Matthew Hoh

Matthew Hoh is an American former Marine Corps captain and former foreign service official who served in Afghanistan, until resigning in October 2009 over his disagreement with the War in Afghanistan.
Hoh, a graduate of Tufts University undergraduate school and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, started his career as a U.S. Marine, serving in the Iraq War, and resigning his commission as a Captain. Leaving the Marines in 2004 to become a civilian contractor in Iraq, at one point he employed as many as five thousand Iraqi people, being responsible for distributing tens of millions of dollars to reconstruction projects. While much of the reconstruction effort was seen as a failure, his efforts were commended by the U.S. special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction. Hoh returned to the Marines in 2006, serving in Iraq and receiving commendations before again returning home in 2007.
He then became a limited, non-career appointment as a contract employee of the Department of State, serving in Zabul Province of Afghanistan. Hoh resigned in a four page letter questioning why the war was being fought and "to what end".<ref name="Resignation" /> He asserted that the US presence is simply fueling the resistance movement there, providing a convenient villain for the 35 year old cottage industry of warfare. He stated that:
Upon resigning, Hoh was offered a Embassy Staff position in Kabul, by U.S. Ambassador Karl W. Eikenberry. After refusing, he was flown to Washington, DC, where Richard C. Holbrooke, the administration's special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, offered him a stateside diplomatic job, which he accepted, changing his mind a week later and resigning.<ref name="DeYoung" />

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