Selected Major Speeches by Jim Webb

Selected Major Speeches by Jim Webb:
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Government Ethics In The Post-Iraq War Era
The Investment Dealers Association, Canada
23 June 2003

It pains me to point this out, but in my view the United States invasion of Iraq was one of the most ill-advised and reckless actions that the US government has ever taken. I make this statement not as a knee-jerk anti-war activist, but as one who still proudly defends our effort in Vietnam, and who has spent a total of five years inside the Pentagon. Read on...

Iwo Jima Reunion
February 2000

...It would be presumptuous of me even to attempt to tell your own story to you, or to try to put into context that which you have already assimilated over the course of the years since February, 1945. I would be uncomfortable even recounting my own visit nearly twenty years ago to that island which so defined your lives. All I saw on Iwo in the quiet of my own February morning were the echoes of your struggle: the black, hot volcanic sand along the beach. The earth cracking and giving up sulfurous fumes. The vegetation clinging to old bunkers. The spent bullet casings here and there, like odd seashells in the sand. And Suribachi, won at such a price, hardly more than a hill, impressive only because of the memories it conveyed. Read on...

Military Leadership in a Changing Society
Naval War College Conference on Ethics
November 16, 1998

My current professional endeavors offer me a great vantage point from which to observe the forces that are shaping the world. I travel a lot, and often find myself in discussions with people of widely varying backgrounds regarding the turbulence within our society, how other countries are reacting to us, and what has happened to leadership within our government.

Sometimes these exchanges assist me in the conduct of my trade as a writer. At others they help me when I pursue business opportunities. And always, because of my own life’s journey, they bring me to think of the United States military. Where is its place in this changing world? Where does it stand among its own people? How do those on the outside view it? Where are current defense leaders taking it? And how are its own leaders honoring their sacred duty to preserve the standards handed down through the generations? Read on...

Naval Institute Annual Conference
USNA, Annapolis MD
April 25, 1996

"Surely one of the best speeches in the second half of this century" The Washington Times

Like so many graduates of this institution, I am flooded with memories each time I drive through the Naval Academy gates and see the monuments and buildings that have by now become a constant in my life. The memories remain incredibly vivid, filled with an emotion that has never passed, making it hard to believe that it has now been a full generation since those first days after I raised my hand and took an oath to defend my country, and at the same moment forever abandoned what remained of my youth. Read on...

Remarks at the Confederate Memorial
June 3, 1990

This is by no means my first visit to this spot.

The Confederate Memorial has had a special place in my life for many years. During the bitter turbulence of the early and mid1970's I used to come here quite often. I had recently left the Marine Corps and was struggling to come to grips with my service in Vietnam, and with the misperceptions that seemed rampant about the people with whom I had served and what, exactly we had attempted to accomplish. Read on...

U.S. Military: Strength Through Flexibility
Remarks by James H. Webb, Jr.; Secretary of the Navy
National Press Club, Washington D.C.
January 13,1988

Reality seems to indicate that we need to make some adjustments in our military posture around the world, and the good of the country mandates that we do so in the best way that will serve our future as a nation, not merely as a service or as a Defense Department. Read on...

USNA Brigade - Forrestal Lecture
USNA, Annapolis, MD
Hon. James H. Webb, Jr.; Secretary of the Navy
September 30, 1987

Thank you very much Admiral Marryott. Men and women of the Brigade, it is indeed a privilege for me to be able to spend an hour with you tonight and to talk to you about a number of things. A few administrative matters: first, I know how much the Brigade traditionally has enjoyed dress parades and I heard there were a number of contingents praying to the Rain God today for the opportunity to be able to march for me. You were successful and those of you who were not sailing or otherwise disposed did an excellent job today. I was really proud to watch you performing that function. Read on...

Military Competence:
Commonwealth Club of California, San Francisco
Asst. Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs; Hon. James H. Webb Jr.,
August 28, 1986

...I wish also to say that although I presently serve as an assistant secretary of defense, my involvement with the American military has been continuous throughout my life, first as the son of a career officer, then as a Naval Academy midshipman and a Marine Corps infantry officer, and after that as a writer and journalist who frequently covers the military. Consequently, much of what I am going to say is based on personal observation.

I am conscious of the time limitations on my remarks, but I believe it is necessary to correct a number of serious misstatements made by Dr. Gabriel when he appeared before your club, since these remarks may have led many of you to some erroneous conclusions about the state of our military today. I will take them in the order outlined in your bulletin... Read on...