ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)

The parents of U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, who was freed from captivity in Afghanistan after five years, told a news conference in Boise, Idaho, on Sunday (June 1) that they were aware of the long task ahead as their son adapts to being free.

Bob and Jani Bergdahl told reporters they had not yet spoken to their son. They began a news conference with an open message to him, saying how much they loved him and admired his resilience through the long years of captivity.

"Give yourself all the time you need to recover and decompress. There is no hurry," said Ms. Bergdahl.

Bowe Bergdahl was flown to a U.S. military hospital in Germany on Sunday after being freed in a swap deal for five Taliban militants who were released from the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba.

During the news conference, his father said he was most proud of how much his son had wanted to "help the Afghan people".

Bergdahl, from Idaho, was the only kn