Scott interviews Matthew Hoh, the Marine veteran who blew the whistle about the doomed Afghan Surge. Hoh lays out what led him to resign in protest and go to the press with the truth about how hopeless the military’s counterinsurgency mission really was. Hoh then explains that, while he is upset that few listened to him back then, he is more disappointed about how many of his colleagues agreed with him, but kept their agreement quiet. Scott and Hoh go through the history of the Obama surge and observe how the pundits and generals who were the most wrong tended to get rewarded with promotions and fame. Finally, Hoh talks about resources available to veterans who are struggling and opens up about how those resources have helped him. 

Discussed on the show:

“US Official Resigns Over Afghan War” (Washington Post)

About Face

Obama’s Wars

Carlotta Gall at the New York Times

The Soldier’s Heart by Jacob George

“What America Didn’t Understand About It’s Longest War” (Politico)

“The Afghanistan Papers” (Washington Post)

The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War

Kelley Vlahos at Responsible Statecraft

“Afghanistan Veterans Struggling with News of Taliban Takeover” (Defense One)

VA.gov

Matthew Hoh is a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy and formerly worked for the U.S. State Department. Hoh received the Ridenhour Prize Recipient for Truth Telling in 2010. Hoh is a member of the Board of Directors for Council for a Livable World and is an Advisory Board Member for Expose Facts. He writes on issues of war, peace and post-traumatic stress disorder recovery at https://matthewhoh.com/ .

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; EasyShip; Thc Hemp Spot; Green Mill Supercritical; Bug-A-Salt; Lorenzotti Coffee and Listen and Think Audio.

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https://youtu.be/Hc7Ju0gYSfQ