A Cry from the Heart from a Real American Hero

 

Powerline just posted this video by Marine Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller, a Batallion Tank Commander on active duty, the posting of which is easily one of the most courageous acts of American citizenship I have seen, especially in this sad era of pusillanimity posing as “leadership.” Here is the Powerline intro followed by the video; I am hastening to put this video out because, as they so correctly point out, it may not last more than a few minutes.

Addressing “the American leadership,” Marine Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Scheller has posted the video below to his Facebook page. Making a point I have made repeatedly in my comments on our withdrawal from Afghanistan, Lieutenant Colonel Scheller seeks accountability from senior leaders. Obviously made at substantial risk to himself, it is a powerful statement that is likely to be suppressed before long. Perhaps he himself should have resigned from the Corps before he made it. I don’t know.

A reader writes to point out that “Marine leadership is as of yet unaware of it – but they will figure it out shortly.” Watch it while you can.

 

It is sheer bravery and courage like Col. Scheller’s which helps fortify my deep belief in the permanence of the American experiment. With Americans like Col. Scheller, how can we lose?

Semper Fi!

God Bless Col. Scheller and God Bless America!

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  1. Jim George Member
    Jim George
    @JimGeorge

    A friend just advised me that His Royal and Ultimate Highness and Knower of All Things and Ruler of the Universe Zuckerberg has blocked this video on FB– that reminded me I had neglected to link to the Powerline piece where the video is readily accessible — here it is: https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2021/08/a-cry-from-the-heart.php–

    I just wanted to be sure that all who wanted to see this incredible display of personal bravery are able to do so.

    Semper Fi!

    • #1
  2. Jim George Member
    Jim George
    @JimGeorge

    The same friend just sent a link to an excellent article about this video and Brave Marine Officer in a blog entitled “Task and Purpose”– the article and video can be found here.  Highly recommended. 

    Semper Fi!

    • #2
  3. The Scarecrow Thatcher
    The Scarecrow
    @TheScarecrow

    Link is no good.  That only took 30 minutes? 

    Zuckerberg blocked it too?  They were blocking Wuhan stuff supposedly to protect the health of everybody, and then all questions about the election supposedly to protect our country from riots or something.

    Are they now just dropping the pretense and flat-out blocking anything that makes Biden look bad?

    If so, how long can Democrats support this? They are not all venal, some of them must be able to tell they are being lied to.

    • #3
  4. David Foster Member
    David Foster
    @DavidFoster

    Working link at PowerLine:

    https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2021/08/a-cry-from-the-heart.php

     

    • #4
  5. Jim George Member
    Jim George
    @JimGeorge

    David Foster (View Comment):

    Working link at PowerLine:

    https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2021/08/a-cry-from-the-heart.php

     

    Thanks; that’s why I put up the link in the first comment.. Bravery personified, isn’t he?

    • #5
  6. Randy Webster Inactive
    Randy Webster
    @RandyWebster

    It wants me to create a FB account to access the video.  I don’t care how good it is, I’m not doing that.

    • #6
  7. The Scarecrow Thatcher
    The Scarecrow
    @TheScarecrow

    Randy Webster (View Comment):

    It wants me to create a FB account to access the video. I don’t care how good it is, I’m not doing that.

    Naw, don’t do it man. Yer good.

    Besides, who would want it, as they now seem proud of the fact that they are lying to their members. Weird.

    • #7
  8. Jim George Member
    Jim George
    @JimGeorge

    Randy Webster (View Comment):

    It wants me to create a FB account to access the video. I don’t care how good it is, I’m not doing that.

    See David’s comment above-link is working.

    • #8
  9. Nohaaj Coolidge
    Nohaaj
    @Nohaaj

    Jim George (View Comment):

    Randy Webster (View Comment):

    It wants me to create a FB account to access the video. I don’t care how good it is, I’m not doing that.

    See David’s comment above-link is working.

    Fox news picked this up, it is getting a lot of traction. here is their link:

    https://www.foxnews.com/us/marine-afghanistan-senior-leaders-accountability

     

    • #9
  10. Jim George Member
    Jim George
    @JimGeorge

    Nohaaj (View Comment):

    Jim George (View Comment):

    Randy Webster (View Comment):

    It wants me to create a FB account to access the video. I don’t care how good it is, I’m not doing that.

    See David’s comment above-link is working.

    Fox news picked this up, it is getting a lot of traction. here is their link:

    https://www.foxnews.com/us/marine-afghanistan-senior-leaders-accountability

     

    Thanks – I hope the World sees this; I made the mistake of looking at some of the FB comments and they are vicious against the Colonel although some of them do make the sound point that, as active duty personnel, he should have gone through channels to voice his concern. Of course, it doesn’t take a conspiracist to imagine how long he would have lasted had he done that… not that he’s likely to last very long now, anyway. Sad-he has a beautiful family and I dread thinking of what’s in store for him. 

    • #10
  11. Barry Jones Thatcher
    Barry Jones
    @BarryJones

    This guy is going to get nuked by his chain of command. This is, in my opinion, a very bad way to go about whatever it is he is trying to accomplish. Stay within the chain of command and if you are going to lay your career on the line, do so with your chain of command. That was the right way to do it when I was in and hopefully still is. He has some points and I understand his angst but he has gone about in a totally inappropriate manner. The “right”  way to do something like this is to complain up the chain of command and if you find the response to not be good enough for you, resign. Then complain publicly, but no in uniform, not on active duty. I suspect that if HIS subordinates did something similar he would be VERY unhappy with them. My two cents and your mileage may differ.

    • #11
  12. Jager Coolidge
    Jager
    @Jager

    Barry Jones (View Comment):

    This guy is going to get nuked by his chain of command. This is, in my opinion, a very bad way to go about whatever it is he is trying to accomplish. Stay within the chain of command and if you are going to lay your career on the line, do so with your chain of command. That was the right way to do it when I was in and hopefully still is. He has some points and I understand his angst but he has gone about in a totally inappropriate manner. The “right” way to do something like this is to complain up the chain of command and if you find the response to not be good enough for you, resign. Then complain publicly, but no in uniform, not on active duty. I suspect that if HIS subordinates did something similar he would be VERY unhappy with them. My two cents and your mileage may differ.

    Yeah he was relived of his command.

    https://freebeacon.com/national-security/marine-battalion-commander-blasts-inept-military-leadership-over-afghanistan-withdrawal/ 

    • #12
  13. Rōnin Coolidge
    Rōnin
    @Ronin

    Looks like he has been relieved of duty ( https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2021/08/an-update-on-col-scheller.php ).  That didn’t take long.

    • #13
  14. Keith Lowery Coolidge
    Keith Lowery
    @keithlowery

    I snagged the Lt. Col.’s video this morning (I was skeptical it would stay up on FB or elsewhere) and posted it to both Rumble and YouTube.

    You can find it at Rumble here: https://rumble.com/vlr5np-statement-about-u.s.-leadership-unaccountability.html

    And at YouTube here:

    • #14
  15. The Other Diane Coolidge
    The Other Diane
    @TheOtherDiane

    I followed Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller on Facebook today and have a somewhat different sense of what might be going on here.  The guy and his family are all movie star gorgeous, and on the side he already runs a business called The Perfect Ribbon for military ribbon displays (he and his business partner have a patent pending on the process.)  He was an accounting major as an undergrad and in describing his partnership he explained that they already have established how they would separate their business interests if that became necessary.   He would look very, very good on TV and must know it, and may have decided that this is the hill he was meant to die on, and he felt compelled to step up and speak for his fellow soldiers. We will see plenty of him in some other capacity (will he run for public office I wonder?) in the future.

    • #15
  16. Randy Webster Inactive
    Randy Webster
    @RandyWebster

    The Other Diane (View Comment):

    I followed Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller on Facebook today and have a somewhat different sense of what might be going on here. The guy and his family are all movie

     

    star gorgeous, and on the side he already runs a business called The Perfect Ribbon for military ribbon displays (he and his business partner have a patent pending on the process.) He was an accounting major as an undergrad and in describing his partnership he explained that they already have established how they would separate their business interests if that became necessary. He would look very, very good on TV and must know it, and may have decided that this is the hill he was meant to die on, and he felt compelled to step up and speak for his fellow soldiers. We will see plenty of him in some other capacity (will he run for public office I wonder?) in the future.

    Nothing is ever as simple as it looks, is it?

    • #16
  17. She Member
    She
    @She

    From his Facebook page:

    • #17
  18. The Other Diane Coolidge
    The Other Diane
    @TheOtherDiane

    • #18
  19. She Member
    She
    @She

    Randy Webster (View Comment):
    Nothing is ever as simple as it looks, is it?

    As they say, “a genius is just a person with more alternatives.”   I take him at his word, at least for the time being.  He’s only saying what a lot of his subordinates, peers, and probably a even few of his superiors, are already thinking, but haven’t got the [expletive] to  say out loud.

    • #19
  20. The Other Diane Coolidge
    The Other Diane
    @TheOtherDiane

    She (View Comment):

    Randy Webster (View Comment):
    Nothing is ever as simple as it looks, is it?

    As they say, “a genius is just a person with more alternatives.” I take him at his word, at least for the time being. He’s only saying what a lot of his subordinates, peers, and probably a even few of his superiors, are already thinking, but haven’t got the [expletive] to say out loud.

    I agree, @she,. and admire his courage tremendously.  He may be just the person to galvanize other military members to stand up and be heard.   It doesn’t hurt at all that he’s so easy on the eyes.  Just sayin’.

    • #20
  21. CACrabtree Coolidge
    CACrabtree
    @CACrabtree

    Rōnin (View Comment):

    Looks like he has been relieved of duty ( https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2021/08/an-update-on-col-scheller.php ). That didn’t take long.

    Just another reminder that in the Military, the nail that sticks out is quickly pounded down.

    • #21
  22. Clifford A. Brown Member
    Clifford A. Brown
    @CliffordBrown

    Keith Lowery (View Comment):

    I snagged the Lt. Col.’s video this morning (I was skeptical it would stay up on FB or elsewhere) and posted it to both Rumble and YouTube.

    You can find it at Rumble here: https://rumble.com/vlr5np-statement-about-u.s.-leadership-unaccountability.html

    And at YouTube here:

    Xthanks for the smart move. Rumble is the way to go to avoid FB and Alphabet censorship.

    • #22
  23. She Member
    She
    @She

    I completely understand why it was necessary to relieve him of duty.  What chaps my hide (channeling the late Boss Mongo) is a comparison between LtCol Scheller and this person:

    Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, director for European Affairs at the National Security Council, arrives to testify as part of ...

    It has nothing to do with the rather porcine appearance of one and the Hollywood Handsome looks of the other.  (TBPC, it didn’t occur to me that LtCol Scheller might be Hollywood Handsome until it was pointed it out on this thread.  So sue me. I’m an old lady and my eyesight isn’t what it once was.)

    It has more to do with the fact that, if an LTC or LtCol (got to get those abbreviations right!) who’s a serving member in the United States military wishes to draw attention to the shortcomings of his superiors, the apparent right way to go about it is to sneak into the corridors of power, conspire with the political opposition, insure the compliance and protection of the state-run media, and then spend days on state-run television embroidering your pretty thin story while you amplify the importance of your own role in coming forward at the same time as you pretend that you are not, in fact, the source of all the spurious hullaballoo you and your political allies have created in an attempt to topple your Commander-in-Chief.

    One of these men is a clearly prize jerk.  The other, not.

    I hope LtCol Scheller (soon to be Retd), does write a book.  And that he has the last word.

    • #23
  24. J Climacus Member
    J Climacus
    @JClimacus

    Barry Jones (View Comment):

    This guy is going to get nuked by his chain of command. This is, in my opinion, a very bad way to go about whatever it is he is trying to accomplish. Stay within the chain of command and if you are going to lay your career on the line, do so with your chain of command. That was the right way to do it when I was in and hopefully still is. He has some points and I understand his angst but he has gone about in a totally inappropriate manner. The “right” way to do something like this is to complain up the chain of command and if you find the response to not be good enough for you, resign. Then complain publicly, but no in uniform, not on active duty. I suspect that if HIS subordinates did something similar he would be VERY unhappy with them. My two cents and your mileage may differ.

    yeah, this was the wrong way to go about it, and is embarrassing to the Corps. By not using the chain of command, he’s implicitly implicated them in the problem he’s complaining about, or at least showing by action that he doesn’t believe they will be responsive or effective. He’s got to know this. Something more is going on here.

    • #24
  25. WI Con Member
    WI Con
    @WICon

    I commend him, thank him for his service and wish him and his family well. The shame of it is that he really wasn’t responsible for any of it. He “offended” the sensibilities of those that are. 

    They’re even more pathetic.

     

    • #25
  26. Jim George Member
    Jim George
    @JimGeorge

    She (View Comment):

    I completely understand why it was necessary to relieve him of duty. What chaps my hide (channeling the late Boss Mongo) is a comparison between LtCol Scheller and this person:

    Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, director for European Affairs at the National Security Council, arrives to testify as part of ...

    It has nothing to do with the rather porcine appearance of one and the Hollywood Handsome looks of the other. (TBPC, it didn’t occur to me that LtCol Scheller might be Hollywood Handsome until it was pointed it out on this thread. So sue me. I’m an old lady and my eyesight isn’t what it once was.)

    It has more to do with the fact that, if an LTC or LtCol (got to get those abbreviations right!) who’s a serving member in the United States military wishes to draw attention to the shortcomings of his superiors, the apparent right way to go about it is to sneak into the corridors of power, conspire with the political opposition, insure the compliance and protection of the state-run media, and then spend days on state-run television embroidering your pretty thin story while you amplify the importance of your own role in coming forward at the same time as you pretend that you are not, in fact, the source of all the spurious hullaballoo you and your political allies have created in an attempt to topple your Commander-in-Chief.

    One of these men is a clearly prize jerk. The other, not.

    I hope LtCol Scheller (soon to be Retd), does write a book. And that he has the last word.

    Well, She, I hope you’re satisfied, as you have nearly ruined what had been a nice breakfast until I saw this picture of this — here I have a minor quibble with your post in that you were much more charitable than I would have been in referring to this [            ] as a person– insubordinate nincompoop (that’s a nice as I can make it) who should have been court martialed and drummed out of the Corps. If there ever was a photo which captured the entire meaning of the term “Deep State”, this is it, and “they” have gotten away with it for so long they actually think they are in command, not the Commander-in-Chief. Until that changes, and in a radical way, we will continue to have LT COL (and don’t you forget it!) Vindmans in our midst, calling the shots. While I agree with you and the many others who are making the same point about Col. Scheller being relieved of command and maybe even Court Martialed, we need many, many, many more of his kind of brave and courageous members of the Military to finally show the public just how rotten our Military has actually gotten. 

    Semper Fi! 

    Jim

    • #26
  27. Kozak Member
    Kozak
    @Kozak

    Rōnin (View Comment):

    Looks like he has been relieved of duty ( https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2021/08/an-update-on-col-scheller.php ). That didn’t take long.

    And he will be separated real quick too.

    He has 17 years in, that took real courage, knowing he had basically jumped on a live grenade with his public comments.

    • #27
  28. Columbo Inactive
    Columbo
    @Columbo

    She (View Comment):

    I completely understand why it was necessary to relieve him of duty. What chaps my hide (channeling the late Boss Mongo) is a comparison between LtCol Scheller and this person:

    Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, director for European Affairs at the National Security Council, arrives to testify as part of ...

    It has nothing to do with the rather porcine appearance of one and the Hollywood Handsome looks of the other. (TBPC, it didn’t occur to me that LtCol Scheller might be Hollywood Handsome until it was pointed it out on this thread. So sue me. I’m an old lady and my eyesight isn’t what it once was.)

    It has more to do with the fact that, if an LTC or LtCol (got to get those abbreviations right!) who’s a serving member in the United States military wishes to draw attention to the shortcomings of his superiors, the apparent right way to go about it is to sneak into the corridors of power, conspire with the political opposition, insure the compliance and protection of the state-run media, and then spend days on state-run television embroidering your pretty thin story while you amplify the importance of your own role in coming forward at the same time as you pretend that you are not, in fact, the source of all the spurious hullaballoo you and your political allies have created in an attempt to topple your Commander-in-Chief.

    One of these men is a clearly prize jerk. The other, not.

    I hope LtCol Scheller (soon to be Retd), does write a book. And that he has the last word.

    And the media treatment of the pansy Vindman as a hero whistleblower vs. their ignoring Lt Col Scheller also chaps my hide!

    • #28
  29. She Member
    She
    @She

    Jim George (View Comment):
    Well, She, I hope you’re satisfied, as you have nearly ruined what had been a nice breakfast until I saw this picture of this — here I have a minor quibble with your post in that you were much more charitable than I would have been in referring to this [            ] as a person– insubordinate nincompoop

    Yeah.  Fond as I am of saying (and true as it usually is), “I do love a man in a uniform…” there are limits.  (Unless one actually starts with a man, I think the premise fails, no matter how how much fruit salad one applies to the tunic, nor how nifty one’s hat cover.)

    • #29
  30. She Member
    She
    @She

    Well, this is still up on marines.mil.  Fairly impressive.  Note that he’s taken part in non-combatant evacuation operations.  Commanding Officer: Lieutenant Colonel Stuart P. Scheller.

    • #30
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