American Cipher: Bowe Bergdahl and the U.S. Tragedy in Afghanistan

Matt Farwell is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Men's Journal, Playboy, and other publications. He was an Army infantryman for five years, including sixteen months in Afghanistan. He lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Michael Ames is a regular contributor to Newsweek and Harper's. His work has also appeared in The Atlantic, Slate, The Daily Beast, and The Believer. He spent nine years in Idaho working as a newspaper reporter and magazine editor, and now lives in Brooklyn.