2008 Profiles in Courage
US Senator Jim Webb
In his first term in office, Senator Jim Webb's legislative priorities have been guided by three themes: reorienting America's national security posture, promoting economic fairness, and increasing government accountability. Webb has successfully supported legislation that reflect these themes. He has introduced or cosponsored measures focused on: developing robust practices of international diplomacy, supporting our troops through responsible deployment cycles, providing comprehensive educational benefits for our post-9/11 veterans, developing stronger ethics laws and making government more transparent and accountable to the American taxpayer through greater oversight over wartime contracts.
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, Webb is a descendent of the Scots-Irish settlers who came to this country in the 18th century and became pioneers in the mountains of Southwest Virginia. Both sides of Webb's family have a strong citizen-soldier military tradition; a sense of duty and service to one's country has been passed down through the generations.
Webb graduated from the Naval Academy in 1968 receiving the Superintendent's Commendation for outstanding leadership contributions while a midshipman and subsequently chose a commission in the Marine Corps.
First in his class of 243 at the Marine Corps Officers Basic School in Quantico, Virginia, Webb served with the Fifth Marine Regiment in Vietnam, where as a rifle platoon and company commander in the infamous An Hoa Basin west of Danang he was awarded the Navy Cross, the Silver Star Medal, two Bronze Star Medals, and two Purple Hearts. He later served as a platoon commander and as an instructor in tactics and weapons at Marine Corps Officer Candidates School, and then as a member of the Secretary of the Navy's immediate staff, before leaving the Marine Corps in 1972.
Webb received his J.D. at Georgetown University Law Center in 1975. He served in the U.S.Congress as counsel to the House Committee on Veterans Affairs from 1977 to 1981. In 1982, he first proposed, then led the fight for including an African American soldier in the memorial statue that now graces the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall. In 1984, he was appointed the inaugural Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs. In 1987, he became the first Naval Academy graduate in history to serve in the military and then become Secretary of the Navy.
In addition to Webb's public service, he enjoyed a long career as a writer. He has authored eight books, including six best-selling novels, and has worked extensively as a screenwriter and producer in Hollywood. He taugh literature at the Naval Academy as their first visiting writer, has traveled worldwide as a journalist, and earned an Emmy Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for his PBS coverage of the U.S. Marines in Beirut. In 2004, Webb went into Afghanistan as a journalist, embedded with the U.S.military.
He speaks Vetnamese and has done extensive probono work with the Vietnamese community dating from the late 1970's. Jim Webb now serves as the junior Senator from Virginia. He sits on the Senate Committees on Foreign Relations, Armed Services, Veterans' Affairs, and the Joint Economic Committee
He is the proud father of children Amy, Jimmy, Sarah, Julia, Georgia (born just weeks before he took the oath of office), and step-daughter Emily. He lives in Arlington, Virginia with his wife Hong Le Webb.