OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
A United States Marine was relieved of duty after demanding that his leadership, including Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, take responsibility for the Afghanistan disaster.
Lt. Col Stuart Scheller, a battalion commander, shared a nearly 5-minute video on Facebook last week asking for top brass to take accountability.
The marine read and responded to a part of a message from Marine Corps commandant Gen. David H. Berger addressing the Taliban taking over Afghanistan after the United States decided to withdraw troops.
Now, Scheller is waging an all-out war against senior leadership, vowing to “bring the whole f***ing system down.”
Scheller was fired almost immediately as a battalion commander as his original video went viral.
After receiving massive amounts of support, Scheller issued a follow-up video, announcing he was resigning his commission as an officer which means he is giving up his lifelong retirement and medical benefits which are received after 20 years of service.
Read what he said in his resignation video below:
I want to make the announcement today. After 17 years, I currently not pending legal action and I can stay in the Marine Corps for another three years, but I don’t think that’s the path I’m on. I’m resigning my commission as a United States Marine effective now. I’m sure there’s some [Marine Administrative Message] on how I’m supposed to do that and I’ll work through that. But I have forfeiting my retirement all entitlements. I don’t want a single dollar. I don’t want any money from the VA.
I don’t want any VA benefits. I’m sure I’m entitled to a hundred percent. I, you know, breathe on the smell and smoke of burning shit for years. I don’t want any of it. All I asked for was accountability of my senior leaders. When there are clear, obvious mistakes that were made, 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, some mistakes were made and had they done that. I wouldn’t have gone back into rank and file, submitted and accomplished what I wanted the morning after I posted my video and I came into work, my boss came in and he asked me, ‘What were you trying to accomplish?’
And that was a very tough question for me. And my response was I want senior leaders to accept accountability. I think them accepting accountability would do more for service members and PTSD and struggling with purpose than any other transparent piece of paper or message. And I haven’t received that. For the over $2 million that I would potentially receive in retirement for the rest of my life, for the however much extra the disability would be, I think that money should go back to all the senior general officers, because I think they need it more than I do because when I am done with what I’m about to do, you all are going to need the jobs and the security.
I want to be clear that I love the Marine Corps. I think, you know, there’s been a fascination with special forces over the last 15 years, special forces people that come in in the middle of the night and they killed the biggest targets that the United States has. And I have much respect. I worked in [Marine Special Operations Command] for a year, but what I’ll say is the conventional Marine on the ground who has to smell burning shit. Who, when I was in Ramadi, I was exposed to it so much that burning shit actually smelt like bacon and eggs. And I grew to enjoy the smell. Those people who are there every day, don’t get to leave the next morning or in the middle of the night, who go outside the wire, get blown up, bring their Marine back and then go back out there the next day. They don’t get the credit they deserve and they deserve accountability. ….
You have no idea what I’m capable of doing. To all the congressmen, senators, every media station, across the globe, to all the rich philanthropists, I appreciate the support and I’m going to need your support. … I don’t need a single dollar. I just need every single person that’s willing to go back outside the wire every single day to wear a blue collar and just go into work every single day and feed their families, those are the people that I need. Follow me and we will bring the whole fucking system down. I am honorable. You can ask any Marine who served with me for 17 years. I dare you to ask them all and find out what I’m made of. We’re just getting started.
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