Dear Editor:I served under Jim Webb in Delta Company, 1st battalion, 5th Marines in the An Hoa basin of South Vietnam in 1969. We were young Marines doing a thankless job in a very deadly place. Jim was company commander when I arrived and I soon realized that he was held in highest esteem by even the lowliest of his charges. Tough but fair, gutty but smart, I've never met another Marine who had anything but the greatest respect for Jim. He was everything a Marine combat leader should be and his leadership figured heavily into the fact that so many of us came home alive.
The thing that I have since come to love most about Jim is his loyalty. Over the years, whenever he has been recognized for his service, he has never failed to acknowledge us and whenever he has been honored, he has never failed to honor his Marines at the same time. He is, in all regards, a very successful man and I am totally insignificant to his success. Even so, over the years he has maintained contact with me and many others like me with no motive beyond keeping the faith. Last year, on my second morning after open heart surgery, my spirits got a tremendous boost from a call to the phone in my hospital room. It was my old skipper on the other end, issuing an order to "get out of that bed." Our conversation was not long but after we hung up, all I could think was "How about that!"Beyond that loyalty which I love so much, the thing that I admire most about Jim is his intelligence. Whether you review his academic qualifications or engage him in some relevant topic, you will quickly realize that he is, at once, bright, reflective, and savvy, with an abundance of street smarts. Such traits are, sadly, all too seldom found in today's plastic society.
To the people of Virginia, I would like to give my assurance that James Webb is the real deal. When he announced his candidacy earlier this year, the question which sprang to my mind was "Why?" "Why, with all of his accomplishments and success, would he want to enter politics, with all of its distastefulness, on a daily basis?"
The inescapable conclusion is that Jim feels a genuine call to public service and I can further assure you that he will serve you faithfully and well. It is all to rare that our country gets to elect someone of his caliber into public service. Don't miss the opportunity. Semper fi.
J. K. (Cannonball) Eddington
18163 Ellis Avenue
Irving, IL 62051
Lowell Feld is Netroots Coordinator for the Jim Webb for US Senate Campaign. The ideas expressed here belong to Lowell Feld alone, and do not represent those of Jim Webb, his advisors, staff, or supporters.