Former senator Jim Webb declined Tuesday to accept an award as a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, citing pressure from a “small but vociferous group” of female alumni who are angry about past statements he made that women aren’t suited for combat and shouldn’t attend the academy.
Webb, who was a Democratic senator from Virginia from 2007 to 2013 and was secretary of the Navy from May 1986 to Feb. 1987, was expected to receive a Distinguished Graduate Award along with four other alumni Friday in a ceremony in Annapolis. The recognition is the most prestigious awarded by the Naval Academy Alumni Association and Foundation, and it goes to living alumni whose character, service and stature “draw wholesome comparison to the qualities that the U.S. Naval Academy strives for in keeping with its ideals of duty, honor, loyalty and integrity,” according to criteria published by the association.
But critics said the selection of Webb — a highly decorated Marine veteran, 1968 academy graduate and recent presidential candidate —was unacceptable because of his history of disrespecting women. They pointed primarily to an article published in Washingtonian magazine in 1979 in which he criticized women attending the academy and said that a dormitory there was a “horny woman’s dream.” The article, headlined “Women Can’t Fight,” was written by Webb after he left the military and while he was a popular academy professor.”
Just when you thought academia couldn’t disgrace itself anymore, along comes the United States Naval Academy, rolling up its sleeves to take the top slot in the Most Embarrassing Moments in Higher Education award. This entire affair should have everyone who has ever attended the Academy looking downwards in shame.
It would be difficult, if not impossible, to name a living service Academy graduate who has accomplished more across a wide range of disciplines in his decorated career than Jim Webb. Growing up a military brat, Webb attended over a dozen different schools before finally graduating from high school and attending the University of Southern California on a ROTC scholarship. After one year at USC, he accepted an appointment to the Naval Academy in 1964. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as a second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. Graduating first in his class at the USMC Officer Basic School, he was soon to find himself leading patrols in the harrowing jungles of Vietnam, where he fought the enemy with valor. Webb not only was awarded the Navy Cross, he was also decorated with a Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, and two Purple Hearts. Below is his Navy Cross citation:
The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to James H. Webb, Jr. (106180), First Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism while serving as a Platoon Commander with Company D, First Battalion, Fifth Marines, FIRST Marine Division (Reinforced), Fleet Marine Force, in connection with combat operations against the enemy in the Republic of Vietnam. On 10 July 1969, while participating in a company-sized search and destroy operation deep in hostile territory, First Lieutenant Webb’s platoon discovered a well-camouflaged bunker complex which appeared to be unoccupied. Deploying his men into defensive positions, First Lieutenant Webb was advancing to the first bunker when three enemy soldiers armed with hand grenades jumped out. Reacting instantly, he grabbed the closest man and, brandishing his .45 caliber pistol at the others, apprehended all three of the soldiers. Accompanied by one of his men, he then approached the second bunker and called for the enemy to surrender. When the hostile soldiers failed to answer him and threw a grenade which detonated dangerously close to him, First Lieutenant Webb detonated a claymore mine in the bunker aperture, accounting for two enemy casualties and disclosing the entrance to a tunnel. Despite the smoke and debris from the explosion and the possibility of enemy soldiers hiding in the tunnel, he then conducted a thorough search which yielded several items of equipment and numerous documents containing valuable intelligence data. Continuing the assault, he approached a third bunker and was preparing to fire into it when the enemy threw another grenade. Observing the grenade land dangerously close to his companion, First Lieutenant Webb simultaneously fired his weapon at the enemy, pushed the Marine away from the grenade, and shielded him from the explosion with his own body. Although sustaining painful fragmentation wounds from the explosion, he managed to throw a grenade into the aperture and completely destroy the remaining bunker. By his courage, aggressive leadership, and selfless devotion to duty, First Lieutenant Webb upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service.”
As if his heroism in combat wasn’t enough for one lifetime, Jim Webb was far from finished. Following his medical retirement from the Marines, he attended Georgetown Law School in Washington D.C., graduating with his J.D. in 1975. Somehow, he managed to find the time while in the middle of law school to write his first book, “Micronesia and U.S. Pacific Strategy.” Seriously, while most of us struggle through college as it is, Webb was writing books while still completing his studies. Then, following his graduation from Georgetown, Webb worked on the staff House Congressional committee for Veteran’s Affairs, while representing Veterans in legal matters for no charge. It was at this time, teaching part-time at the Naval Academy, that he wrote the 1979 article.
Former senator Jim Webb declined Tuesday to accept an award as a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, citing pressure from a “small but vociferous group” of female alumni who are angry about past statements he made that women aren’t suited for combat and shouldn’t attend the academy.
Webb, who was a Democratic senator from Virginia from 2007 to 2013 and was secretary of the Navy from May 1986 to Feb. 1987, was expected to receive a Distinguished Graduate Award along with four other alumni Friday in a ceremony in Annapolis. The recognition is the most prestigious awarded by the Naval Academy Alumni Association and Foundation, and it goes to living alumni whose character, service and stature “draw wholesome comparison to the qualities that the U.S. Naval Academy strives for in keeping with its ideals of duty, honor, loyalty and integrity,” according to criteria published by the association.
But critics said the selection of Webb — a highly decorated Marine veteran, 1968 academy graduate and recent presidential candidate —was unacceptable because of his history of disrespecting women. They pointed primarily to an article published in Washingtonian magazine in 1979 in which he criticized women attending the academy and said that a dormitory there was a “horny woman’s dream.” The article, headlined “Women Can’t Fight,” was written by Webb after he left the military and while he was a popular academy professor.”
Just when you thought academia couldn’t disgrace itself anymore, along comes the United States Naval Academy, rolling up its sleeves to take the top slot in the Most Embarrassing Moments in Higher Education award. This entire affair should have everyone who has ever attended the Academy looking downwards in shame.
It would be difficult, if not impossible, to name a living service Academy graduate who has accomplished more across a wide range of disciplines in his decorated career than Jim Webb. Growing up a military brat, Webb attended over a dozen different schools before finally graduating from high school and attending the University of Southern California on a ROTC scholarship. After one year at USC, he accepted an appointment to the Naval Academy in 1964. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as a second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. Graduating first in his class at the USMC Officer Basic School, he was soon to find himself leading patrols in the harrowing jungles of Vietnam, where he fought the enemy with valor. Webb not only was awarded the Navy Cross, he was also decorated with a Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, and two Purple Hearts. Below is his Navy Cross citation:
The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to James H. Webb, Jr. (106180), First Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism while serving as a Platoon Commander with Company D, First Battalion, Fifth Marines, FIRST Marine Division (Reinforced), Fleet Marine Force, in connection with combat operations against the enemy in the Republic of Vietnam. On 10 July 1969, while participating in a company-sized search and destroy operation deep in hostile territory, First Lieutenant Webb’s platoon discovered a well-camouflaged bunker complex which appeared to be unoccupied. Deploying his men into defensive positions, First Lieutenant Webb was advancing to the first bunker when three enemy soldiers armed with hand grenades jumped out. Reacting instantly, he grabbed the closest man and, brandishing his .45 caliber pistol at the others, apprehended all three of the soldiers. Accompanied by one of his men, he then approached the second bunker and called for the enemy to surrender. When the hostile soldiers failed to answer him and threw a grenade which detonated dangerously close to him, First Lieutenant Webb detonated a claymore mine in the bunker aperture, accounting for two enemy casualties and disclosing the entrance to a tunnel. Despite the smoke and debris from the explosion and the possibility of enemy soldiers hiding in the tunnel, he then conducted a thorough search which yielded several items of equipment and numerous documents containing valuable intelligence data. Continuing the assault, he approached a third bunker and was preparing to fire into it when the enemy threw another grenade. Observing the grenade land dangerously close to his companion, First Lieutenant Webb simultaneously fired his weapon at the enemy, pushed the Marine away from the grenade, and shielded him from the explosion with his own body. Although sustaining painful fragmentation wounds from the explosion, he managed to throw a grenade into the aperture and completely destroy the remaining bunker. By his courage, aggressive leadership, and selfless devotion to duty, First Lieutenant Webb upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service.”
As if his heroism in combat wasn’t enough for one lifetime, Jim Webb was far from finished. Following his medical retirement from the Marines, he attended Georgetown Law School in Washington D.C., graduating with his J.D. in 1975. Somehow, he managed to find the time while in the middle of law school to write his first book, “Micronesia and U.S. Pacific Strategy.” Seriously, while most of us struggle through college as it is, Webb was writing books while still completing his studies. Then, following his graduation from Georgetown, Webb worked on the staff House Congressional committee for Veteran’s Affairs, while representing Veterans in legal matters for no charge. It was at this time, teaching part-time at the Naval Academy, that he wrote the 1979 article.
(Jim Webb collection)
Webb would continue on with his prodigious writing output, writing an additional 9 books, including perhaps his most famous work, “Fields of Fire,” a historical fiction novel that mirrored Webb’s experiences in Vietnam combat. Highly praised for the brutal depiction of the life of an infantry platoon, the novel continues to be read by generations of Marine Corps officers. In addition to his novels, Webb wrote many opinion pieces for various newspapers, including some rather prescient observations on the future wars in which America would find itself. Writing in the Washington Post in 2002, seven months before the Iraq War began, Webb penned an essay that included the following:
Is there an absolutely vital national interest that should lead us from containment to unilateral war and a long-term occupation of Iraq? And would such a war and its aftermath actually increase our ability to win the war against international terrorism? …The issue before us is not simply whether the United States should end the regime of Saddam Hussein, but whether we as a nation are prepared to physically occupy territory in the Middle East for the next 30 to 50 years. Those who are pushing for a unilateral war in Iraq know full well that there is no exit strategy if we invade and stay …The Iraqis are a multiethnic people filled with competing factions who in many cases would view a U.S. occupation as infidels invading the cradle of Islam.”
Nailed that one, eh? But he hurt some females’ feeling 40 years ago.
Webb would continue his remarkable career, serving as Secretary of the Navy under Ronald Reagan, serving as a United States Senator from Virginia, and running for President of the United States on the Democratic ticket in 2016. In short, Jim Webb’s list of accomplishments in the fields of academia, politics, combat arms, and authorship are unmatched by anyone in the modern era. Which brings us to these disgusting alumni who are now protesting him receiving an award.
Jack Murphy raised an excellent point in our writer’s discussion on this very topic: these females fancy themselves tough as nails, and just as capable as men in combat, yet are so fragile and delicate they can’t handle an award given to one of the most distinguished graduates in the history of the school without falling to pieces and cryfacing themselves over one man’s opinion piece written 40 years ago? WAY TO PROVE HIS POINT. As Webb has repeatedly explained with apologies thought the years, the article was written in a certain tone that he perhaps regrets, but it was also written when he was a much younger man, filled with all the piss and vinegar of a former Marine grunt who had battled the enemy at close quarters and lived to tell about it. While some of the language he used dealing with females at service academies was perhaps unnecessarily crude, his point about females in combat remains perfectly valid and subject to argument today by many in the military, including your humble author.
But that’s not enough. The apologies, the explanations are never enough, in this cowardly world we’ve made today. No, an apology for choice of language isn’t enough; a reasoned debate in measured tones is unacceptable. The VERY IDEA one may have that goes against the “accepted” zeitgeist of the government-media complex is cause enough for destruction of the individual who was UNSEEMLY enough to have a different view. These female alumni should take a hard look at themselves in the mirror and ask why they cannot look past their personal animus and have the ability to recognize a man who has served his country far above and beyond almost anyone else from their school, including themselves. Like I said on my podcast rant about this topic, who the hell are they to deny a man like Jim Webb recognition from his peers?
And what’s the lesson here for the young people entering our service academies; our elite institutions of higher learning? Probably the worst lesson possible: Never say anything controversial, even though you think it valid and defensible. Never go against the cultural tide. Never stick your head out with a different idea. Never dare to say anything that goes against what your superiors think. Just keep your head down, nod in agreement, and continue on your way. And most importantly, never write anything down that is controversial, because 40 years later, someone may use it as a cudgel to destroy your reputation. It is difficult for me to think of a worse learning experience to teach our young men and women, particularly those who will be the future leaders in the government and the military: Regardless of one’s professional accomplishments, a reputation can be destroyed with a single instance of Double-plus Ungood BadThought.
Jim Webb, being the class act that he is, decided on his own to decline the honor, as he felt he did not want to take away from the other alumni being recognized with any controversy. The Alumni association should have rejected his declination, and insisted on his presence. Of course, they did not do so, perhaps fearing that they themselves could become a target. Indeed, the chairmen of the alumni association released a statement:
Retired Adm. Robert J. Natter, the chairman of the alumni association’s board of trustees, said Tuesday night that he accepts Webb’s decision to decline the award.”
“I appreciate his concern for the Naval Academy and the Alumni Association,” Natter said in a statement.
Fuck off, Natter. God forbid you have to endure a few slings and arrows in order to recognize one of the most accomplished graduates in the school’s history. WE WOULDN’T WANT A SCENE, after all. And you know that through the backdoor, this same Alumni Association really didn’t want Webb to come. As Webb said in his statement declining the award,
From conversations with the Alumni Association, including information passed down from top Navy leadership in the Pentagon, it is clear that those protesting my receipt of this award now threaten to disrupt the ceremonies surrounding its issuance,” Webb said. “I am being told that my presence at the ceremony would likely mar the otherwise celebratory nature of that special day, and as a consequence I find it necessary to decline to accept the award.”
What a freaking profile in courage from those un-named Navy officers at the Pentagon, huh? You goddamned pussies. The entire Navy, the Academy, and the Alumni Association has shown that their supposed military institution is just as susceptible to the Social Justice Warrior virus as all the other institutions of higher learning. And these sniveling, delicate group of female alumni? You deserve nothing but contempt. You whine about mean words from 40 years ago, but females should be engaged in hand to hand combat with the enemy like Jim Webb, right? You should be ashamed of yourselves…I know I’m ashamed of you. Now go run to the Washington Post and cry about that.
An Air Force combat controller who risked his life during a battle to retake the northern Afghanistan city of Kunduz in 2015 will receive the Silver Star in a ceremony on Fort Bragg next week.
Tech. Sgt. Brian C. Claughsey, part of the 21st Special Tactics Squadron, will be honored with the medal, the third-highest award for valor offered by the U.S. military, in a ceremony slated for Friday.
According to officials, he provided important support during operations to liberate Kunduz from Taliban control, protecting U.S. and Afghan forces while directing 17 close air support strikes from AC-130U and F-16 aircraft…
(Fayetteville Observer/Contributed photo)
Claughsey directed precision fires on an enemy strong point to protect the convoy. During a second ambush, he coordinated friendly force locations with an overhead AC-130U while directing “danger close” strikes.
When a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device forced the convoy to stop in the middle of a four-way intersection, Claughsey suppressed the machine gun fire of six insurgents with his rifle while still coordinating with the AC-130U. He directed the crew on the plane to destroy the enemy fighters and helped shield the convoy from follow-on attacks as it made its way to the compound of the Kunduz provincial chief of police.
There, the American special operators and Afghan forces came under attack by Taliban mortar fire. According to the narrative of the battle, Claughsey maneuvered as close to the mortars’ origin as possible to pinpoint the location to an overhead F-16. He then controlled numerous strafing runs on the mortar position to eliminate the threat.”
An Army veteran profiled in The Sunday Times lied to the newspaper about his military service.
After the story published Sunday, the newspaper received messages from soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan with Matthew Gajdys and said he lied about being in combat.
When a reporter confronted Gajdys about the accusations on Monday, he admitted he never fought in combat and lied when he told a reporter he was shot in the chest but his bulletproof vest saved his life. He also said he embellished his role in killing people in Iraq and Afghanistan…
…In 2013, Gajdys drove drunk and killed his friend Mike Evans, a passenger in the vehicle. The veteran served about a year in jail. A judge also sentenced him to pay thousands in restitution and fines and to serve 1,000 hours of community service, in part to share his story with others to try to prevent similar disasters. He is under the supervision of the Lackawanna County Veterans Court, attending counseling and treatment.”
WASHINGTON — Former 12th Air Force Command Chief Master Sgt. Jose A. Barrazawas charged Thursday with 15 violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, according to an Air Force statement.
The Air Force would not specify what generated the charges but said they were tied to Barraza’s time as the top enlisted officer at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona. The base is home to the Boneyard, where preserved and retired aircraft are stored, and an A-10 fighter jet wing.”
(PETER REFT/U.S. AIR FORCE)
Barraza rose to command chief master sergeant, a position responsible for all of the enlisted personnel in the 12th Air Force, in June 2015. He was removed from duty in November due to “loss of confidence in his ability to carry out his duties,” the Air Force said at the time.
Barraza faces one charge for willfully disobeying an order, seven charges for dereliction of duty, two charges for making false official statements and five charges for obstruction of justice.”
Last December, a Drexel University professor found himself in the news over a tweet: “All I want for Christmas is White Genocide.”
George Ciccariello-Maher would spend the next several days defending himself from outrage — from Fox News hosts, right-wing writers, and even his own university, which released a statement calling the tweet “utterly reprehensible.”
But the professor said his tweet was satire. He avoided being disciplined, and eventually the furor died down.
Until last weekend, when Ciccariello-Maher tweeted again:
SLEAZY soldiers posted X-rated photos online of girls they have had sex with in their barracks.
Army bosses are said to be furious and have threatened the culprits with military prison.
A shocking website has reportedly been uncovered where soldiers shared explicit pictures of girls they had taken back to their bases.
Explicit pictures of the women – dubbed “Blockrats” by troops – were posted on a page called “Blockrat of the Day”, uncovered by the Daily Star Sunday.
The site shows pictures of women believed to be leaving Army bases where they have spent the night, dubbed “the walk of shame” by squaddies.
Others show half-dressed women posing in Army uniforms, or asleep in the same beds as serving soldiers.
The most shocking images – filed in a section dubbed XXX – appears to show them having group sex with soldiers.”
FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP – A former Army medic accused of breaking glass doors and throwing a Bible into a Colorado mosque has been charged with felony criminal mischief.
The Coloradoan reports that 35-year-old Joseph Scott Giaquinto also was charged with a misdemeanor hate crime on Friday.
Giaquinto is free on bond and is due in Larimer County court on Tuesday. He could face up to 18 months in prison if convicted of the felony charge.”
(ABC7)
Giaquinto was arrested hours after police released surveillance video of a man kicking a door Sunday at the Islamic Center in Fort Collins, about 60 miles (96 kilometers) north of Denver.
His father, Michael Giaquinto, told the Coloradoan that his son was an Army medic who served in Iraq and Korea and had moved last year to Fort Collins.”
Army equipment officials said Thursday that the service’s newest combat helmet will feel significantly lighter to soldiers while providing the same protection.
The Advanced Combat Helmet Gen II will replace the legacy Advanced Combat Helmet, which was fielded about 15 years ago.
The service earlier this month awarded Revision Military, based in Essex Junction in Vermont, a contract worth about $98 million to make 293,870 of the new helmets.
Made of high-density polyethylene instead of the current helmet’s Kevlar, the ACH Gen II weighs about 2.5 pounds in size large — about a 24-percent weight reduction, officials from Program Executive Office Soldier said at Fort Belvoir.”
“Kate” was afraid to come forward ever since her ex-boyfriend and his wife, both reservists in the U.S. Marine Corps, emailed her nude photos to her parents this past December…
“I just want it to stop,” Kate, a 22-year-old civilian from Dallas said. “I would like to stop being afraid that someday, my pictures are going to be online or that my parents are going to be contacted again with more photos or terrible emails. I would like to just move on from this.”
The married Marine reservist couple doesn’t seem ready to let her move on, though.
“You’re worthless if you think for a second that talking to a reporter is going to do anything other than show the entire world what a slut [Kate] was,” Vincent Provines wrote to Kate’s parents minutes after he was contacted by The Daily Beast, according to an email they provided.
Provines, 23, is a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves, and his wife, Cesaria Marquez, 24, is a lance corporal in Fourth Marine Logistics Group.
“I could put your saggy tittied ugly ass nude pictures everywhere and watch you burn,” Marquez wrote to Kate in February, using a Yahoo email account in her husband’s name. “You’re not sorry. Yet. But I’ll make sure you will be.”
An Afghan war veteran has gained an army of fans on Instagram thanks to red-hot selfies which show off her curvy figure.
Hope Howard, a former US Air Force mechanic who served in Afghanistan following the post-September 11 invasion, is now a professional model, personal trainer and bodybuilder.
After fighting terror on the front lines the 26-year-old has dedicated her post-military career to fitness, and she hasn’t disappointed her 567,000 followers.
(Hope Howard/Instagram)
She focused on her diet and physical training, saying lifting weights and eating properly “saved” her life.
Within four years she was an International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) bikini professional and personal trainer .”
LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — It’s not something you see every day, and it’s definitely not a situation one family in Little Rock wanted to be in when a naked man started banging on their front door refusing to leave.
The homeowner, who didn’t want to be identified, shared home surveillance footage with Channel 7 News adding that it took way too long for police to show up.
(Photo courtesy of homeowner)
KATV checked with the Little Rock Police Department, a spokesperson said the call came in at 8:43 pm, but police didn’t get dispatched until 10:05 pm.
“He was like acting crazy, and I was watching him and I said oh…this guy is on drugs, I can see he’s on drugs,” said the homeowner.
While police are looking for this man for committing indecent exposure, the family hopes the culprit won’t be knocking on their door again.”
As someone who’s seen what happens when the truth is distorted, I know how unfair it feels when those who’ve sacrificed the most lose their voice. At SOFREP, our veteran journalists, who once fought for freedom, now fight to bring you unfiltered, real-world intel. But without your support, we risk losing this vital source of truth. By subscribing, you’re not just leveling the playing field—you’re standing with those who’ve already given so much, ensuring they continue to serve by delivering stories that matter. Every subscription means we can hire more veterans and keep their hard-earned knowledge in the fight. Don’t let their voices be silenced. Please consider subscribing now.
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