LtCol Stuart Scheller’s service in the United States Marine Corps came to an end on December 23, 2021 when he was separated from that service with a General Discharge Under Honorable Conditions. Having served only seventeen of the requisite twenty years in order to qualify for a pension, he will not receive one. In addition, he was previously fined $5,000 and issued a letter of reprimand for his actions in posting a series of posts and videos extremely critical of US government and military chain of command actions pertaining to the withdrawal of American troops and associated allies and civilians from Afghanistan in August of 2021.There were several posts on Ricochet at the time that Scheller was making news (apologies if I missed yours; if so, please add the link in the comments):
A Cry from the Heart from a Real American Hero
Honor, Courage, and Commitment: A USMC LtCol Speaks Out
Where is the Outrage from the Right?
The Crisis in Civilian-Military Relations with Mackubin Owens (PowerLine podcast)
MAGA Community Raises $2.2 Million for LtCol Stuart Scheller, Who Has Publicly Insulted Trump
As we might expect, on this site on which we all think exactly alike (LOL), opinions were all over the map, ranging from those who felt that Scheller had–at the very least–committed such an insubordinate act that he should have the entire UCMJ (which may be even longer and more voluminous than the Build Back Better Bill–I’m not sure) thrown directly at his head, to those concerned for his mental state and personal life, to those who–although they wholeheartedly understood and supported Scheller’s statements–felt he should have separated himself from the Corps before making them, and those who were in full-throated support and thought he should immediately be promoted to the rank of Major General.
I think it’s safe to say, though, that there was, running through almost all of the spirited conversation, a feeling of goodwill towards this man who served his country honorably for seventeen years and who, when he lost a friend in the terrorist attack on the Kabul airport, had simply had enough. And perhaps there was a sense, on the part of the Marine Corps, that it would not be well-served by making a martyr out of this essentially sympathetic character who was saying the quiet part–which many people were thinking–out loud, when no-one else in his position or above, in his chosen career path had either the decency, the guts, or the foolhardiness to do so.
And so when his court-martial was held and his punishment was meted out, it was noted that it was relatively mild: forfeiture of about a month’s pay and a letter of reprimand, to be followed by separation from the Corps.
Indeed, the only sour note seemed to be struck by MajGen Julian Alford, the man tasked with writing Scheller’s letter of reprimand which was sent to him on October 26. Rather than confining himself to reiterating the charges against Scheller (to which the man-had pled guilty at his court-martial) and reprimanding him for his actions, Alford decided to diagnose Scheller’s state of mind, criticizing his “narcissistic acts.” Alford then (according to Scheller) instructed Scheller to “use temperate language” and “confine himself to pertinent facts,” in his response to Alford’s letter.
Scheller responded, “Yet in your letter, you felt compelled to use the word ‘narcissistic,’ which is neither ‘temperate,’ or ‘confined to pertinent facts.’”
I agree. I know a bit about narcissism and narcissists. I don’t know if Stuart Scheller is a narcissist or not. And I’m pretty sure MajGen Alford doesn’t know either. Perhaps he got out of bed on the wrong side that particular day, or perhaps he’s one of those who were angered by the relatively light sentence Scheller received at court-martial (the prosecutor was asking for a $30,000 fine and a letter of reprimand), but it seems a bit “off” to me to introduce such a problematic term, which could be construed anywhere on the spectrum from–at best–questioning Scheller’s motives to–at worst–a diagnosis of a mental illness. Much better to have left it out.
Be that as it may, Stuart Scheller is now a civilian. Having kept silent under the court-imposed gag order since his court-martial in October, he is now speaking out, both on his Facebook page and his new website.
He is appearing with Tucker Carlson (his parents have been regulars on Tucker’s show for the duration of this story) on January 4.
I’m not sure what the future holds for Stuart Scheller, but I wish him well.
**Cross-posted from Ricochet: December 27, 2021
