Jim Webb

Birth Name:

James Henry Webb

Birth Place:

Saint Joseph, Missouri, United States

Profession

Writer, Producer

Honored with a Navy Cross, Silver Star, two Purple Hearts and two Bronze Stars for his service in Vietnam
Honored with the Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Medal
Recipient of the Patriot Award given by the Medal of Honor Society
Earned a Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps scholarship to study at the University of Southern California, before eventually transfering to the U․S․ Naval Academy
Following his service in the Marines, he would graduate from Georgetown University with a law degree in 1975
Entered the U․S․ Marine Corps as a second lieutenant, eventually going on to serve as a platoon commander in Vietnam
After publishing several fictional novels beginning in the late '70s, he would publish his first nonfiction work, Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish Shaped America, in 2004
Elected to the U․S․ Senate, representing the state of Virginia, in 2006
His first non-military position came in the late '70s as a staff member for the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, before being named the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs during the Reagan administration
Named Secretary of the Navy in 1987, but resigned a short time later after refusing to have the size of his fleet reduced
Following the marriage to his third wife Hong Le, he would become fluent in Vietnamese
To honor military service members who fought overseas, he wore his son's Marine combat boots each day during his 2006 Senate campaign

Fast Facts