Stuart Scheller
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Stuart P. Scheller | |
|---|---|
 LtCol Scheller in June 2021 | |
| Birth name | Stuart P. Scheller |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/ | United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 2005-2021 |
| Rank | Lieutenant colonel |
| Unit | 1st Battalion, 8th Marines 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit |
| Commands held | H&S company, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines School of Infantry East, Advanced Infantry Training Battalion |
| Battles/wars | War in Afghanistan Iraq War |
| Awards | |
Stuart P. Scheller is a United States Marine Corps lieutenant colonel who was relieved of command after posting a video to Facebook which demanded U.S. military leadership take responsibility after the 2021 Fall of Kabul.[1][2][3] His calls for accountability have been replayed by major TV hosts such as Tucker Carlson and CBS News.
Military career
Scheller is an active duty member of the U.S. Marine Corps, having served for 17 years. His overseas deployments include Beirut, Iraq and Afghanistan.[4]
Military accountability
In the 4:45 viral video, posted on August 26, 2021[5] Scheller makes a direct appeal for accountability from U.S. military leaders for their handling of the United States withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Fall of Kabul and the 2021 Kabul airport attack. Specifically, Scheller criticizes the abandonment of Bagram Airfield before the evacuation of the country could be completed, and that Marines of lower ranks would face court martial for incompetence and lying, but Secretary of State Antony Blinken was able to testify before Congress that the 2021 Taliban offensive would take six to nine months to reach Kabul, when in fact it only took 11 days, and face no consequences. He also made specific references to Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David H. Berger, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley.
A second video included a statement "Follow me, and we will bring the whole [expletive] system down," he says. "We're just getting started."[6] After the second statement by Scheller on social media, Jim Golby, a senior fellow at the Center for New American Security and himself a 20-year veteran of the Army noted a battalion commander as Scheller "just doesn't have all the info that senior military (or civilian) leaders do." Golby indicated that it would be wise to advise Scheller to seek mental health treatment and "get out of the spotlight quickly."[6]
The video received more than 70,000 views and 6,000 shares within its first 10 hours of being uploaded to Facebook and received widespread media coverage.[7]
Iranian Press TV also published Scheller's criticism.
Response
After posting the video, Scheller was relieved of his command. A post to his Facebook page said that he had been "been relieved for cause based on lack of trust and confidence as of 14:30 today."[8]
Texas Congressman and veteran Dan Crenshaw tweeted about the situation, saying that Scheller is "pure class" and that "accountability must happen."[9] Congressman Matt Gaetz shared the video on Twitter, where it received more than 2.5 million views, and said that "accountability must come".[10]
On August 31, 2021, after being relieved of his command, Scheller submitted a letter of resignation from the Marine Corps stating "My reason for submitting a letter of resignation: A lack of trust and confidence in your ability to lead." which is scheduled to take effect on September 11, 2021.[11]
Awards and decorations
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| 1st row | Bronze Star | Meritorious Service Medal with 2 5⁄16-inch stars |
Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with 2 5⁄16-inch stars | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd row | Army Commendation Medal with "V" device and 1 bronze Oak leaf cluster |
Combat Action Ribbon | Joint Meritorious Unit Award | |||||||||
| 3rd row | Navy Unit Commendation with 2 bronze Service stars |
Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation with 1 bronze Service star |
National Defense Service Medal | |||||||||
| 4th row | Afghanistan Campaign Medal with 1 bronze Campaign star |
Iraq Campaign Medal with 1 bronze Campaign star |
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal | |||||||||
| 5th row | Global War on Terrorism Service Medal | Korea Defense Service Medal | Humanitarian Service Medal with 1 bronze Campaign star | |||||||||
| 6th row | Navy and Marine Corps Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with 4 bronze Campaign stars |
Marine Corps Combat Instructor Ribbon | NATO Medal for service with ISAF | |||||||||
| Badges | Expert marksmanship badge for rifle |
Expert marksmanship badge for pistol | ||||||||||
References
- ^ "US Marine officer relieved of command after criticizing military leaders about Afghanistan withdrawal". CNN.
{{cite web}}: Cite uses deprecated parameter|authors=(help) - ^ "A Marine officer posted a video calling out senior leaders in Afghanistan. He was relieved of command".
- ^ "US Marines officer relieved of duties after video seeking 'accountability' over Afghanistan". 27 August 2021.
- ^ "Lieutenant Colonel Stuart P. Scheller". www.trngcmd.marines.mil.
- ^ "Stuart" – via www.facebook.com.
- ^ a b "Viral Marine who demanded 'accountability' for Afghanistan failures: 'I'm resigning my commission'". Stars and Stripes.
- ^ "'I demand accountability': Marine battalion commander calls out senior leaders for Afghanistan failures". Stars and Stripes.
- ^ Niedzwiadek, Nick. "Marine officer relieved of duty after calling out senior leaders about Afghanistan". POLITICO.
- ^ "This guy is all class. He knew what the consequences would be. His concerns are not wrong. Many people feeling the same lack of accountability. When the dust settles that accountability must happen".
- ^ "Stuart Scheller would make a better Secretary of Defense than Lloyd Austin. We hear you. Accountability must come".
- ^ Emma Colton (August 31, 2021). "Marine submits resignation letter effective 9/11, cites 'lack of trust and confidence' in leadership". foxnews.com. Retrieved August 31, 2021.