Marine Battalion Commander Demands Accountability From Senior Leaders Over Afghanistan Failures
At the risk of his nearly two decades career, Lt. Col. Stu Scheller called out senior military and civilian leaders for failures in Afghanistan. Scheller posted a video that went viral just hours after a blast that killed 13 U.S. troops in Kabul. Dressed in uniform, Scheller responded directly to Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger’s letter to troops and veterans asking whether the nearly 20-year-long war in Afghanistan was worth it by saying:
"The reason people are so upset on social media right now is not because the Marine on the battlefield let someone down. 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 this up.' "
Scheller’s courageous demand for accountability from senior leaders will no doubt be met with consequences for his career, however he concluded his conviction by stating: “I think what you believe can only be defined by what you're willing to risk," he says. "I think it gives me some moral high ground to demand the same honesty, integrity, accountability from my senior leaders. I've been fighting for 17 years," he continues. "I'm willing to throw it all away to say to my senior leaders, 'I demand accountability.'"
