Every Marine has an inherent right to gripe, but what a Marine should never do is subvert his chain of command. There’s a colorful phrase in the Marine Corps for what now former Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Scheller did last week. It’s referred to as “running off at the suck” and Stuart was set to get away with little more than a slap on the wrist...
Against all logic though, after being relieved of his command Scheller decided to double, then triple and quadruple down in a never ending torrent of oral diarrhea ... dishonoring himself, the United States Marine Corps, and the Nation he swore to defend.
He began by quoting Jefferson, implying this generation needs a revolution:
He continued by resigning his commission and attempting to rally like minded zealots to his cause:
In the video Scheller refers to himself as a “coin carrying member” of something called The Bellwether Alliance which this reddit post tagged as a scam. Apparently they’re some relatively new cryptic morality pumpers operating out of a UPS Store in Pensacola, Florida. They sell “Secret Success Laws” for $100 a month to start by “providing elite education and promoting high ethical standards and moral practices.”
Who do we know that has a history of selling “elite” bullshit?
Here’s a partial transcript:
“You have no idea what I’m capable of doing. [...]
I just need every single person that's willing to go back outside the wire every single day to wear a blue collar, and just go into work every single day and feed their families... Those are the people that I need… Follow me and we will bring the whole f****** system down.
[...] We’re just getting started...”
Yesterday, he repeated his threats on Twitter…
His behavior has prompted concern up the chain of command:
Marine Corps Times
The Marine Corps is “aware of the video Lt. Col. Scheller released on Sunday afternoon,” spokesman Capt. Sam Stephenson told Marine Corps Times Monday. “Currently, the Marine Corps is taking appropriate action to ensure the safety and well-being of Lt. Col. Scheller and his family. As this is a developing situation, we cannot comment further at this time.”
Scheller wrote an update on his LinkedIn page Monday afternoon, “When I went into work this morning, I was ordered by my commanding officer to go to the Hospital for a mental health screening. I was evaluated by the mental health specialists and then sent on my way. My CO is a standup guy, and I understand why he did it,” he wrote.
He later said in the post, “Third, for all my followers… I’m not going anywhere. Everyone is scared that the weight of the system is crashing down on me. But I know something you don’t… it’s the system that’s going to break. Not me.”
Since I can’t give you a direct link to that LinkedIn update, I retyped it in full. In addition to ranting about PTSD “excuses” and “most immediate threats”, he once again calls for revolution...
When I went into work this morning, I was ordered by my commanding officer to go to the hospital for a mental health screening. I was evaluated by the mental health specialists and then sent on my way. My CO is a standup guy, and I understand why he did it, but it brings up a couple of important issues:
First, excusing the actions of service members because of “PTSD” does more damage to service members than any trauma in combat. I have been in very traumatic combat situations. But because of that I am STRONGER. Post traumatic growth. If you’re worried about someone… you should reach out an check on them. But never excuse a service member’s actions with a wave of the hand to PTSD. You are crippling them by failing to hold them accountable. And for the people who checked on me after my last video… I’m sorry if I scared you. But know that despite my emotions, my words are always carefully thought out.
Second, as stated in previous posts, accountability from senior leaders would alleviate feelings of guilt or shame in service members more than individual counseling. It would save thousands of lives. On May 6th Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said, “the most immediate threat [to the DoD] is COVID.” According to the 2020 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report the number of Veteran suicide deaths documented in 2018 was well over 6K. And the numbers continue to rise. From a statistical perspective, it’s pretty easy to argue that COVID isn’t the biggest threat.
Third, for all my followers… I’m not going anywhere. Everyone is scared that the weight of the system is crashing down on me. But I know something you don’t… it’s the system that’s going to break. not me.
I am moving forward with my resignation. I, like many of you, am very scared. But courage isn’t the absence of fear, it’s the ability to overcome it. At the end of the day, if I stand with accountability and integrity, the system can’t beat me.
We can’t ALL be wrong.
They only have the power because we allow it.
Every generation needs a revolution.
Bxf6
That last bit, the Bxf6, is more of that chess crud annieli wrote about in her diary yesterday. Is this guy trying to intimidate or is he trying make people think he’s smart? Is this some amateur attempt at coded signals? He keeps repeating the same phrases just like keywords across multiple websites.
What the fuck is this guy playing at? What’s with all the drama. Is this shit staged? Is he trying to become a right wing social media influencer? Is he trying to grab the reigns of the beast Trump created? Is his “big news coming” that Trump has appointed him Reich Marshal? Is he maybe in on or behind that goddamned Bellwether Alliance scam? Is this all part of the plot to reinstall the former guy?
Or perhaps he’s just a moron throwing it all away for nothing?
Whatever his master plan is, conservatives are lapping it up. The part that has me freaked out a little is the fact that the one thing that the insurrectionists lacked on January 6th was what Scheller has in spades… leadership.
Per his LinkedIn profile, LtCol Scheller has attended most all the best service schools the Marine Corps has to offer and taught at a few of them. According to the Marine Corps Times, he is highly decorated. So why would he throw that all away? Surely not to lead some rag-tag group of misfit racists in a revolution that’s doomed to fail...
It's like you're trying to unravel a giant cable-knit sweater and someone keeps knitting and knitting and knitting and knitting and knitting and knitting and knitting and knitting and knitting. — Pee-Wee Herman