Army war hero Lt. Col. Jason Amerine was set to retire soon from a long and fulfilling career.

The Army suddenly cancelled his retirement orders, and briefly stopped his pay, after he became a whistleblower in the Bowe Bergdahl case.

Army Regulation 600-20 states: “No person will restrict a member of the Armed Services from making a protected communication with a Member of Congress; an IG; a member of a DOD audit, inspection, investigation, or law enforcement organization; or any other person or organization (including any person in the chain of command) designated under this regulation or other administrative procedures to receive such communication… Soldiers will be free from reprisal for making or preparing a protected communication”

Amerine testified Thursday in front of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. While under oath, he told the committee that he had been working on a plan that would facilitate the release of at least six Americans as well as Canadians. Amerine was specifically working to have Bowe Bergdahl, Caitlin Coleman, and her husband, Josh Boyle, released.

Amerine, whose office is in the Pentagon, stated during his testimony that he and a team of other officials in his office were working “every initiative possible.” One of the angles that his team had been formulating was to trade a Taliban warlord who was currently in prison in the United States. The Taliban warlord had been lured here to U.S. soil, then thrown in prison for life. Amerine’s office hoped to trade the warlord for the six hostages. Amerine said: “We made a lot of progress on it, but then in the end, when the Taliban came to the table, the State Department basically said it must be the five for one, and that is the only viable option we have.”

When Amerine was working with the government and the families to try to get their loved ones safely back home, one of the individuals he had contact with was Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif. He spoke with Hunter about the plans his team had for getting the six American hostages and Canadian hostages released. He discussed his frustrations with the representative.

Hunter subsequently filed a complaint with the Pentagon’s Inspector General. His grievance stated that there was allegedly a questionable ransom that might have been paid for Bergdahl.

After Hunter filed the complaint, rumors were circulating that Amerine handed Hunter sensitive information. Hunter and Amerine have both contended that they have been transparent regarding their concerns over this issue. At one point, they even met with the FBI.

Only after meeting with the FBI did Amerine notice a switch in the way the Army and the FBI were treating him and the entire situation. Amerine’s security clearance was cancelled, he was removed from his job, he was part of a criminal investigation, his retirement orders were cancelled, and the Army is currently seeking a court-martial for Amerine.

To date, it is an ongoing investigation. Amerine continues to argue that he has done nothing wrong and that he was exercising his constitutional right to be a whistleblower.

This post originally appeared on Western Journalism – Equipping You With The Truth