U.S. Marine Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller who was relieved of his duties after publicly excoriating the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan last month is now being held in a military prison, his father revealed Monday.
Scheller gained wide public notice in August when he released a public video ripping into the hasty retreat that left the country to fall into the hands of Taliban terrorists, as Breitbart News reported.
He further demanded public accountability from his senior leadership on the botched withdrawal process.
After several of his videos on the matter went viral, his superiors banned him from posting on social media.
Scheller acknowledged the enormous outpouring of support and debate stirred by his video work, adding he was resigning his commission as an officer in the Marine Corps — short of the 20 years needed to be eligible for lifelong retirement and medical benefits.
His letter of resignation went in on August 31 – the final day of U.S. occupation of Afghanistan.
He later announced he was ordered to undergo a mental health screening.
Now, his father has told Task & Purpose the officer is held under guard in the brig.
“All our son did is ask the questions that everybody was asking themselves, but they were too scared to speak out loud,” Stu Scheller Sr. told the news outlet.
“He was asking for accountability. In fact, I think he even asked for an apology that we made mistakes, but they couldn’t do that, which is mind-blowing,” the elder Scheller said, adding that his son is due to appear before a military hearing on Thursday.
In a statement, Marine Corps spokesman Capt. Sam Stephenson told Task & Purpose that Scheller “is currently in pre-trial confinement in the Regional Brig for Marine Corps Installations East aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune pending an Article 32 preliminary hearing.”
He said “the time, date and location of the proceedings have not been determined. Lt. Col. Scheller will be afforded all due process.”