Viral Marine who criticized Afghanistan withdrawal charged with 6 violations
Marine Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller has formally been charged with six violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice and has been referred to a special court-martial, a Marine Corps spokesman said Wednesday.
Scheller rose to national fame Aug. 26 when he posted a video on LinkedIn and Facebook of himself, in his Marine Corps uniform, calling for senior leaders in the Department of Defense to be held accountable for their failures in Afghanistan.
In the military there are proper forums to raise concerns with the chain of command, Capt. Sam Stephenson, a spokesman for Training and Education Command, said in a statement emailed to Marine Corps Times Wednesday. In a general sense not specific to any case, posting to social media criticizing the chain of command is not the proper manner in which to raise concerns with the chain of command and may, depending upon the circumstances, constitute a violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
Scheller has been charged with Article 88 (contempt toward officials), Article 89 (disrespect toward superior commissioned officers), Article 90 (willfully disobeying a superior commissioned officer), Article 92 (dereliction in the performance of duties), Article 92 (failure to obey order or regulation) and Article 133 (conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman), Stephenson said.