A Marine Corps battalion commander said he was relieved of his duties on Friday after posting a video demanding “accountability” from top leaders for failures in Afghanistan.
Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller went viral Thursday after posting a four-minute, 45-second video on Facebook in which he appeared in uniform and became a military leader after the devastating suicide attack at Kabul airport, which killed 13 members of the American service and at least 169 Afghans.
“People are upset because their high leaders disappoint them, and none of them raise their hands and accept accountability or say,‘ We’ve wrapped this up, ’” he said.
“I’m not saying we should be in Afghanistan forever,” Scheller added, “but I’m saying, Some of you threw your rank on the table and said,‘ Hey, it’s a bad idea to evacuate the Bagram airfield, a strategic air base, before we evacuate everyone ‘? Did anyone do it? And when you didn’t think about it, someone raised their hand and said, ‘Have we wrapped this up completely?’ “
The video, a rare public expression of displeasure from a enlisted officer, came out on social media in military circles. It had been shared on Facebook more than 35,000 times as of Friday night.
On Friday, Scheller wrote on Facebook that he had been “relieved of cause based on a lack of confidence as of 2:30 p.m. today.”
“My chain of command does exactly what I would do … if it were in your skin,” said Scheller, who added that he would not speak to the media until he had formally left the body.
In his video Thursday, Scheller said he personally knew one of the service members who died in Thursday’s attack.
“Potentially, all those people died in vain if we don’t have superior leaders who own and raise their hand and say,‘ In the end we didn’t do well, ’” he said. “Without that, we keep repeating the same mistakes.”
“I’ve been struggling for 17 years,” Scheller concluded. “I am willing to throw it all away to tell my senior leaders: I demand accountability.”
On Friday, the Marine Corps announced that Scheller was relieved “due to a loss of confidence and confidence in his command ability,” according to Task & Purpose.
“Obviously, it’s an emotional time for many Marines and we encourage anyone who may be struggling right now to seek advice or talk to a fellow Marine,” Marine Corps spokesman Major Jim Stenger said. “There is a forum where marine leaders can address their disagreements with the chain of command, but they are not social media.”
Announcing his dismissal, Scheller said, “America has so many problems … but it’s my home.”
“When my Marine Corps career is over, I look forward to a fresh start,” Scheller wrote. “The purpose of my life is to make America the most lethal and effective instrument of foreign diplomacy. Although my days of melee violence may be over … I see a new light on the horizon ”.
Following Scheller’s announcement, Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), a former Navy SEAL who lost his right eye while making his third deployment to Afghanistan in 2012, praised the officer as “all class “.
“I knew what the consequences would be,” Crenshaw tweeted. “Her worries are not wrong. Many people feel the same lack of responsibility. When the dust is reached, this responsibility must pass ”.
In a second post on Facebook on Friday night, Scheller said that when he posted the video on Thursday, “I immediately received several calls from the Marines and they asked me to withdraw the post.” We all agree with you, Stu, but nothing will change and it will cost you a huge personal cost. “
“[W]Not everyone can be wrong, “Scheller added.” If you all agree … go one step further. They only have the power because we allow it. What if we all demanded accountability? “