Twitter, websites and late night comedians pounced on the line from Democratic presidential candidate Jim Webb in Tuesday's debate that he had killed an enemy soldier.
His son, also named Jim, took to his father's defense in
a Washington Post op-ed on Thursday, saying it only endeared him more to veterans who understand what war is like.
Near the end of the debate, the candidates were asked what enemy they have that they are most proud of. Answers from other candidates included the National Rifle Association, the coal industry and the Republican Party.
Webb said the enemy he was most proud to have was the North Vietnamese soldier who injured him with a grenade in 1969. But Webb noted with a smile, "he's not around right now to talk to."
Late night comedians from "Daily Show" host Trevor Noah to "Late Night" host Seth Meyers noted Webb's confident smile at the end of the statement.
Slate headlined a story on Webb, "Jim Webb Casually Mentions the Time He Killed Someone," while
MarketWatch wrote, "Jim Webb killed his enemy, and he’s going to tell you about it."
Webb's son notes in the op-ed that his father showed true bravery on that day, earning the Navy Cross, when he fired on the grenade thrower while simultaneously pushing a fellow Marine away from the explosion and shielding him with his own body.
Webb's son, also a Marine infantryman, said he knows the "complex emotions of combat."
The reaction shows the general public's ignorance of war, he said.
"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," he wrote.
"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," Webb wrote. "[H]ere 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?"
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