Jim Webb’s Son Defends His Dad For Killing a Man

Jim Webb turned heads at the Democratic Debate the other night, and it wasn’t because he was arguably the most qualified and reasonable candidate on the stage.

When asked at the end of the debate which enemy he was most proud of facing, Jim Webb gave a startling answer. While his fellow candidates gave banal responses, such as “Republicans,” Webb reminded everyone he was a combat veteran. Without hesitation he recalled the Vietnamese soldier who wounded him with a hand grenade and informed the audience that man did not escape with his life.

People were shocked. They found the answer morbid. Liberals actually looked down at a combat veteran for doing his job and killing a man who trying to kill him over 40 years ago.

Now Webb’s son, himself a combat veteran, is speaking up for his dad.

Webb writes:

If you watched the Democratic presidential debate on Tuesday night, you probably heard the closing comment by my father, Jim Webb. Without hesitation he answered that the enemy he was ‘most proud of’ was the Vietnamese soldier who wounded him with a hand grenade. He then added that “…he isn’t around anymore.”

While there were those in the media and around the country who were a bit stunned, and perhaps even put off by this answer, my fellow veterans and I were not. If anything, his blunt (and perhaps a bit brutal) honesty was much appreciated, and further endeared him to us as a candidate. We veterans are also more likely to have a fuller picture of my father’s record.  He’s the man who gave us the post-9/11 GI Bill. We also know him as a highly decorated combat veteran who earned the Navy Cross for the entire episode surrounding that grenade, not just the snippet that has been focused on.

As a Marine infantryman myself, I have experienced the complex emotions of combat. On the one hand you may not even see the face of an individual who fires a round so close to your head that your ears ring, or blows up the improvised explosive device next to your vehicle that potentially kills or maims your friends. On the other, there’s an intensely personal reaction. After all, this isn’t a person who is besting you in a debate about gun control, or some other social policy, over a beer.  This is a person whose intent is to end your life, and that is as clear cut an enemy as you can think of.  Additionally, many, if not most, of the veterans I have talked to have read the Navy Cross citation that chronicles the incident surrounding my father. For those unfamiliar, it states:

‘….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.….’

That’s right, Jim Webb isn’t just a veteran, he’s a hero. The Democratic Party should regard him as nothing less, yet he is relegated to the side of the stage and then criticized and mocked for relaying his experiences serving this country. It’s despicable.

Related: 5 Reasons Why Jim Webb is the Most Reasonable Democratic Candidate

Webb’s son went on to lament the lack of understanding pundits and Americans in general have for what veterans experience.

“In fact, seeing the reaction to my father’s story in recent days has highlighted for me the almost stunning level of ignorance that the general public has about war. CNN introduced him as a “war hero,” and yet people were surprised and even uncomfortable when they were given a glimpse of what that might have entailed.

Yes, the man who threw the grenade isn’t around anymore, but more importantly the man who my Father shielded with his own body lived to see another day. As a Marine and as a leader, that is the important part. To me and many other veterans, we have a sea of presidential candidates who seemingly have only personal interests in mind.  Yet, here is a leader who has not only endured war, but demonstrated that he is willing to sacrifice his life for his people. Is that really something to be sneered at?

Concluding, Webb’s son says the country has no regard or sympathy for what soldiers experience in combat. He’s right; too often Americans are too comfortable hurling words like “murder” and “psychopath” around. Too often the country turns its back on veterans who suffer waiting for treatment from the VA or who languish without homes. The Democrats had no problem showing Jim Webb off as someone who should be respected, then they failed to do so themselves.