As a former Marine, there is nothing more serious to our nation than silencing free speech. Lt. Col Stuart Scheller is a hero in my eyes for standing up and asking for accountability from the senior leadership after the messy U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Lt. Col Scheller had only three years to serve in order to draw a retirement from the military but choose to stand up and say what he believed was the best for his country. I salute and support Lt. Col. Scheller for his bravery and ask all Americans to do the same. Semper Fi, always faithful. 
Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller in a file photograph. (US Marine Corps)
The U.S. Marine who called for accountability after the messy U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan is risking a lot for fellow Americans, his parents say.
“He is an American war hero. He has fought for his men and women that follow him. He’s fought on the battlefield for them. I believe he has risked his life for his fellow service people and Americans. He is now risking his livelihood for them. He saw a misjustice happening at the top and he felt that they should be held accountable for it,” Cathy Scheller, Stuart Scheller’s mother, said on NTD’s “The Nation Speaks.”
The Marine Corps will “win the battle,” he said. “But America is going to help Stuart win the war.”
Stuart Scheller was dismissed from command after publishing a series of videos calling for U.S. military leaders to step up and own the “obvious mistakes that were made” during the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Military leaders have said they were shocked by how quickly the Taliban captured the country and were caught off guard.
But none have so far resigned and they have by and large painted the evacuation effort as a success, pointing to the over 120,000 people, primarily Afghan nationals, that the United States evacuated or facilitated the evacuation of before pulling out.
Stuart Scheller said he wanted senior leaders to admit mistakes were made. After being removed from command over his videos, he resigned in late August. He was thrown in the brig recently and remains there at this time. A hearing is scheduled for Oct. 5.
Stuart Scheller is suspected of violating four articles outlined in the Uniform Code of Military Justice, including Article 88, which prohibits the use of “contemptuous words” toward superiors, a Marine spokesperson told Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas).
Stuart Scheller’s parents are advocating for his release and helping raise funds for his defense. They and the Pipe Hitter Foundation have raised over $2 million so far.
“I do know that he broke rank and I know that he knows that there are consequences for that. But he didn’t hurt anyone. He didn’t do any violent crimes. He spoke up on Facebook. And yes, there is a chain of command and there should be punishment for that,” Cathy Scheller said on NTD.
“But that chain of command that we saw broken, we also just saw broken on the Senate floor. That chain of command was broken. Our son has been given a gag order and thrown in prison and strip searched and thrown in isolation and is facing prison for breaking his chain of command. I’m fine if that’s the exact punishment that is taken out all the way across the board for anyone who breaks command,” she added.
Scheller Sr. said that the congressional hearings this week, which saw Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and Gen. Kenneth McKenzie questioned sharply by members of Congress and appearing to lie about at least one matter, made evident that senior military leaders “are not accepting responsibility or accountability for their failures.”
Milley was asked by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) whether he would resign when informed military leaders had urged President Joe Biden to keep troops in Afghanistan but Biden chose to complete the withdrawal anyways.
“It would be an incredible act of political defiance for a commissioned officer to just resign because my advice wasn’t taken. This country doesn’t want generals figuring what orders we’re going to accept and do or not,” Milley said.
Milley later called the end of the war a “strategic failure” while Austin defended the evacuation effort, noting that it moved many people out of the country.
“Was it perfect? Of course not,” he said.
$2.2 Million Raised for Marine in Military Detainment After Criticizing Afghan Chaos
Some $2 million has been raised for a Marine who was put in the brig for speaking out against the U.S. military’s leadership amid the chaotic Afghanistan evacuation.
More than $2.2 million was raised for Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller after more than 29,000 donors contributed. Scheller is awaiting a hearing over viral videos in which he called for accountability from top leaders in the military and the Department of Defense.
He was placed in confinement at the Regional Brig for Marine Corps Installations East at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, officials said. About a week ago, the Marine Corps confirmed his detainment, although it’s not clear when his Article 32 hearing will take place.
“The time, date, and location of the proceedings have not been determined,” Marine Corps Training and Education Command spokesman Capt. Sam Stephenson told Task & Purpose. “Lt. Col. Scheller will be afforded all due process.”
In August, Scheller gained viral fame after posting a video on social media alleging that top military brass were not taking responsibility for how the military withdrawal from Afghanistan was handled, including the ISIS terrorist attack that left 13 service members dead in Kabul.
“The reason people are so upset on social media right now is not because the Marine on the battlefield let someone down,” Scheller said in a video posted several weeks ago. “People are upset because their senior leaders let them down. And none of them are raising their hands and accepting accountability or saying, ‘We messed up.’”
After releasing several videos, Scheller was reportedly told by his superiors to stop posting on social media entirely. He appeared to ignore that alleged directive by writing about the gag order in his most recent social media post.
In one post, he announced that he was relieved from his position as the battalion commander for the Advanced Infantry Training Battalion at School of Infantry East at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. In another post, Scheller suggested in a post that he could be be taken to 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 another post. “Col Emmel please have the [military police] waiting for me at 0800 on Monday. I’m ready for jail.”
Scheller’s father, Stu Scheller, told the same publication that he believes the military is treating his son unfairly, also confirming that he was taken to lockup pending a hearing.
“All our son did is ask the questions that everybody was asking themselves, but they were too scared to speak out loud,” he 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.”
The elder Scheller said that his son was merely asking for accountability from top military leaders over the withdrawal.
The Epoch Times has contacted the Department of Defense for comment.
