The crew discusses the increase in troop numbers in Iraq and Syria and why the White House keeps denying, or at least refusing to say outright, that we have boots on the ground in combat. Nate and Weirick take Task & Purpose's quiz, "Quiz: Which Of These 7 Infantry Guys Are You?" Lauren interviews the podcast's producer Army vet Karl Morand. And Weirick reads comments from our loyal fan base.

Nate, Weirick, and Lauren discuss the final episode of Serial and rate its overall ability to tell the story of Bergdahl and the war in Afghanistan. They each try to answer the question: What should we actually blame Bowe Bergdahl for?

Lauren, Weirick, and Nate discuss the revelation by Serial that the Army never officially investigated whether any service members were killed in the search efforts to recover Bergdahl after he walked off base. Also, Weirick talks about his in-person encounter with the women of Serial.

Producer Karl Morand discusses stolen valor with Weirick and Nate and whether the rise of stolen valor videos is helpful or hurtful to the veterans community.

Lauren, Weirick, and Nate discuss whether Bergdahl should have been let into the Army in the first place after washing out of Coast Guard basic training. They also debate Sarah Koenig's "Come to Jesus" moment in the latest episode of Serial. Also, Weirick explains the latest on Bowe Bergdahl's court-martial, which has come to a full stop.

This week on Task & Purpose Radio, Lauren Katzenberg interviews former Army Spc. Cody Full, who was members of the same three-man fire team before Bergdahl disappeared. Lauren, Nate Bethea, and James Weirick discuss a new report released by the Government Accountability Office on hazing in the military. Weirick reads some real messages that Task & Purpose has received to its Facebook page

Nate and Weirick rip into statements made by Bergdahl on the most recent episode of Serial about what it means to be a soldier in Afghanistan in 2009.

Following the latest episode of Serial — which examines hostage recovery efforts at the Pentagon in the years following Bowe Bergdahl's disappearance — Lauren Katzenberg, Nate Bethea, and James Weirick discuss their personal experiences with government dysfunction and bureaucracy.

Nate Bethea reached out and spoke with Mike Waltz, a former Special Forces commander who led seven Green Beret teams and one Navy SEAL team during recovery operations in Afghanistan looking for Bergdahl. Previously Waltz worked as a policy advisor in the White House and Pentagon and is the author of the book, "Warrior Diplomat: A Green Beret's Battles from Washington to Afghanistan.

In a recent interview on The New Yorker Radio Hour, Sarah refused to discuss the terms under which Bowe Bergdahl's agreed to talk with Mark Boal. Does the audience deserve more transparency? Also, the show discusses the latest episode of Serial and how Bergdahl's ability to survive five years of captivity under the Taliban will impact his court-martial.