Independent presidential candidate Jim Webb, a former Marine who was awarded the Navy Cross for valor in Vietnam, called out leading Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton for her repeated claims that she was rejected by the Marines when she tried to join in 1975.
Jim Webb in Vietnam, image via Webb2016.com.
Webb, who recently dropped out of the Democrats’ presidential race, posted his comments to Clinton on Twitter over the weekend.
Mrs. Clinton disparaged integrity of @USMC, claiming wrongly turned away from serving. Tell us when, where & w/whom. https://t.co/NH8SZTk5gw
— Jim Webb (@JimWebbUSA) November 15, 2015
“Mrs. Clinton disparaged integrity of @USMC, claiming wrongly turned away from serving. Tell us when, where & w/whom. http://bit.ly/1QEAP0R”
Webb linked to a Marine Corps Times article on the controversy published Saturday.
Excerpt:
“Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton said at an event this week that she once considered becoming a Marine, but a recruiter turned her away over her age, gender and poor eyesight.
Presidential candidates often face questions about their military record — or lack thereof. But Clinton told constituents at a breakfast in New Hampshire on Tuesday that she had considered becoming one of the few and the proud, until a Marine recruiter discouraged it.
“He looks at me and goes, ‘Um, how old are you?’ And I said, ‘Well I am 26, I will be 27,'” Clinton said. “And he goes, ‘Well, that is kind of old for us.'”
“”And then he says to me, and this is what gets me, ‘maybe the dogs will take you,’ meaning the Army,” she continued, possibly referring to “dogfaces,” which is the Army’s slang for soldiers.
“The exchange can be seen at the 1:35 minute mark in this video.”
From Webb’s campaign bio:
“Jim graduated from the Naval Academy in 1968, receiving a special commendation for his leadership contributions. First in his class of 243 at the Marine Corps Officer’s Basic School, he served as a rifle platoon and company commander in Vietnam and was awarded the Navy Cross, the Silver Star Medal, two Bronze Star Medals, and two Purple Hearts.”
