Marine commander relieved of command after calling out military leaders for Afghanistan withdrawal

Irwin

Irwin

Well-known Member
Location
Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
On Thursday, a Marine infantry officer and battalion commander took to social media to air his frustrations with senior military leadership over their handling of the U.S. military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and what he says is a lack of accountability for mistakes made by those charged with managing the final stages of America’s longest war.​
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“I’m not saying we’ve got to be in Afghanistan forever, but I am saying: Did any of you throw your rank on the table and say ‘hey, it’s a bad idea to evacuate Bagram Airfield, a strategic airbase, before we evacuate everyone,’” asked Marine Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller in a recent video shared to Facebook and LinkedIn.​
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This guy needs to be court-martialed. In a time of crisis, after decisions have been made and are being executed, you don't go on social media criticizing the people who made those decisions; you follow orders. Unless you're being told to do something that's unConstitutional, you follow orders. That's your job. It's too late to do it differently, so why go on social media now? After we're out, you can come forward with your complaints or if you have any information, but doing it right in the middle of a crisis just makes matters worse.
 

He knew exactly what he was doing and put his career and discharge status on the line purposefully. He may rightly be court-martialed by procedure and still be a man of honor for speaking truth.

As for screwing things up any more in a time of crises ...I doubt his actions will make things any worse than they already are and he knows that. The military has an acronym for something that goes this badly and it is FUBAR.
 
Direct quotes from a former, much decorated Marine who now serves on the Committee on Armed Services and who recently visited Kabul:

“The thing that everybody needs to understand, even if you completely agree with the [redacted] decision to withdraw, the way they have handled this has been a total ****ing disaster,”... “It will be measured in bodies, because a lot of people are dying because they can’t get out.”​
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[Redacted] said he saw troops and diplomats trying to make the best of a bad situation, but who were overwhelmed by the difficulty of the task and the number of people they wouldn’t be able to save.​
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“I’ve never seen more people cry, just salty Marines, seasoned State Department veterans just break down in tears, talking about their work, and hugging me, and saying thank you for coming,”...​
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...one of the exhausted officials summed up the situation by saying, “I know this had to end someday, but none of us wanted it to end like this.”​
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Been There said:
These men were told and warned over and over to never discuss orders, strategies or anything attached to duty.
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True, but don't you think this circumstance is totally extreme? And not only that, but not at all in line with normal US military policy and preaching, like No Man Left Behind and firm convictions about humane treatment.

If someone who had the power named YOU a domestic terrorist and/or a threat to your country's national security and called upon the military to *deal with* you, just how conservative and compliant would you want your military to be? Wouldn't you appreciate some obscure officer drawing attention to your plight?

I realize this isn't the same scenario, but give it some thought.
 
Murrmurr said:
A whole lot of Nazis just followed orders, no questions asked, no protests for the sake of humanity, no fecks given.
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Yep, following orders- that's how it works in the military...no questions asked, no protests for the sake of humanity, no fecks given.

When I was in the Army, a soldier could become a "conscientious objector" if they didn't think the war in Vietnam was righteous. But, most of the "COs" as they were called were draftees, whereas the U.S. military today is strictly all-volunteer, so I'm not sure how that would play out.

Lt. William Calley's(My Lai incident) defense attempted to use the "illegal order" defense to shield Calley from prosecution...didn't much work.
 
Nathan said:
Yep, following orders- that's how it works in the military...no questions asked, no protests for the sake of humanity, no fecks given.

When I was in the Army, a soldier could become a "conscientious objector" if they didn't think the war in Vietnam was righteous. But, most of the "COs" as they were called were draftees, whereas the U.S. military today is strictly all-volunteer, so I'm not sure how that would play out.

Lt. William Calley's(My Lai incident) defense attempted to use the "illegal order" defense to shield Calley from prosecution...didn't much work.
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It isn't at all easy to decide between what's ordered and what's right. Few make themselves make that choice. Most just try to put it out of their minds. The ones who act according to their good conscience deserve praise. imo
 
I don’t believe that social media is any place to air your grievances with your superiors. If I was still working, I would never go online and trash my boss, or even the corporate officers. That would be just plain stupid. What should I expect to happen if I did something like that?

I am a firm believer of the 1st amendment, but “discretion is the better part of valor.” And btw, I am in agreement with his feelings at this time.
 
I can understand this officers concerns, and tend to agree with him. BUT, he is Active Military, and That, in itself, requires that he adhere to the rules. His Only option, in order to avoid putting his career at risk, is to express his feelings to his superiors, and follow orders.

Civilians can "complain" on any venue they chose, but active military are Bound by the rules.
 
oldman said:
I don’t believe that social media is any place to air your grievances with your superiors. If I was still working, I would never go online and trash my boss, or even the corporate officers. That would be just plain stupid. What should I expect to happen if I did something like that?

I am a firm believer of the 1st amendment, but “discretion is the better part of valor.” And btw, I am in agreement with his feelings at this time.
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Don M. said:
I can understand this officers concerns, and tend to agree with him. BUT, he is Active Military, and That, in itself, requires that he adhere to the rules. His Only option, in order to avoid putting his career at risk, is to express his feelings to his superiors, and follow orders.

Civilians can "complain" on any venue they chose, but active military are Bound by the rules.
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He knew he was risking his career, and rightly so, obviously.
 
He was complaining about our strategy — not about the mission itself, or corruption, or anything like that. The decisions regarding our withdrawal from Afghanistan were made by generals and other top level military including the Commander in Chief who have far more information than he has. Second guessing those decisions and complaining on social media isn't helping anyone.
 
Irwin said:
On Thursday, a Marine infantry officer and battalion commander took to social media to air his frustrations with senior military leadership over their handling of the U.S. military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and what he says is a lack of accountability for mistakes made by those charged with managing the final stages of America’s longest war.​
​
“I’m not saying we’ve got to be in Afghanistan forever, but I am saying: Did any of you throw your rank on the table and say ‘hey, it’s a bad idea to evacuate Bagram Airfield, a strategic airbase, before we evacuate everyone,’” asked Marine Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller in a recent video shared to Facebook and LinkedIn.​
​

This guy needs to be court-martialed. In a time of crisis, after decisions have been made and are being executed, you don't go on social media criticizing the people who made those decisions; you follow orders. Unless you're being told to do something that's unConstitutional, you follow orders. That's your job. It's too late to do it differently, so why go on social media now? After we're out, you can come forward with your complaints or if you have any information, but doing it right in the middle of a crisis just makes matters worse.
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Totally unprofessional !!! I guess he thinks he has more info than the commanders on the ground.
 
Irwin said:
On Thursday, a Marine infantry officer and battalion commander took to social media to air his frustrations with senior military leadership over their handling of the U.S. military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and what he says is a lack of accountability for mistakes made by those charged with managing the final stages of America’s longest war.​
​
“I’m not saying we’ve got to be in Afghanistan forever, but I am saying: Did any of you throw your rank on the table and say ‘hey, it’s a bad idea to evacuate Bagram Airfield, a strategic airbase, before we evacuate everyone,’” asked Marine Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller in a recent video shared to Facebook and LinkedIn.​
​

This guy needs to be court-martialed. In a time of crisis, after decisions have been made and are being executed, you don't go on social media criticizing the people who made those decisions; you follow orders. Unless you're being told to do something that's unConstitutional, you follow orders. That's your job. It's too late to do it differently, so why go on social media now? After we're out, you can come forward with your complaints or if you have any information, but doing it right in the middle of a crisis just makes matters worse.
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I am so sorry you feel he should be punished. I am thankful someone was willing to take the risk to call attention to the problems of which he is in a position to observe.
 
Irwin said:
He was complaining about our strategy — not about the mission itself, or corruption, or anything like that. The decisions regarding our withdrawal from Afghanistan were made by generals and other top level military including the Commander in Chief who have far more information than he has. Second guessing those decisions and complaining on social media isn't helping anyone.
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It helped me. I was in tears learning of the Marines killed. That someone felt strongly enough to call attention to the situation made me feel less alone in my grief.
 
I don't blame him at all for doing this, even though he knew that he would be removed.
Yes, I realise that him speaking out may be viewed as unprofessional, his sacrifice comes at a very high price, but at least he had the intestinal fortitude to do so!
 
Murrmurr said:
True, but don't you think this circumstance is totally extreme? And not only that, but not at all in line with normal US military policy and preaching, like No Man Left Behind and firm convictions about humane treatment.

If someone who had the power named YOU a domestic terrorist and/or a threat to your country's national security and called upon the military to *deal with* you, just how conservative and compliant would you want your military to be? Wouldn't you appreciate some obscure officer drawing attention to your plight?

I realize this isn't the same scenario, but give it some thought.
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I don't agree with the degree of punishment but he HAD to know he was headed for trouble doing that. It just might be younger people are too accustomed to social media in every day life.
 

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