Navy commander who went viral with criticism of military commanders released from brig

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Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller, the Marine officer who went viral for criticizing the leadership over the withdrawal from Afghanistan, was released from the brig on Tuesday, his lawyer and a Marine Corps spokesperson said.

“Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller Jr. is released from confinement today, October 5, 2021, following a mutual agreement between Lt. Col. Scheller, his defense attorney and the commanding general of the command of the ‘training,’ Captain Sam Stephenson of the Training and Education Command, the spokesperson said in a statement.

No further details about the deal will be released at this time, according to Stephenson.

Scheller was in pre-trial detention at the Camp Lejeune brig.

He submitted a letter to the Secretary of the Navy offering to resign from his commission in lieu of facing a court martial. Scheller’s attorney said “many members of Congress” urged the secretary to approve the request.

Scheller posted a video in August following the suicide bombing attack in Kabul that killed 13 U.S. servicemen and more than 100 Afghan civilians. In the video, Scheller said top leaders should raise their hands and take charge of the pullout which he says has turned into a mess.

“People are upset because their top leadership has let them down and none of them raise their hands and accept responsibility and say we messed it up,” Scheller said in the video.

He criticized Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley for shutting down Bagram Air Base, the country’s main US military base, and for failing to anticipate the fall of the Afghan national security forces.

According to legal documents, he faces potential charges of conduct unbecoming an officer, contempt of officials, disobedience to a senior officer and disobeying an order or regulation.

After the video, Scheller was relieved of his duties by the Marine Corps. Scheller was the commander of the Advanced Infantry Training Battalion, based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

Afghanistan: the new reality More More David Martin

David Martin is the national security correspondent for CBS News.

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