At the close of the first Democratic debate last night, Anderson Cooper asked the candidates which enemies they were most proud to make. This was clearly a ploy to get them to name conservative policymakers, organizations or entire nations.

While most candidates obliged by naming the National Rifle Association or the Iranians, Vietnam veteran Senator Jim Webb spoke candidly. “I would have to say the enemy soldier that threw the grenade that wounded me, but he’s not around right now to talk to,” he said with a smug smile.

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What incident is Webb talking about? Here’s a passage from a Rolling Stones article from 2007 that describes the fateful day in 1969 when Webb came face to face with a grenade and three Viet Cong soldiers.

Nine days later, Webb was leading his platoon toward what he thought was an empty complex of bunkers. As he and his men approached, three Viet Cong soldiers jumped out. Webb grabbed one and drew his .45 on the other two, capturing all three. Webb and another soldier moved on to a second bunker; this time, a grenade sprayed him with shrapnel, but he detonated a claymore at the bunker’s entrance, killing two Viet Cong. Webb kept going, approaching a third bunker, where another grenade detonated. Webb shot the Viet Cong who threw it and hurled himself in front of his Marine, absorbing the brunt of the blast. Even then he kept fighting, lobbing another grenade into the bunker, killing the last of his enemies.

In his mind, it was the compression of his past into a moment of perfect, unthinking violence, redeeming all the history that had put him opposite a stranger and a grenade on the opposite side of the world.

Webb earned a Navy Cross for his valor that day, and eventually had to leave the service due to injuries sustained in the grenade blast. And, as evidenced by his willingness to bring it up last night, Webb is still proud of his actions.

Hardcore.