Marine Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller, Jr., who got in trouble for criticizing top brass on the Afghanistan troop withdrawal, was released from the brig Tuesday.
Scheller posted a video in August where he condemned the military and U.S. government for “dereliction of duty”, specifically naming Gen. Kenneth McKenzie.
Captain Sam Stephenson with the Training and Education Command said in a statement, “Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller Jr. is being released from confinement today, Oct. 5, 2021, as a result of a mutual agreement between Lt. Col. Scheller, his Defense counsel, and the Commanding General, Training Command.”
The Marine’s parents, Stu and Cathy Scheller, recently told Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight” that their son was put on a gag order and that his crime was simply “speaking truth to power.”
They contend that top military leaders were trying to “bury” him.
Scheller’s parents said he’s a smart man and knew he’d face consequences for posting the videos which were viewed more than a million times on social media and shared more than 60,000 times.
“I do want to say thank you to the American people, and I want to ask them to, if possible, to pray, to contact your congressmen, and to donate,” Cathy said.
In a LinkedIn post, Scheller claimed that “the current military-industrial machine is broken,” then asked, “does the current government still serve the interests of the people?”
In another post, he stated that there was a lack of accountability from political leaders during the withdrawal which prompted him to speak out.
“Did anyone raise their hand and say, ‘We completely messed this up?'” Scheller had asked. “I’m not saying we can take back what has been done. All I asked for was accountability, for people to comment on what I said and to say, ‘yes, mistakes were made.’ And had they done that I would’ve gone back into rank and file, submitted, and accomplished what I wanted.”
The Pipe Hitter Foundation, an organization run by former Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher and his wife Andrea, is raising funds to help Scheller transition out of the military.
So far, more than 27,000 donors have contributed $2 million for Scheller and his family which will assist them with relocating and the mounting legal fees.
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