The lead defense attorney for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl said he wants him to receive the Prisoner of War medal.

His civilian lawyer, Eugene Fidell, on Friday said his client should be recognized for the five years he spent in Taliban captivity after deserting his post in Afghanistan, according to an article by USA Today.

"We have long felt he was entitled to the POW medal," Fidell said, the newspaper reported.

It wasn't immediately clear whether Bergdahl's defense team plans to push for the award as part of the process to appeal his dishonorable discharge.

Related content:

An email request for comment to Fidell wasn't immediately returned.

Earlier Friday, Army Col. Jeffery R. Nance, the military judge at Bergdahl's court-martial at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, sentenced the 31-year-old defendant to a dishonorable discharge, a reduction in rank to E-1 and a monthly reduction in pay of $1,000 for the next 10 months.

Despite the fact Bergdahl received a dishonorable discharge sentence, his defense team indicated they will still seek the "Prisoner of War" medal for Bergdahl. The award was authorized by Congress and signed into law in 1985 by President Ronald Reagan.

The award generally goes to those "taken prisoner and held captive while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States."

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at richard.sisk@military.com.