Retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Matthew McCarville graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1981 with a Bachelor of Science degree. He served 23 years as a U.S. Army Infantry Officer, retiring in 2004. His final active-duty assignment was as Lieutenant Colonel and Director of the Army Officer Education Program (ROTC) at Princeton University from 1998 to 2004, during which time he oversaw cadets including future Fox News host Pete Hegseth.

Post-Military Career

Following retirement, McCarville entered the financial services industry:

• Wealth Management Advisor at Merrill Lynch (2004-2011)
• Vice President, Wealth Management; Financial Advisor; Senior Portfolio Manager at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management in Honolulu, Hawaii (2011-present), specializing in financial planning for senior military personnel (active and retired), including TSP rollovers, military retirement, and VA benefits.

He holds the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC®) designation and is President Emeritus of the West Point Society of Hawaii.

Public Activity

In January 2025, McCarville criticized Pete Hegseth's nomination as Secretary of Defense on Facebook: > "Pete Hegseth is wholly unqualified from a personal and professional perspective. His nomination is an embarrassment and a disgrace to all who have served, or will serve."

In March 2025, he joined a protest in Honolulu against the U.S. Army's removal of information on the 442nd Regimental Combat Team from its website.