In the Brig
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I have to say, he doesn't sound completely rational to me.
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@doctor-phibes said in In the Brig:
I have to say, he doesn't sound completely rational to me.
I agree.
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Brushing aside a groundswell of popular support that included a large number of lawmakers on Capitol Hill, the Marine Corps said Wednesday it was moving ahead with plans to court-martial Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller for his outspoken and viral criticisms of how the top brass handled the Afghan war and its chaotic ending.
The Corps confirmed that prosecutors will lay out six charges next week when Lt. Col. Scheller‘s trial begins inside a courtroom at Camp Lejeune, N.C. A 17-year veteran with multiple combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan under his belt, he has been charged with several offenses in the Uniform Code of Military Justice for going public with his scathing comments on his superiors.
The lieutenant colonel is accused of contempt toward officials; disrespect toward superior commissioned officers; willfully disobeying a superior commissioned officer; dereliction of duty; failure to obey an order; and conduct unbecoming an officer.
Lt. Col. Scheller, who was released Tuesday after spending about a week in the brig even before charges were filed, was said to be “doing great” and is “energized by the support of rank-and-file Marines,” according to a source familiar with the case. He has been inundated with messages from fellow combat veterans who support his demand for accountability, the source said.
The charges, which came after the Corps reportedly refused to let Lt. Col. Scheller voluntarily resign from the service, stem from several social media messages this summer where Lt. Col. Scheller offered stinging rebukes of government and military leaders over the nation’s Afghanistan policies. He called for resignations from top Pentagon officials and dereliction of duty charges against Gen. Frank McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command.
When his commanding officer ordered him to quit, the lieutenant colonel went on the Web to talk about that as well.
In a Sept 2 Facebook post, Lt. Col. Scheller said the “system” needed to be broken apart and rebuilt. The experience showed him how hungry Americans are for “honesty, accountability, and reform” across the government.
“We need fresh blood and perspective. It’s time for a new generation to assume American power,” he said. “Follow me and we will bring the whole [expletive] system down — in a Constitutional manner — with one loud voice.”
Lt. Col. Scheller’s first video was posted shortly after a suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul that killed 13 U.S. troops, mostly Marines, and dozens of Afghan civilians. He was immediately relieved of his assignment as the battalion commander of advanced infantry training at Camp Lejeune.
Despite a reprimand and a direct order to stop, Lt. Col. Scheller went on to post a number of videos and written statements to social media, criticizing both Republican and Democratic figures for the mishaps in Afghanistan.
“Posting to social media criticizing the chain of command is not the proper manner in which to raise concerns,” USMC Capt. Sam Stephenson, a spokesman for USMC Training and Education Command, said in a statement about the decision to seek a court-martial.
“Orders and directives regulate the conduct of members of our military and ensure good order and discipline.”
A number of Republican lawmakers rallied to his cause after Lt. Col. Scheller was sent to the brig even before any charges were filed against him. Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas called the military’s treatment of him “shamefully political and retaliatory.”
The social media wars over Lt. Col. Scheller‘s case continued to smolder Wednesday when word of the legal action came down.
“Thirteen U.S. service members killed in Afghanistan during Biden’s surrender; 10 innocent civilians — including 7 children — killed by a U.S. drone strike. And yet, [Lt. Col. Scheller] is the one facing a court-martial because he dared to demand accountability from military leaders?” Mr. Gohmert tweeted Wednesday afternoon.
The Pipe Hitter Foundation, an organization founded by former Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher, is helping raise money for the defendant’s legal bills, the military publication Stars & Stripes reported Wednesday. Mr. Gallagher’s 2019 court-martial on war crimes also became a cause celebre for conservatives. He was acquitted of most charges and allowed to retire as a SEAL chief petty officer after President Trump personally overruled Navy officials and criticized their handling of the case.
Lt. Col. Scheller was ordered into pretrial confinement at Camp Lejeune because Marine Corps officials judged him a flight risk and believed he would continue to engage in what they considered his “serious criminal misconduct.” While in an individual cell, he was not held in what authorities said could be called ‘solitary confinement.”
He was allowed recreational time for at least two hours a day and could talk to other prisoners and staff, although at a social distance in accordance with COVID-19 protocols. Prisoners in the brig are afforded all rights and privileges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, including receiving visits from lawyers at any time, officials said.
“If the generals in charge of the Afghanistan debacle thought a week in an air-conditioned jail cell was going to stop his calls for accountability, they are sorely mistaken,” a source close to Lt. Col. Scheller said.
My opinion?
If you disagree with the choices made by your superior officers, you have two choices:
- Obey and STFU
- Resign
There's a third choice - speak out, and face the consequences.
Seems the Lt. Colonel chose #3.
ETA: I'm not agreeing, or disagreeing, with what he posted. But, as a member of the armed forces, there are protocols to be followed, and it seems he broke them.
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
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@george-k said in In the Brig:
But, as a member of the armed forces, there are protocols to be followed, and it seems he broke them.
Yep . . . where is all this rebellion against orders coming from?
Oh yeah. Social media.
And yes, I agree he sounds not quite-quite. The kindest thing you could say is that this is some sort of stream of consciousness happening. Maybe a psych eval; maybe a medical discharge? Dunno.
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@doctor-phibes said in In the Brig:
I have to say, he doesn't sound completely rational to me.
Isn’t this the guy that they were expressing concern over his well being at the beginning of all this? Everybody dismissed that as a cheap stunt…
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@catseye3 said in In the Brig:
Yep . . . where is all this rebellion against orders coming from?
AFAIK, there were no orders related to his station in the military.
He was complaining about the policies/procedures of the military/government in general.
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
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@lufins-dad said in In the Brig:
@doctor-phibes said in In the Brig:
I have to say, he doesn't sound completely rational to me.
Isn’t this the guy that they were expressing concern over his well being at the beginning of all this? Everybody dismissed that as a cheap stunt…
I seem to think some people thought the references to his mental health might have been an Orwellian-style tactic to shut him down and lock him up. Personally, I thought at the time that there was a pretty good chance he was struggling with something a bit more than just disliking the way things had gone.
I'm no expert, but...
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@doctor-phibes I think you may have been right.
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Unfortunately, that will disqualify all of his points, some of which are worthy of consideration.
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@george-k said in In the Brig:
My opinion?
If you disagree with the choices made by your superior officers, you have two choices:Obey and STFU
ResignThere's a third choice - speak out, and face the consequences.
I agree. For most countries, the military is the same. They cannot allow an obvious show of not following orders.
It can be battle decisions, getting vaccinated, the type of uniform to wear, etc.
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@lufins-dad said in In the Brig:
Unfortunately, that will disqualify all of his points, some of which are worthy of consideration.
It's clear that the US operation in Afghanistan has been anything but a roaring success. Obviously, everybody is so busy blaming the other side for their part in the disaster that nobody is actually thinking that maybe, just maybe, this isn't the fault of one or two guys, but is actually a longer-term, and bigger problem.
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The U.S. Marine who posted videos on social media criticizing military leadership and the Biden administration’s withdrawal of military assets from Afghanistan was issued a letter of reprimand and a forfeiture of $5,000 worth of pay for one month, after pleading guilty to all charges during his court-martial hearing this week.
Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller Jr. pled guilty to all six misdemeanor-level charges Thursday, including willfully disobeying a superior commissioned officer, dereliction in the performance of duties and conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman.
The judge, on Friday, said he would have given a two-month forfeiture of pay, had it not been for the nine days Scheller spent in pre-trial confinement. Scheller was freed from the brig last week where he was being held for violating an agreement to stop posting criticism on social media.
The judge said he does not condone Scheller’s offenses, but noted his 17 year USMC career, saying that prior to his social media incident, he was an officer with an outstanding record – a record, he said, he weighed heavily.
The letter of reprimand was much less than what was recommended. The prosecution recommended a forfeiture of $5,000 of pay for 6 months and a letter of reprimand. The maximum penalty could have been forfeiture of 2/3 monthly pay for 12 months and a letter of reprimand.
Sounds like he got off pretty light.
I have no idea what military jurisprudence is like, and how much latitude the court has in sentencing. The fact that the judge took his 17 years of service into consideration is interesting. That would never happen (would it?) in a civilian court.
