Marine Lt. Col. Stu Scheller pressed for “accountability” from military leadership for the Afghanistan debacle. Now, it appears that the Biden-led military is retaliating by throwing the former Marine commander in jail.
“All our son did is ask the questions that everybody was asking themselves, but they were too scared to speak out loud,” Stu Scheller Sr., his father, told Task & Purpose. “He was asking for accountability. In fact, I think he even asked for an apology that we made mistakes, but they couldn’t do that, which is mind-blowing.”
A spokesperson for Training and Education Command said that Scheller is “currently in pre-trial confinement.”
“The time, date, and location of the proceedings have not been determined. Lt. Col. Scheller will be afforded all due process,” the statement continued.
Lt. Col. Scheller predicted that the military command might respond by putting him in the brig.
“What happens when all you do is speak truth and no one wants to hear it. But they can probably stop listening because… I’m crazy… right?” Scheller wrote in one post. “Col Emmel please have the MPs waiting for me at 0800 on Monday. I’m ready for jail.”
Scheller is “currently in pre-trial confinement,” a spokesperson for Training and Education Command said of the officer’s status.
“The time, date, and location of the proceedings have not been determined. Lt. Col. Scheller will be afforded all due process,” the statement continued.
Scheller went viral in a social media video that put his career on the line to press the top brass for answers.
“People are upset because senior leaders let them down,” Lt. Col. Scheller said. “And none of them are raising their hands and accepting accountability or saying ‘we messed this up.’”
“Did any of you throw your rank on the table and say ‘hey, it’s a bad idea to evacuate Bagram Airfield, a strategic airbase, before we evacuate everyone.’ Did anyone do that?” he added. “And when you didn’t think to do that did anyone raise their hand and say ‘we completely messed this up?’”
“Potentially all those people did die in vain if we don’t have senior leaders that own up and raise their hand and say ‘we did not do this well in the end,’” he continued.
“Without that the … higher military ranks are not holding up their end of the bargain. I wanna say this very strongly,” he said. “I have been fighting for 17 years. I am willing to throw it all away to say to my senior leaders: I demand accountability.”
Lt. Col. Scheller later announced that he had been relieved of duty for cause.
“To all my friends across the social networks. I have been relieved for cause based on a lack of trust and confidence as of 14:30 today,” he said on Facebook.
“My chain of command is doing exactly what I would do … if I were in their shoes,” Scheller continued . “I appreciate the opportunities AITB command provided. To all the news agencies asking for interviews … I will not be making any statements other than what’s on my social platforms until I exit the Marine Corps.”
The U.S. military had warned both active duty and retired service members that no “disrespect” of President Biden will be tolerated.
The Office of Naval Intelligence’s Chief of Staff emailed service members in late August to remind them of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The UCMJ prohibits the public questioning of the President, the Vice President, Congress, or the Secretary of Defense, among others. It reads as follows:
Given the heightened political and social atmosphere surrounding Afghanistan, it is important to remind our uniformed personnel (active duty and reservists on temporary active duty) and military retirees of their responsibilities and obligations under Article 88 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice and Department of Defense Directive 1344.10. While it is vital to protect the constitutional right of freedom of expression for these groups, consistent with mission accomplishment, national security, and good order and discipline, it’s important to remember certain limitations. Namely, uniformed personnel and military retirees are prohibited from disrespecting senior government leadership (e.g. the President, Vice President, Congress, Secretary of Defense, Service Secretaries, etc.).
The criticism of the U.S. ‘Commander-in-Chief’ was relentless since his August decision to withdraw the U.S. military from Afghanistan prior to securing military equipment and evacuating civilians.
President Joe Biden earlier ignored warnings from top generals and the Pentagon and proceeded with an immediate withdrawal. The ill-advised decision left thousands in harm’s way and ushered in the precipitous fall of the nation to the Taliban after nearly two decades of war. The decision led to the deaths of 13 American service members, as Becker News first reported.
The State Department says there are still 100 Americans in Afghanistan who are “ready to depart,” according to journalist Emily Miller. The Biden administration earlier promised that all Americans would be evacuated before the August 31 deadline or troops would stay behind to ensure that they got out safely. Biden’s promise, obviously, was broken.
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