[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 158 (Wednesday, October 28, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H12017-H12018]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               AFGHAN WAR

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, I want to start by reading from the October 
27 front page of the Washington Post: U.S. Official Resigns Over Afghan 
War.
  ``When Matthew Hoh joined the Foreign Service early this year, he was 
exactly the kind of smart civil-military hybrid the administration was 
looking for to help expand its development efforts in Afghanistan.''
  Mr. Speaker, I want to say to Captain Hoh, retired marine, thank you 
for having the courage to speak out and to speak out on what you 
believe is the right policy for this Nation in Afghanistan.
  I want to read parts of a letter that he wrote to Ambassador Nancy 
Powell when he resigned his position:
  ``I have served 6 of the previous 10 years in service to our country 
overseas, to include deployment as a U.S. Marine officer and a 
Department of Defense civilian in the Euphrates and Tigris River 
valleys of Iraq in 2004-2005 and 2006-2007. I did not enter into this 
position lightly or with any undue expectations nor did I believe my 
assignment would be without sacrifice, hardship or difficulty. However, 
in the course of my 5 months of service in Afghanistan, in both 
Regional Commands East and South, I have lost understanding of and 
confidence in the strategic purposes of the United States' presence in 
Afghanistan. I have doubts and reservations about our current strategy 
and planned future strategy, but my resignation is based not upon how 
we are pursuing this war, but why and to what end. To put simply: I 
fail to see the value or the worth in continued U.S. casualties or 
expenditures of resources in support of the Afghan Government in what 
is, truly, a 35-year old civil war.''
  He further writes in the letter to Ambassador Powell, Mr. Speaker:
  ``This fall will mark the eighth year of U.S. combat, governance and 
development operations within Afghanistan.

[[Page H12018]]

Next fall, the United States' occupation will equal in length the 
Soviet Union's own physical involvement in Afghanistan. Like the 
Soviets, we continue to secure and bolster a failing state, while 
encouraging an ideology and system of government unknown and unwanted 
by its people.''
  Mr. Speaker, I want to again say to Captain Matthew Hoh, this took 
courage for you to speak out, as it took courage for you to fight for 
this country in Iraq. I hope that our colleagues here on the floor of 
the House will debate this issue, not only about tomorrow, what are we 
trying to accomplish in Afghanistan, but in the years ahead, what are 
we trying to accomplish?
  Mr. Speaker, with that, before I close, as I always do, I will ask 
God to please bless our men and women in uniform; I ask God to please 
bless the families of our men and women in uniform; I ask God in His 
loving arms to hold the families who have given a child dying for 
freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq; I will ask God to please bless the 
House and Senate that we will do what is right in the eyes of God; and 
I will ask God to give wisdom, strength and courage to the President of 
the United States that he will do what is right. And three times, Mr. 
Speaker, I will ask God, please, God; please, God; please, God, 
continue to bless America.

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