Idaho town holds out hope for soldier's return

An undated U.S. Army photo shows Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.

 HAILEY, Idaho — The yellow ribbons can be seen long before State Highway 75 spills into Hailey, Idaho — home to America’s only prisoner of war in its conflict with Afghanistan.

They hang from utility poles and adorn virtually every tree on Main Street, where signs in shop windows issue pleas to “Bring Bowe Home.”

The ribbons are but one sign that the people of Hailey haven’t forgotten the Army sergeant who, four years ago June 30, disappeared from his base in Afghanistan and was taken captive by the Taliban.

The Afghan war may have long faded from the minds of most Americans. But for this community, Bowe Bergdahl remains, as one resident put it, “omnipresent.” And now this place has reason to hope that the 27-year-old soldier could soon be home.