DEI Fired Officers Return
Two officers were fired for bucking their chain of command. Now they’re going to work at the Pentagon.
President Donald Trump has tapped two former lieutenant colonels, Stuart Scheller and Matthew Lohmeier, for Defense Department positions years after they were relieved of command for publicly criticizing senior military leaders.
Jeff Schogol
Two of President Donald Trump’s picks for Pentagon posts are former officers who publicly challenged senior military leaders and during the most recent administration: Former Space Force Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier and former Marine Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller.
Trump prizes loyalty first and foremost in his subordinates and he has shown an eagerness to reverse many of his predecessor’s policies. The fact that Scheller and Lohmeier are critics of the military under President Joe Biden, and the views that got them in trouble in uniform now mirror many that Trump has publicly endorsed, could give them clout with the new administration.
Along with Trump’s nominee for defense secretary Pete Hegseth, both men have criticized military diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, or DEI.
Lohmeier has been nominated to serve as undersecretary of the Air Force. In May 2021, he was fired as commander of 11th Space Warning Squadron at Buckley Air Force Base, after talking about his book “Irresistible Revolution: Marxism’s Goal of Conquest & the Unmaking of the American Military” on the “Information Operation,” podcast hosted by Creative Destruction, or CD, Media, Military.com reported.
“Our diversity, inclusion, and equity industry and the trainings we’re receiving in the military via that industry are rooted in critical race theory, which is rooted in Marxism,” Lohmeier said. “And the language of the training, which most people don’t understand but I help laid out in the book, was devised by Marxists.”
In a Jan. 17 post on X, Lohmeier thanked Trump for nominating him and wrote that he was looking forward to “continuing my service to our great men and women in uniform.”
“To all men and women with a desire to serve your country in uniform, come join us now!” Lohmeier wrote. “We want the best, brightest, and strongest of you at this critical juncture in American history.”
Separately, Scheller made headlines for posting videos, while in uniform, in which he criticized senior military leaders over the Afghanistan withdrawal, and was later sent to the brig and subsequently court-martialed. He announced on Monday that he had “accepted the position of Senior Advisor to the DoD Under Secretary in personnel and readiness.”
Scheller received a punitive letter of reprimand and was ordered to forfeit $5,000 of one month’s pay in October 2021 after pleading guilty to showing contempt toward officials, showing disrespect toward superior commissioned officers, willfully disobeying a superior commissioned officer, dereliction in the performance of duties, failure to obey an order or regulation, and conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman.
On Monday, Scheller posted on social media that he had accepted a position with the Defense Department. He also accused the Biden administration of “incompetence” and claimed that no senior active general officers have accepted responsibility for their mistakes in recent history.
There are some very nervous people in the Pentagon. Damn good reason to be. Thanks to our own Mick for the inspiration.
Category: Big Pentagon, Guest Link
Yesterday I got in my first argument with a woman on this. She said and I quote; If everything is merit based women won’t have a chance!”
Other than the fact that she was completely wrong about that, she insisted that the world was all messed because men had been running it for so long.
No way to fix that. The tears will be epic. I guess the hand maiden’s tale has begun for her
Thanks to liberal policies in Government, many often see a Woman or a minority in a higher position and wonder, “Did they make it on their own, or did they take the DEI ticket?”
Is that woman so ignorant that she didn’t understand that she just said women are inferior to men? It’s far too late for her, she can’t be saved.
My thoughts exactly.
Could she define what a woman is???????????????
Yes, but that would require she disrobe to make her point.
Wouldn’t that be the 2 points below the chin….
Well, in certain situations, women won’t have a chance to compete with men. If a woman weighing 125 lbs straps on 35 pounds of body armor and shoulders a 70 pound rucksack and picks up a 25 pound machine gun, she is not going to be able to hike ten miles in mountainous terrain and keep up with the Infantry men doing the same thing.
For those that never had the experience of tha above example, I can relate my own situation in Vietnam. We had a concern that our LRRP teams were carrying too much weight. So, I rucked up with my full combat load picked up my rifle and stepped on the bathroom scale in my office. I was carrying 117 pounds of gear, weapons and ammo. And I wasn’t wearing 35 pounds of body armor; this was sans helmet.
Sure, so far as.the human body goes. Just like there are certain things that women do better than men such as climbing, dancing, gymnastics, dressage and other sports. The Army has known for decades that women were better shooters but hasn’t it been till the last thirty years or so that the rest of the world has picked up on it.
Indeed women are better shooters. Go to any bar on a Friday night.
Well, we obviously need to lower the standards! That’s not fair!
“Nonsense, girl. You can always make me a sandwich.”
Keep on TRUMPING, death to DEI!!!
Far as I am concerned, every Flag Officer in the Military needs to be fired for cause, along with every E-9. They either supported DEI or were too cowardly to stand up and say it was ruining Military Readiness. I can’t recall a single Flag Officer who resigned in protest against DEI, nor can I recall a single E-9 who publicly spoke out against it. The rot is in the highest levels of the Military and the only way to get rid of the rot is to fire the ones that pushed it along with those too cowardly to speak out against it.
^THIS^! Testify, Good Sir. And to think that most of this BS can be traced to a fake birth certificate and “The JEF”.
Might not be a bad idea to cull thru the Boards of Directors of the MIC while we’re at it.
I’d like to see the current curriculum at the Sergeants Major Academy concerning DEI. I’m pretty sure I won’t like what I see.
After seeing the CSM and SGM corps in action in Afghanistan, I retired. I had a slot in the Academy if I wanted it, but I could not see myself doing the BS they were doing to the troops. E-8 retirement was enough.
I get it. After serving as a 1SG, I’d had enough. Didn’t even want E8 anymore. The thrill was gone.
If they cant rep 225, they need to go!
Academies have leadership billets for their 1st Class Cadets/Midshipmen. When Fentanyl Floyd offed himself and many of the state maritime colleges (and the federal academy) were quick to attempt to jump on the “we’re not discriminatory or racist” bandwagon that followed, they proposed creating a new leadership billet for the first class.
Typically these billets were battalion XO’s and commanders, platoon commanders, or ship’s specialty rates like bosuns, safety/lifeboats, navigators etc.. the Merchant Marine Academy toyed in 2020 with adding a “DEI Officer” to their cadet rates/offices and the rest of the schools had similar discussions about it afterwards (quietly, but they did…) Half a decade later, they never created the billet and you’ll not find a single leader at any of these schools who will admit they pushed for it to be created. Everyone is pretending it never happened for fear of public shame or losing their jobs.
No one even tried to draw up an exact description of what the job even entailed for the ONE cadet chosen to hold the billet. It’s not leadership, it’s not relevant and God willing it never will be or ever be resurrected again.
That “DEI Officer” bullshit is wayyyy too close to the good old Soviet Zampolit for my liking.
If Pete Hegseth isn’t responsible or experienced enough to run the Defense Dept. and manage its budget, what made the US Maritime Administration think a 21 year old cadet should be in charge of DEI? And how would it even apply to a regiment? You’d be asking for problems.
Bet you a case of beer that leadership rate would have only gone to black, Latino, gay or trans cadets and would have been (as you said) a Zampolit/witch hunt rate.
Glad it’s dead and gladder (because I love gloating about it) the leadership at these schools are so chickenshit that they pretend it was never an idea they had. If you’re brave enough to suggest something but not brave enough to stand by it — it’s an admission it is/was and always will be a bad idea.
Glad to see Lt Col Scheller getting some traction .
Ditto.
That man stood up against the tide for what was right at the peak of those in charge doing the exact opposite, and he paid for it through fines and his career in the USMC.
I hope he brings hell with him in his new role at DOD.
Sometimes it’s good to have the guy who was fucked over by the system come back in and deal with those who’d been doing the fucking…
Not for the sake of retribution (although that’s an added benefit) but for the sake of a correction back to the core purpose of the military.
Hack Stone has a side gig going as a contractor for a DoD command in the National Capital Region because his primary job as Director of Media Relations for a proud but humble woman owned business has been experiencing cash flow problems for the last 40 quarters, and this particular unit has a DEI Team Page. Someone posted a comment today that the “channel will undoubtedly be going away very shortly”. “It has made a positive difference and I am sorry that it will be going away.” They can always hang out in the Home Depot parking lot and wait for someone to hire a Day DEI Laborer.
Curious to how DEI works at All-Points Logistics being that they engage in cultural appropriation as a requirement.
Look no further than the situation in LA right now. DEI elected mayor, DEI fire staff, etc.
And how is that prioritizing DEI working out for the residents of Los Angeles?
Recall LTC Kratman to active duty. Put in charge of TRADOC with the order “Unfuck this. -You- know what is needed. Fire any obstacles. The US Army defeats any opponent.” Ouside his office, stack sone timbers, add a bucket of nails and a hammer.
Repeat for the other branches with suitable O-5s.
I’m just gonna drop this right here.
It’s one of my personal favorites