Marine Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller went viral on August 26 when he posted videos of himself criticizing the Biden administration’s Afghanistan withdrawal.
Scheller’s family told Task & Purpose he is in jail:
“All our son did is ask the questions that everybody was asking themselves, but they were too scared to speak out loud,” said Stu Scheller Sr. “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.”He said that his son is expected to appear before a military hearing on Thursday.“They had a gag order on him and asked him not to speak,” the senior Scheller said. “He did, and they incarcerated him. They don’t know what to do with him.”
Scheller posted this video on Facebook on the day a suicide bomber killed American service members at the Kabul airport.
Scheller said he had a personal relationship with one of the men killed in the bombing. But he made the video because he has a “growing discontent and contempt” for those at the foreign policy level.
Scheller admitted he faced significant risks for the video, but he knew he had to do it. All he wanted to do was ask questions to those in charge.
“People are upset because their senior leaders let them down,” stressed Scheller. “And none of them are raising their hands and accepting accountability or saying, ‘We messed this up.'”
Welp. The government came down hard on Scheller. He offered his request for resignation on August 31.
On September 25, Scheller informed his friends and followers that the military demanded he “refrain from posting any and all material, in any form without exception, to any social media.”
In the same post, Scheller let out his feelings about former Presidents Bush, Obama, and Trump, along with Generals Mattis, Petraeus, and Flynn. He hammered many others for trying to portray him as crazy.
He ended the post: “Col Emmel please have the MPs waiting for me at 0800 Monday. I’m ready for jail.”
Scheller has not posted since September 26.
Many supported Scheller, but others criticized him for calling out the chain of command in public.
Scheller Sr. said people had applauded his son:
However, Scheller Sr. said the “botched” withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan has likely struck a nerve for anyone who has served in the military over the past 20 years.“I’ve had Vietnam veterans contacting me applauding him for his courage because they too want to know: Was it all worth it?” the elder Scheller said. “And by demanding accountability and honesty from his senior leaders, that’s all he was asking. And the way the Marine Corps has dealt with it: They have now put him in jail.”
The Marine Corps confirmed it brought in Scheller:
After this story was first published, the Marine Corps issued a statement confirming that Scheller has been sent to the brig.“Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller Jr. is currently in pre-trial confinement in the Regional Brig for Marine Corps Installations East aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune pending an Article 32 preliminary hearing,” said Capt. Sam Stephenson, a spokesman for Training and Education Command. “The time, date, and location of the proceedings have not been determined. Lt. Col. Scheller will be afforded all due process.”
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