masterminded the campaign for her son's release from her kitchen table, said he was threatened by drugs cartel henchmen who were in jail.
'Andrew was diagnosed with PTSD and that was the reason he had moved from Florida to San Diego. He had trouble concentrating on the course, but had wanted to be an airline pilot. He got his pilot's licence when he was just 17 years old, and loved to fly.'
'He was stripped naked and chained to a bedpost. When they undid the chains he was so weak he could not walk. At one point he was shackled to a bed with a four point restraint'
Mrs Tahmooressi said the VA had treated her son promptly as he had been showing signs of paranoia with fears the US Government were spying on him.
She said he was getting treatment and worries that being locked up in jail his condition will deteriorate.
Andrew has been able to call her from the prison where he is currently held and has recently found a new lawyer after he fired his last counsel when he suggested he lie in court.
A court hearing earlier this week was adjourned when his lawyer was fired.
Prosecutors have said Tahmooressi made multiple trips to Tijuana and suspect he was involved smuggling guns - a suggestion refuted by his mum.
'He had a friend whose mother lived in Tijuana. He went with her and was a passenger in her car. They will have all that on CCTV cameras. He was doing nothing wrong.'
Mrs Tahmooressi is able to send her son clothes and books to read, but has not been able to get him any of his favourite food.
'He tell me the food is terrible in the jail,' she said.
Mrs Tahmooressi said he son 'was proud' to serve in the Marines. He was promoted to sergeant during his last tour and was honorably discharged in 2012, but remains on the reserve list.
A Stars and Stripes hangs on one wall while the US Marine Corp flat is at the end of his bed. A framed photo of Andrew getting his pilots license at aged 17 takes pride of place on a wall.
Across the home are photos of Andrew and his elder sister Andrea, a chiropractor who lives in North Carolina.
Apart from fears about his health, Mrs Tahmooressi said her son had mounting legal bills.
'He has already spent $20,000 and he has yet to appear in court,' she said. 'All I want is for my son to come home. That is what any mother who has a son in the military wants.'
With the help of California Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, California Rep. Ed Royce, former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, and Arizona Rep. Matt Salmon, Tahmooressi was eventually freed, but only after suffering greatly in prison. Many had called on President Obama to speak out on Tahmooressi's behalf, but he nor anyone at the White House ever lifted a finger.
"The president not stepping forward was a slap in the face to veterans," said Rohrabacher told The Washington Times on Saturday. "The president didn’t care about it enough to make a simple phone call."
Trump Donates $25,000 to Freed Marine Andrew Tahmooressi
Trump announced the donation on Twitter on Monday.
It is my great honor to send $25,000 to Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi. #marinefreed — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 10, 2014
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