Retired Army Officer: "Frankly, Jim Webb embarrasses me"

I came across this letter to the editor from a retired Army officer with two sons in the military. The mainstream media likes to find soldiers who are against the war ... but they do not spotlight the ones who believe in the mission and support their Commander-in-Chief.

The Free Lance-Star
January 30, 2007

Frankly, Jim Webb embarrasses me

To the Editor:

I am very proud to call Virginia my home. I think this is a grand state. However, sometimes we do something foolish, like voting in James Webb as our senator.

Here is a man, educated at the Naval Academy at taxpayers' expense, who is supposed to be an "officer and a gentleman." He refused to answer a question asked by the president at their first meeting, and he walked away.

Next, he was given the honor of giving the Democratic response to the president's State of the Union address. He wrote his response before he even heard the speech.

Webb's response was not an analysis. It was an attack. I am a career soldier, and this is not what I expect from an official called upon to represent me and my family before the nation.

I have two sons in the Army, both of whom have served in the Middle East. One is completing his third tour. Currently, he's a combat adviser to a Kurdish infantry battalion.

I am a retired Army officer. We consider ourselves a military family. We know what to expect of an "officer and a gentleman," and Sen. Webb isn't either.

H.J.M.
Fauquier