Marine who blasted Afghan withdrawal being held in military lockup
The US Marine Corps officer who was relieved of his command for chastising his bosses over the botched Afghan withdrawal has landed in military lockup, his father said.
In a video that went viral on Facebook last month, Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller ripped into military leadership following the devastating suicide bombing at the Kabul airport, which killed 13 US service members and scores of Afghans.
Following the impassioned spiel, Lt. Col. Scheller announced he was resigning his commission and walking away from a $2 million pension after 17 years of service.
He later announced that he was ordered to undergo a mental health screening.
Now, his father told Task & Purpose that the officer is currently in the brig.
“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. told the news outlet.
“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,” the elder Scheller said, adding that his son is due to appear before a military hearing on Thursday.
“They had a gag order on him and asked him not to speak. He did, and they incarcerated him. They don’t know what to do with him,” the father said.
In a statement, Marine Corps spokesman Capt. Sam Stephenson told Task & Purpose that Scheller “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.”
He said that “the time, date and location of the proceedings have not been determined. Lt. Col. Scheller will be afforded all due process.”
Scheller Sr. told the outlet that his son is a proud American who loves the Corps.
“He’s asking for the same accountability that is expected of him and his men,” he said.
The officer has explained that despite being relieved of his duties, he was still an active Marine — until he completes his resignation, which he said was sparked in part by a former commander who wrote on LinkedIn that he should resign “if he was honorable.”
