Re: Republicans and Media Bush Cheerleaders who did not serve
Military service
After graduating from Annapolis, Webb was commissioned as a
second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps. As a
first lieutenant during the Vietnam War he served as a
platoon commander with
Delta Company,
1st Battalion 5th Marines. He earned a
Navy Cross, the second highest decoration in the Navy and Marine Corps for heroism in Vietnam. Webb also earned the
Silver Star, two
Bronze Stars, and two
Purple Hearts.
Webb received the Navy Cross for actions on
July 10,
1969. The citation read:
<table style="border-style: none; margin: auto; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: transparent;" class="cquote"> <tbody><tr> <td style="padding: 10px; color: rgb(178, 183, 242); font-size: 35px; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-weight: bold; text-align: left;" valign="top" width="20">“</td> <td style="padding: 4px 10px;" valign="top">The Navy Cross is presented to James H. Webb, Jr., First Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism while serving as a Platoon Commander with Company D, First Battalion, Fifth Marines, First Marine Division (Reinforced), Fleet Marine Force, in connection with combat operations against the enemy in the
Republic of Vietnam. On 10 July 1969, while participating in a company-sized
search and destroy operation deep in hostile territory, First Lieutenant Webb's platoon discovered a well-camouflaged bunker complex that appeared to be unoccupied. Deploying his men into defensive positions, First Lieutenant Webb was advancing to the first bunker when three enemy soldiers armed with hand grenades jumped out. Reacting instantly, he grabbed the closest man and, brandishing his
.45 caliber pistol at the others, apprehended all three of the soldiers. Accompanied by one of his men, he then approached the second bunker and called for the enemy to surrender. When the hostile soldiers failed to answer him and threw a grenade that detonated dangerously close to him, First Lieutenant Webb detonated a
claymore mine in the bunker aperture, accounting for two enemy casualties and disclosing the entrance to a tunnel. Despite the smoke and debris from the explosion and the possibility of enemy soldiers hiding in the tunnel, he then conducted a thorough search that yielded several items of equipment and numerous documents containing valuable
intelligence data. Continuing the assault, he approached a third bunker and was preparing to fire into it when the enemy threw another grenade. Observing the grenade land dangerously close to his companion, First Lieutenant Webb simultaneously fired his weapon at the enemy, pushed the Marine away from the grenade, and shielded him from the explosion with his own body. Although sustaining painful fragmentation wounds from the explosion, he managed to throw a grenade into the aperture and completely destroy the remaining bunker. By his courage, aggressive leadership, and selfless devotion to duty, First Lieutenant Webb upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service.<sup id="cite_ref-HomeofHeroes_5-0" class="reference">
[6]</sup></td> <td style="padding: 10px; color: rgb(178, 183, 242); font-size: 36px; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-weight: bold; text-align: right;" valign="bottom" width="20">”</td> </tr> </tbody></table> In a
November 19,
2006 appearance on
Meet the Press, Webb told host
Tim Russert, "And I, you know, I’m one of these people who — there, there aren’t many of us — who can still justify for you the reasons that we went into
Vietnam, however screwed up the strategy got."<sup id="cite_ref-MTP20061119_6-0" class="reference">
[7]</sup>
Jim Webb - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
