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James H. Webb, Jr. (born February 9 , 1946 ) is a former Secretary Of The Navy , best-selling author, and a former United States Marine Corps officer who was decorated for valor in the Vietnam War . On February 7, 2006, he announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for the Senate from Virginia . BIOGRAPHY Webb, a native of Saint Joseph, Missouri , attended the University Of Southern California on a Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps scholarship for a year, where he was a member of the Delta Chi Fraternity . He then transferred to the U.S. Naval Academy and graduated in 1968 as a classmate of Dennis Blair and Oliver North . Webb and several other Academy graduates, including North and Senator John McCain , are the subject of Robert Timberg 's book ''The Nightingale's Song''. Webb was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. He served with the , 1969 . Posted on ''Home of Heroes''. , the second-highest award in the Navy; the Silver Star Medal ; two Bronze Star Medal s; and two Purple Heart s. Webb wrote his first book, ''Micronesia and U.S. Pacific Strategy'', while a law student at Georgetown University . He received his J.D. in 1975. He served as Assistant Secretary Of Defense For Reserve Affairs and then Secretary Of The Navy (1987-1988) during the Reagan Administration . He resigned as Secretary of the Navy after refusing to agree to reduce the size of the Navy. During the , 2004 . 2006 SENATE CAMPAIGN See Also: Virginia United States Senate election, 2006 In late 2005, an Internet campaign was started to draft Webb to run for the , 2006 . WEBB AS AUTHOR Webb's successful first novel, 1978's ''Fields of Fire,'' drew from personal experience to tell the story of a platoon of US Marines in Vietnam in the late 1960s. Reviewers hailed its pull-no-punches descriptions of infantry life and combat. He followed that with five other novels, then wrote a work of non-fiction, ''Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish Shaped America''. The book traces the role of the people of Scots-Irish ancestry in the development of American history and culture. Webb argues that, far from the " White Trash " and " Redneck " stereotypes often applied to the Scots-Irish, many of whom settled in Appalachia , the American Midwest and the American South , the Scots-Irish were central to defining American Working Class values and culture. He cites the fiercely independent streak and Individualism of the Scots-Irish as laudable values, and their political Pragmatism as explaining their role as Swing Voters in elections, in recent decades as Reagan Democrats , and as Ross Perot and Reform Party voters. BOOKS
MOVIES Webb authored the story and was the executive producer for the 2000 movie '' Rules Of Engagement '', which starred Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L. Jackson . Warner Brothers acquired Webb's script for ''Whiskey River''. The movie is currently in production; being directed and produced by Rob Reiner . The fictional story is about an American soldier injured in Iraq . REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
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