Marine officer pleads guilty to disrespecting senior officials, says his life spiraled down

[Zorro]

Source: Washington Post

Marine officer pleads guilty to disrespecting senior officials, says his life spiraled down after posting viral videos (complete headline)

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — A Marine officer pleaded guilty on Thursday to several criminal charges in connection with viral videos he posted criticizing senior officials during the messy U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, saying that he knew he was being disrespectful and wanted to call out what he perceived as "incompetence."

Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller, a combat veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, testified that he knew he was defying orders and that his life began “spiraling” after he posted his first video in August. He said his wife left him, fellow Marine officers turned their backs on him and the Marine Corps opened an investigation into his actions. Scheller said he continued posting after receiving positive feedback from backers, including elected officials.

“Many Gold Star families, junior enlisted Marines and members of Congress reached out to support my statements,” Scheller said, referring in part to the families of service members who died in the line of duty.

Scheller pleaded guilty to charges that include disrespect toward superior commissioned officers, willfully disobeying a superior commissioned officer, and dereliction in the performance of duties. An agreement reached between Scheller and the Marine Corps holds that a military judge, Col. Glen Hines, can sentence him to no more than a letter of reprimand and a seizure of two-thirds of his pay for up to 12 months, which would cost Scheller tens of thousands of dollars.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/stuart-scheller-pleads-guility/2021/10/14/448777e0-2d11-11ec-92bd-d2ffe8570c7d_story.html

---

"Among the witnesses called by Scheller’s defense team were Rep. Louie Gohmert (R.-Tex.) and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.)...". Fuck this guy.

[Sherman A1]

1. Based upon the plea deal mentioned

He is getting nothing more than a slap on the wrist.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

5. I dunno, that 2/3s of his salary is pretty big hit

If he's resigning his commission, how will he be discharged?

[qazplm135]

6. Not really

I'm a retired LTC.

With retirement and disability which he's almost assuredly eligible for, I make around 92k before taxes roughly.

So he loses that. And it increases annually. So we are talking MILLIONS of dollars, gone.

He won't be eligible for Tricare prime coverage since he won't retire. I play 350 a year for healthcare coverage. He's going to have to pay for a plan or find an employee plan.

That's in addition to the lack of an honorable discharge which will hurt him for government employment.

Financially, he's been pretty much neutered.

[artemisia1]

15. I don't understand. I thought "O's" were separated at the LAST honorable rank held which would

be major for this officer. Imagine if I had held a press conference attacking my chain of command and the civilian leadership. I would have been gone by nightfall and without a single stripe left.

In any case. glad to have you here on DU! We need more retired SRO's to counteract the RW nutjobs who claim to represent all who serve(d) in uniform.

[GregariousGroundhog]

16. Scheller only has 17 years of service, so last honorable rank is a moot point

He's 3 years shy of being eligible for retirement. Had he made it to 20 years, he have been eligible for a pension of $4731.15 a month. His highest three years of pay would would probably have been $9293.10, $9555.90, and $9555.90 per month, and he would get 50% of that. By separating now, Scheller throws that pension away.

[artemisia1]

20. I understand that in terms of pension. Pay grade wont matter if he has no retirement, however,

in terms of consequences for serious misconduct I would think he would be considered not to have served honorably as an O-5 and been demoted to O-4, thus losing the title of Lieutenant Colonel. Find me an enlisted person, SNCO especially, who could keep all their stripes upon separation, pension or not, who did such things.

[GregariousGroundhog]

22. Scheller will separate as a Lt. Colonel.

Unlike enlisted soldiers, officers cannot be demoted by a court martial. Officers also only have a single punitive discharge (a dismissal) whereas enlisted soldiers have two (a bad conduct discharge and a dishonorable discharge). As part of Scheller's plea deal, he will resign from military service and will not be dismissed. Dismissal results in all the same penalties as being a convicted felon, so it doesn't surprise me to see a military prosecutor acquiescing to a resignation.

[artemisia1]

23. Ok. Thanks. /nt

[qazplm135]

29. If he were retiring

You are correct, he'd be paid and retired as a Major.

[Grins]

27. $350? A YEAR???? Less than a $1 a day?

I pay, between Medicare and supplemental insurance, plus dental, plus Rx drug coverage - double that! Every MONTH!

I don’t begrudge the military getting that. What pisses me off is it is provided by taxpayers who have no health coverage at all.

[qazplm135]

28. I hear ya

Universal healthcare should be what we do

[Calista241]

24. A Letter of reprimand means his career is over.

For practical purposes, he can’t get promoted.

[Thomas Hurt]

2. well he could have just resigned and wrote a book, but nooooo.

[marble falls]

3. That asshole is talking out of both sides of his mouth, that was no apology. He tried to justify ...

... what he did.

[NQAS]

4. If this is an example of current marine officers...

That’s not a good sign. Tremendous lack of judgment. Is that the kind of person you want leading marines into combat?

[qazplm135]

7. Well

He said fellow officers turned their backs on him so I'd guess that no he's not an example.

[LT Barclay]

11. There is a whole spectrum in the military, but the curve is definitely shifted to the right as the

military attracts people who like an authoritarian environment. With that and the barrage of propaganda from other members spouting Fox "news" talking points, there is definitely a majority of conservatives.
So your title would more accurately read "If this is an example of current military officers..." and the reply would be yes it is, but the mistake he made was going public and embarassing those higher up the chain. He exposed them so they either had to come down on him or face WH scrutiny and possibly having to resign themselves.

[rpannier]

13. Whether people like to hear it or not, this is what you get when you have no draft

You get a military full of "heroes", people trying to get the college fund/bonus, and children/grandchildren of careerists
You don't get a good cross-section of society

[EmmaLee E]

19. And also when you have no draft

You have no protest against war (it is, after all, the job they chose) and we can fight for 20 years without anyone saying anything more than "thank you for your service."

And the industrial complex and contractors rake the cash in.

[brush]

26. Officers aren't drafted.

[Comfortably_Numb]

8. Oh well Lt. Col. Magat. At least you got some likes from your fellow magaturds.

Hope it was worth it brainiac.

[Red Mountain]

9. The system

seems to be handling him.

[Turbineguy]

10. Anything or any one related to trump

is in a downward spiral.

It's the trump aura.

[rpannier]

12. Rep. Louie Gohmert (R.-Tex.) and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.)

with witlesses like that, he's lucky the plea wasn't a firing squad

[Paladin]

18. Nice support this guy is getting.

I bet he wishes that old piece-of-shit TV show, "JAG," was still on the air---he'd be depicted as a hero.

[sarge43]

14. Did Scheller speak up in February 2020?

You know, when TFG gave Afghanistan to the Taliban?

[Mysterian]

25. Or when Trump pulled US forces out of Syria and handed several U.S. bases to Russia?

Abandoned our allies and left them for dead?

Strange silence from the MAGA lowlifes about that.

[maxrandb]

17. Sorry you Trumpian dipshit

It doesn't work this way in the military

"Many Gold Star families, junior enlisted Marines and members of Congress reached out to support my statements,” Scheller said, referring in part to the families of service members who died in the line of duty."

And thank God it doesn't.

You're a worthless piece of amphibian shit that got a little to close the the Orange Circus Clowns crack-pipe.

You got off easy, but thank god you won't be around to spread your wingnut crap amongst the troops.

Trust me, there are thousands of Marines celebrating that they no longer run the risk of ever having to listen to your dumbass again.