Jim Webb James Henry " Jim " Webb , Jr . ( born February 9 , 1946 ) is a former United States Senator from Virginia . He is also an author and a former Secretary of the Navy . He is a member of the Democratic Party . A 1968 graduate of the U . S . Naval Academy , Webb served as a Marine Corps infantry officer until 1972 , and is a highly decorated Vietnam War combat veteran . During his four years with the Reagan administration , Webb served as the first Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs , then as Secretary of the Navy . Webb won the Democratic nomination for the 2006 Virginia Senate race by defeating Harris Miller in the primary , then won the general election by defeating the Republican incumbent George Allen . Webb ' s thin margin in the general election ( less than 0 . 5 % ) kept the outcome uncertain for nearly two days after polls closed on November 7 , 2006 , and provided the final seat that tilted the Senate to Democratic control . On his sixty - fifth birthday , he announced that he would not seek re - election in 2012 , saying that he did not want to spend his whole life in politics , and that he wanted to return to the private sector . Webb is also an author of many books , stating that " I ' ve written for a living all my life , so writing is as much a part of me as working out . " Life and career . Early life . Webb was born in Saint Joseph , Missouri , to James Henry Webb , and his wife , Vera Lorraine ( Hodges ) . He grew up in a military family . Webb is descended from Scots - Irish immigrants from Ulster who emigrated in the 18th century to the British North American colonies . Webb ' s 2004 book " Born Fighting : How the Scots - Irish Shaped America " details his family history , noting that his ancestors fought in every major American war . Webb ' s father , a career officer in the U . S . Air Force , flew B - 17s and B - 29s during World War II , and dropped cargo during the Berlin Airlift . After developing an inner ear disorder , Meniere ' s Disease , which grounded him as a pilot , he became a pioneer in the Air Force missile programs . He later served as the Commanding Officer of the 1001st Missile Squadron at Vandenberg Air Force Base . He is buried at the Arlington National Cemetery . Education . Due to his father ' s military career , Webb grew up on the move , attending more than a dozen schools across the U . S . and in England . After graduating from high school in Bellevue , Nebraska , he attended the University of Southern California on a Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps scholarship from 1963 – 1964 ( and was a member of Delta Chi ) . In 1964 , Webb earned appointment to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis , Maryland . At Annapolis , Webb was a member of the Brigade Honor Committee . He also won a varsity letter for boxing , at one point fighting a match against Oliver North , which was won by North on decision . He graduated in 1968 , in the same class with North , Dennis C . Blair , Michael Mullen , Charles Bolden and Michael Hagee . Personal life . Webb has been married three times , has four grown children , as well as a young child with his current wife Hong Le , and is stepfather to Le ' s daughter Emily from a previous marriage . His first marriage was to Barbara Samorajczyk , a member of the Anne Arundel County , Maryland Council . They divorced in 1979 . They have one daughter , Amy Webb Hogan , who was eight at the time of the divorce . ( His daughter , Amy , is not the same as this Amy Webb . ) His second marriage was to health - care lobbyist Jo Ann Krukar in 1981 who also assisted in his 2006 Senate campaign . They have three children : Sarah , Jimmy , and Julia . Jimmy Webb is a rifleman and Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps , and served a tour in Iraq with Weapons Company , 1st Battalion 6th Marines . In tribute to Jimmy Webb and " all the people sent into harm ' s way " , Webb wore his son ' s old combat boots every day during his 2006 Senate campaign . Webb is married to Hong Le Webb , a Vietnamese - American securities and corporate lawyer , twenty - two years his junior . Hong Le Webb was born in South Vietnam and escaped to the United States when she was seven after the fall of Saigon . She grew up in New Orleans , Louisiana . They first met in 1994 and started dating in 2002 when both were separated from their previous spouses . They married in October 2006 . Hong Le and Jim Webb have one child together , Georgia LeAnh , born December 2006 . Hong Le Webb also has a daughter from a previous marriage . Jim Webb speaks Vietnamese . 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 Heart s . Awards and decorations . Known decorations and medals include : Webb received the Navy Cross for actions on July 10 , 1969 . The citation read : In a November 19 , 2006 appearance on " Meet the Press " , Webb told host Tim Russert , " I ’ m one of these people who – 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 . " Post - military career . Webb attended Georgetown Law Center from 1972 to 1975 , graduating with a Juris Doctor degree . While at Georgetown , Webb wrote his first book , " Micronesia and U . S . Pacific Strategy " . From 1977 to 1981 , Webb worked on the staff of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs . During this time , he also represented veterans pro - bono . Webb also taught at the Naval Academy and was criticized for a 1979 article published in the " Washingtonian " titled " Women Can ' t Fight " ( see " Senate Election " below ) . During the Reagan Administration , Webb served as the nation ' s first Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs from 1984 to 1987 . During his time as Assistant Secretary , Webb sought to reorganize the Marine Corps . He was gravely concerned with the disarray the Marines had fallen into post - Vietnam : drug use , racial infighting , and low morale within the Corps left him with the impression it was no longer America ' s premier fighting force . The Marine Corps was also rocked by two scandals during this time : the Clayton Lonetree espionage affair , where Lonetree became the first Marine convicted of espionage , and Marine Lt . Colonel Oliver North ' s central role in the Iran - Contra affair . In 1987 , he served as Secretary of the Navy , becoming the first Naval Academy graduate to serve as the civilian head of the Navy . As Navy Secretary , Webb pushed the appointment of Alfred M . Gray , Jr . as Commandant of the Marine Corps , hoping that Gray could reshape the Corps into the elite unit it once was . Webb resigned in 1988 after refusing to agree to reduce the size of the Navy . Webb had wished to increase the Navy to 600 ships . As revealed in " The Reagan Diaries " , President Ronald Reagan wrote on February 22 , 1988 : " I don ' t think Navy was sorry to see him go . " After his resignation , Webb earned his living primarily as an author and filmmaker . He won an Emmy Award for his 1983 PBS coverage of the U . S . Marines in Beirut . Among Webb ' s awards for community service and professional excellence are the Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Medal , the Medal of Honor Society ' s Patriot Award , the American Legion National Commander ' s Public Service Award , the Veterans of Foreign Wars Media Service Award , the Marine Corps League ' s Military Order of the Iron Mike Award , the John H . Russell Leadership Award , and the Robert L . Denig Distinguished Service Award In a 1990 " New York Times " opinion piece , Webb opposed further U . S . military escalation in Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Shield citing lack of a coherent strategy and consent from the United States Congress . He also warned against a permanent military presence in the Middle East . Seven months before the beginning of the 2003 Iraq War , Webb wrote an essay for the " Washington Post " in which he During the 2004 presidential campaign , Webb wrote an op - ed piece for " USA Today " in which he , as a military veteran , evaluated the candidacies of John Kerry and George W . Bush . He criticized Kerry for the nature of his opposition to the Vietnam War in the 1970s while affiliated with the Vietnam Veterans Against the War , and accused Bush of using his father ' s connections to avoid service in Vietnam . Webb also wrote that Bush had " committed the greatest strategic blunder in modern memory " with the 2003 invasion of Iraq . Webb supported Nebraska Senator Bob Kerrey ' s campaign for the 1992 Democratic presidential nomination . He endorsed incumbent Democrat Charles Robb for reelection to his Senate seat , over Webb ' s former Naval Academy classmate and fellow Marine Oliver North , in 1994 . Webb subsequently endorsed Republican George Allen over Robb in 2000 , and then ran against Allen himself in 2006 . United States Senate . 2006 Senate campaign . In late 2005 , a campaign to draft Webb to run for the Senate in 2006 began on the internet , promoted by netroots activists such as those at the blog Raising Kaine . On February 7 , 2006 , he announced that he would seek the Democratic nomination for the 2006 Senate race against incumbent Virginia Senator George Allen . In the Democratic primary on June 13 , 2006 , Webb faced longtime businessman and lobbyist Harris Miller . Webb won with 53 . 5 % of the vote , in a race with low turnout . Webb benefited from the fallout from an August 11 , 2006 incident in which Allen used the word " macaca " to refer to S . R . Sidarth , who was filming an event as a " tracker " for the Webb campaign . A poll the following week showed Webb gaining 10 percentage points . The race , which at one point looked like a sure win for Allen , became one of the most watched and closest races of the 2006 elections . Allen had been expected to be reelected relatively easily , and that this reelection would prepare him for a possible 2008 Presidential candidacy . But Webb ' s entry into the race and primary victory changed the political landscape . Political analyst Larry Sabato said in May that " Jim Webb is George Allen ' s worst nightmare : a war hero and a Reagan appointee who holds moderate positions … Allen tries to project a Reagan aura , but Webb already has it . " In September , Bloomberg . com ' s Catherine Dodge wrote an article highlighting Webb and the Senate race , and said " Webb isn ' t a typical Democrat . His family hails from the rural southern part of the state . He ' s pro - gun ownership , and he takes a harder line on illegal immigration than many Senate Republicans . " On September 7 , 2006 , Webb released his first television advertisement , which included footage of a 1985 speech by Ronald Reagan that praised Webb ' s service as a Marine . The next day , the Chief of Staff for the Reagan Library wrote Webb ' s campaign on behalf of former first lady Nancy Reagan , urging them not to air the advertisement saying it was neither fair nor respectful because it gave the impression of an endorsement . The Webb campaign disagreed , saying , " What Reagan said about Jim Webb , that belongs to Jim Webb , frankly . " The library said they ask all candidates to refrain from using the former president ' s image but declined to say if they would request the Allen campaign to remove the image of Reagan used on his campaign website . Five female graduates of the United States Naval Academy held a press conference , decrying a 1979 article by Webb , titled " Women Can ' t Fight . " The women said Webb ' s article contributed to an atmosphere of hostility and harassment towards women at the academy . Webb was later endorsed by nine military women who stated that Webb is a " man of integrity " who " recognizes the crucial role that women have in the military today . " In October 2006 , the Allen campaign issued a press release quoting several passages from Webb ' s novels with sexual content , including graphic references to female anatomy and purported pedophilia , homosexuality and incest , citing a passage in which a Southeast Asian father ritually places the penis of his young son in his mouth . The press release said that the passages showed a " continued pattern of demeaning women " . Allen ' s campaign refused to tell a local radio news station , WTOP - FM , whether it in fact had issued a news release on the matter . On November 9 , 2006 , after AP and Reuters projected that Webb had won the seat , Allen conceded the election . Although the margin was narrow – less than half of 1 % of the total vote and therefore small enough under Virginia law to allow demanding a recount – Allen stated that he would not challenge the result . Webb , as a Democratic veteran challenger , was also considered one of the Fighting Dems . Senator - elect . On November 15 , 2006 , Senate majority leader in waiting Harry Reid assigned Webb to three committees : the committees on Foreign Relations , Veterans ' Affairs , and Armed Services . That same day , an op ed authored by Webb appeared in the pages of the " Wall Street Journal " . Titled " Class Struggle , " the piece addressed what Webb feels is a growing economic inequality in the United States , touching on what he feels are overly permissive immigration policies , extravagant executive compensation , the detrimental effects of free trade and globalization , iniquitous tax cut s , and speedily rising health care costs , and attacking the " elites " who he says perpetuate the aforementioned woes for their personal economic gain . Tense exchange with President Bush . On November 28 , 2006 , at a White House reception for those newly elected to Congress , Webb declined to stand in the line to have his picture taken with the president , whom Webb often criticized during the campaign . The president approached Webb later and asked him , " How ' s your boy ? " , referring to Webb ' s son , a Marine serving in Iraq . Webb replied " I ' d like to get them out of Iraq , Mr . President . " Bush responded , " That ' s not what I asked you . How ' s your boy ? " Webb responded , " That ' s between me and my boy , Mr . President . " The Hill cited an anonymous source who claimed that Webb was so angered by the exchange that he confessed he was tempted to " slug " the president . Webb later remarked in an interview , " I ' m not particularly interested in having a picture of me and George W . Bush on my wall . " In response to the incident , some conservatives criticized Webb , including George Will , who called Webb a " boor " and wrote , " [ Webb ] already has become what Washington did not need another of , a subtraction from the city ' s civility and clear speaking . " Others , such as conservative columnist and former Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan , reserved their criticism for Bush , writing : " I thought it had the sound of the rattling little aggressions of our day , but not on Mr . Webb ' s side . " Webb was asked about the exchange in a January 4 , 2007 appearance on " Hardball with Chris Matthews " . He told Matthews : After his son returned from Iraq , Webb " buried the hatchet " with the president by setting up a private chat with his son , the president , and himself in the Oval Office . 110th Congress . On January 4 , 2007 , Webb was sworn into the 110th U . S . Senate , accompanied by Sen . John Warner , R - Va . , a fellow former Secretary of the Navy ; and former Virginia Democratic Sen . Charles Robb . Webb ’ s first legislative act was to introduce a bill , the Post - 9 / 11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act , to expand benefits for military families . The act replaces key provisions of the Montgomery G . I . Bill for recent veterans and “ makes veterans benefits identical to those soldiers received following World War II . ” “ With many of our military members serving two or three tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan , it is past time to enact a new veterans ’ education program modeled on the World War II era G . I . bill . This is exactly what our legislation does . ” Webb said . It became law on June 30 , 2008 , as part of the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2008 . In a January 4 , 2007 , appearance on " The Situation Room " , Webb articulated his position on the Iraq War : " What we really need to do is to get into the arena where we can talk about a strategy , talk about the pluses and the minuses of the Baker - Hamilton Commission and work toward a solution that , on the one hand , will allow us to remove our combat troops , but on the other , will increase the stability of the region , allow us to continue to fight against international terrorism and allow us , as a nation , to address our strategic interests around the world . And this is – this is one of the drawbacks that we ' ve had with so many troops having been put into this constant rotational basis inside one country when we have a war against international terrorism that ' s global . " Asked by Wolf Blitzer if he would ever support the efforts of Dennis Kucinich to cut funding for the war , Webb said , " I – you know , I lived through Vietnam . I lived through it as a Marine and I know that those sorts of approaches , while they seem attractive on one level are really not that realistic . What we want to do – and I was talking with a number of senators today – is to try to get some of these so - called emergency legislation packages back into the committee process so that the committees can actually play . " On January 23 , 2007 , Webb delivered the Democratic response to the President ' s State of the Union address , focusing on the economy and Iraq . Webb ' s speech drew positive reviews , and was regarded as one of the stronger State of the Union responses in recent memory . Webb , a decorated war veteran spoke of his family ’ s military past , his own passionate attachment to the military , and the way in which previous presidents had always attempted to ensure that all precautions had been taken when sending young Americans into harm ' s way . On March 5 , 2007 , Webb introduced his second piece of legislation , , intended to prohibit the use of funds for military operations in Iran without the prior approval of Congress . In a statement on the floor of the Senate , Webb said , " The major function of this legislation is to prevent this Administration from commencing unprovoked military activities against Iran without the approval of the Congress . The legislation accomplishes this goal through the proper constitutional process of prohibiting all funding for such an endeavor . " On March 26 , 2007 , a senatorial aide of Webb , Phillip Thompson , was arrested for carrying Webb ' s loaded pistol as he entered the Russell Senate Office Building and for carrying unregistered ammunition . The weapon was discovered when Thompson went through an X - ray machine with a briefcase that contained a loaded pistol and two additional loaded magazines . Charges against the aide were dismissed after prosecutors concluded it could not be proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Thompson was aware that the gun and ammunition were in the briefcase . Webb responded to his aide ' s arrest by reiterating his support for gun - owners ' rights : " I ’ m a strong supporter of the Second Amendment ; I have had a permit to carry a weapon in Virginia for a long time ; I believe that it ’ s important ; it ’ s important to me personally and to a lot of people in the situation that I ’ m in to be able to defend myself and my family . " 2009 visit to Southeast Asia . On August 14 , 2009 Webb visited Myanmar ( Burma ) , seeing its junta ' s leader , Gen . Than Shwe and also the pro - democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi , who was under house arrest . During Webb ' s visit with Than Shwe , Webb negotiated the release and deportation of an imprisoned American , John Yettaw . Webb visited Vietnam as part of a two - week trip to five Southeast Asian countries . The Senator , who serves as chair of the Senate Foreign Relation ’ s subcommittee on East Asia and Pacific Affairs , stopped in Hanoi , Da Nang , and Ho Chi Minh City on August 19 , where he met government officials , business leaders , and friends from his past involvement in US - Vietnamese relations . Webb , who can speak Vietnamese , has had a continuous involvement in Asian and Pacific affairs that long predates his time in the Senate . In addition to his more recent visits as a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee , Webb has worked and traveled throughout this vast region , from Micronesia to Burma , for nearly four decades , as a Marine Corps officer , a defense planner , a journalist , a novelist , a Department of Defense executive , and as a business consultant . He worked in the 1990s as a consultant for companies attempting to do business in Vietnam . Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2009 . On March 26 , 2009 , Webb filed the Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2009 ( SB 714 ) , which would create a blue ribbon commission to reevaluate the criminal justice system and drug policy and make recommendations for reform . Noting that the United States houses 25 % of the world ' s inmates despite having only 5 % of the world ' s population , Webb proposed a comparison between U . S . incarceration policies and those of other developed nations . At a United States Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs hearing , Webb described the criminal justice system as being in " . . . a profound , deeply corrosive crisis that we have largely been ignoring at our peril . " He also criticized the lack of standards in prison administration and highlighted the justice system ' s negative impact on communities . The subcommittee chairman , Sen . Arlen Specter ( D - PA ) , expressed support for the bill at the hearing and indicated his intent to move the bill to the full United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary . As of December 5 , 2009 , the bill had 35 cosponsors . In the fall , an amendment to SB 714 was proposed by Sen . Charles Grassley ( R - IA ) that would have prohibited the commission created by the bill from discussing or recommending the decriminalization or legalization of any substance prohibited under the Controlled Substances Act . The proposed amendment drew criticism from some in the online community and was perceived as an attempt at censorship . Grassley later rescinded the amendment and claimed in a " Des Moines Register " op - ed he had proposed it to " start a debate on this important issue . " SB 714 passed the Senate Judiciary Committee by a voice vote on January 21 , 2010 . Engagement with Vietnam on rights . On January 27 , 2010 , Webb condemned Vietnam ' s jailing of four dissidents but urged the Obama administration not to isolate the communist nation . Webb voiced concern about Vietnam ' s jailing of the four dissidents for subversion in a day - long trial the previous week . " The arrest and trial of these individuals illustrates the growing pressure in Asia towards government censorship and authoritarian control , " said Webb , " Rather than isolate Vietnam for its actions , I encourage the Obama administration to continue to raise issues of freedom of association and rule of law with the government of Vietnam . " Webb is a strong advocate of engagement with non - democratic states in Asia . He is the most prominent advocate in Congress for dialogue with military - run Myanmar , often pointing to Vietnam as an example of how US engagement can lead to greater openness . Vietnam sentenced the four democracy advocates to between five and 16 years in prison , a decision condemned by the United States and European Union . Retirement . On February 9 , 2011 , Webb announced that he would not run for re - election in 2012 . 2008 Vice presidential speculation . Webb was frequently mentioned as a possible Vice Presidential Democratic nominee for Barack Obama in 2008 due to his military experience and moderate policy positions . Although he said he was not interested in the vice presidency , speculations about him being picked by Obama , the presumptive Democratic nominee at the time , were still heard . Some felt that Webb ' s commentary on women serving in the military ( e . g . , his article " Women Can ' t Fight " ) was a strong consideration as to his possible candidacy . His selection would have closely followed the somewhat divisive Democratic primary battle between Obama and Hillary Clinton , whose candidacy had received strong support from organized feminism , and who would have been the first female major party nominee for the presidency , had she won the nomination . This situation may have made the prospect of Webb as Obama ' s running mate entirely politically untenable , as it could have caused many Democratic Clinton supporters to balk at switching allegiance to Obama . On July , 7 , Webb effectively removed himself as a possible candidate for Vice President in a statement made to " Time " , stating that he intended to serve his term in the Senate and that " under no circumstances will I be a candidate for Vice President . ” Obama went on to choose fellow senator Joe Biden as his running mate . As an author . Books . Webb ' s successful first novel , " Fields of Fire " ( 1978 ) , drawn from personal experience , tells the story of a platoon of United States Marines in late 1960s Vietnam . Reviewers hailed its descriptions of infantry life and combat . After five more novels , he wrote a work of nonfiction , " Born Fighting : How the Scots - Irish Shaped America " , tracing the role people of Scots - Irish ancestry have played in American history and culture . Webb argues that , contrary to the " cracker " and " redneck " stereotypes often applied to the Scots - Irish , many of whom settled in Appalachia , the American Midwest and the American South , the Scots - Irish were central to defining American working class values and culture . He lauds the fiercely independent streak and individualism of the Scots - Irish , and explains how their political pragmatism has often led them to play the role of swing voters in elections , for example as Reagan Democrats , and as voters for Ross Perot and Reform Party . Critics complain that errors in this book include incorrect time frames , omissions , misinterpretations ( such as viewing the American Civil War as a continuation of the centuries - old Celtic - Saxon conflict ) , and bias stemming from Webb ' s feelings of persecution as a veteran of the Vietnam War . Movies . Webb wrote the story and was the executive producer for the 2000 movie " Rules of Engagement " , which starred Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L . Jackson . Warner Brothers acquired Webb ' s script for " Whiskey River " . The script concerns an American soldier who is injured in Iraq and returns to the United States . Before completing rehabilitation , he is called back to active duty . His father , in an attempt to save his son ' s life , kidnaps him . In October 2006 , while commenting on the need to break away from stereotypical movie villain s , Webb stated , " [ e ] very movie needs a villain . Towel - head s and rednecks — of which I am one . . . became the easy villains in so many movies out there . " Articles . Webb has authored a number of articles in various journals and newspapers , including the " Marine Corps Gazette " , " Proceedings " of the United States Naval Institute , " USA Today " , " The New York Times " , " The Washington Post " , and the " Wall Street Journal . " On November 15 , 2006 , " The Wall Street Journal " published an article by Webb entitled " Class Struggle . " Webb argued that the government must " confront the growing unfairness in this age of globalization . " He also stated that the " elites " ignore the average American , and that they believe that " certain immigrant groups have the ' right genetics ' and thus are natural entrants to the ' overclass , ' while others , as well as those who come from stock that has been here for 200 years and have not made it to the top , simply don ' t possess the necessary attributes . " Conservative columnist Jim Glassman has insinuated that this comment was anti - Semitic . Election history . Webb first won election to the senate in 2006 , defeating incumbent George Allen . George Allen attempted to win back his old Senate seat in 2012 , but lost to Tim Kaine .