Some $2 million has been raised for a Marine who was put in the brig for speaking out against the U.S. military’s leadership amid the chaotic Afghanistan evacuation.
He was placed in confinement at the Regional Brig for Marine Corps Installations East at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, officials said. About a week ago, the Marine Corps confirmed his detainment, although it’s not clear when his Article 32 hearing will take place.
In August, Scheller gained viral fame after posting a video on social media alleging that top military brass were not taking responsibility for how the military withdrawal from Afghanistan was handled, including the ISIS terrorist attack that left 13 service members dead in Kabul.
“The reason people are so upset on social media right now is not because the Marine on the battlefield let someone down,” Scheller said in a video posted several weeks ago. “People are upset because their senior leaders let them down. And none of them are raising their hands and accepting accountability or saying, ‘We messed up.’”
“What happens when all you do is speak truth and no one wants to hear it. But they can probably stop listening because… I’m crazy… right?” Scheller wrote in another post. “Col Emmel please have the [military police] waiting for me at 0800 on Monday. I’m ready for jail.”
Scheller’s mother, Cathy Scheller, said she believes the military is treating her son unfairly, also confirming that he was taken to lockup pending a hearing.
The Marine Corps will “win the battle,” his father, also named Stuart, said on the program. “But America is going to help Stuart win the war.”
“I do know that he broke rank and I know that he knows that there are consequences for that. But he didn’t hurt anyone. He didn’t do any violent crimes. He spoke up on Facebook. And yes, there is a chain of command and there should be punishment for that,” Cathy Scheller added to NTD.
The elder Scheller said that his son was merely asking for accountability from top military leaders over the withdrawal.
The Epoch Times has contacted the Department of Defense for comment.