A Conversation with Hong Le Webb

The 1975 departure was the second one for my parents. My parents and both sets of my grandparents were farmers in the north of Vietnam before 1954. My maternal grandparents were assassinated by the communists during the French War, and when the country split, my parents went to Vung Tau with my paternal grandparents and my three oldest siblings. As practicing, devout Catholics, my parents didn't believe that they and their family would have survived in the the north after 1954 nor in the south after 1975.

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2) What is your educational background, and what do you do now? Can you talk about what it's like to be a working mom in America, compared to what it would be like in Vietnam?

My family parallels Jim's family educationally. My father had a 5th grade education, and my mother never learned how to write and barely knew how to read. Despite not having the same opportunities in education, my parents always stressed the importance of education to all their children. My siblings and I are first-generation immigrants to the U.S., and given our age ranges, have varying degrees of education. I grew up in New Orleans, got my undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and my law degree from Cornell University. I am a corporate securities lawyer in the Washington office of a Michigan-based law firm.

I don't think it would be possible to compare what it would be like as a working mom in the U.S. versus in Vietnam because the opportunities that existed for me in the U.S. would not have existed in Vietnam.

I am not unique in the issues I face as a mom with a career. I've had to balance competing interests relating to childcare, long hours as a lawyer, staying actively involved in my daughter's education and extra-curricular activities, and my own maternal desire to be involved in my daughter's life in every respect. I believe these competing interests are being dealt with by many working mothers today, especially at a time when two working parents are the norm rather than the exception.

However, my five sisters and I have had a great example in our mother and have been blessed with being part of a close-knit, extended family. I come from a family of very strong women. My  mother worked side-by-side with my father in north Vietnam and was the primary breadwinner in south Vietnam. Most of my sisters have been entrepreneurs at one time or another; a couple still run their own businesses. My parents participated in the rearing of many of my nieces and nephews while my sisters were building careers and working outside the home. I have been similarly blessed with my own daughter, Emily.  My former in-laws have been primarily responsible for Emily's childcare since she was born. Despite our divorce, I still am close to my ex-husband and his family: I talk to my ex almost daily; I still call my in-laws "mom and dad"; and we've celebrated holidays together, including with extended members of our respective families. And yes, Jim and to some extent his children (as they are older and have outside interests) have been brought into the fold.

3) How did you meet Jim Webb and what attracted you to each other?
Jim and I met long before we were ever attracted to each other. We met in the mid-1990's as a result of our mutual interest in doing business in Vietnam, and stayed in touch sporadically over the years. It's hard to say what attracted us to each other since we were basically distant, business-oriented friends over a number of years. We started dating while we were separated from our former spouses, and perhaps going through similarly difficult experiences in our lives allowed our friendship to blossom. What is important is that we have a great marriage.

I can tell you what I love, respect and admire about Jim - among them are his deep sense of patriotism and duty to country; his love of family and family history; his uncanny ability to appreciate differences in cultures that have allowed him to travel all over the world and fit in; his belief in the over-arching theme of fairness when it comes to addressing our public policy issues; and his honesty, integrity and forthrightness in fighting for the things he cares about.

4) What was it like, as a Vietnamese woman, to be introduced into Jim's Scots-Irish, southwest Virginia family and culture?
As Jim writes in "Born Fighting," the Scots-Irish are a very inclusive culture. Growing up in the South and having visited Southwest Virginia on a number of occasions, I have found this to be true. I also found that Scots-Irish women are very strong, not dissimilar to the women in my family (and I think a general characteristic of Vietnamese women). I greatly admire the strength and perseverance of Jim's grandmother, who lived with the family when Jim was little, his mother and her sisters, and more recently, his cousin Jewell, who lives in Gate City.

5) How do you feel about Jim running for public office? In particular, what's it like having your husband and family under intense public scrutiny?
I am proud of Jim for his willingness to step forward to serve the country at a watershed time in our country's history. That aside, I don't think either of us were prepared for the intensity of the process, including the public scrutiny. We both value our privacy and family time. For the most part, we've kept our family out of the public scrutiny and prefer it that way.

As for Jim being under public scrutiny, I am hopeful that people who are deciding on their choice for Senator will see behind the negative, personal, smear campaign against Jim as a common political tactic of the other side in the past decade. I invite people to read Jim's writings and do their own research. Jim no doubt has lived through some of the most divisive periods in this country's history, and his positions must be taken in the context of the histories of those times. However people may feel about Jim's stance on specific issues, I am confident that they will find that Jim is an honest and principled man and leader, and he will never compromise his honesty and principles for political or personal gains.

6) Can you tell us a little about what it's like for the family with Jimmy Webb "in harm's way" over in Iraq? 
It's important, and rightly so, that Jimmy's service not be used for political reasons. Some politicians do this, but Jim has been very insistent that he will not do so with Jimmy. As Jim says, Americans rarely enlist in the military because of one political issue or another. They do so because they love their country, and because of family tradition. Jimmy comes from a long, family tradition of service to country. Despite the fact that Jim believes the war in Iraq was a mistake, we admire and support all the men and women who are serving the country in Iraq and elsewhere. Like all families with loved ones in harm's way, we pray for his safety and his safe return, and for an end to the war in Iraq.

7) Are there any stories you'd like to share about family life with Jim? What are some favorite family activities? 
Despite Jim's often serious demeanor in public, people may not be aware that Jim is a great husband and father, and has an often wicked sense of humor. In the tradition of the Scots-Irish, he loves to pass on family stories to his children and grandchildren. My daughter Emily has been the recipient of many of these stories and never tires of hearing them repeated. And he has no problem getting down to a nine-year old's level of fun, doing the "The Banks of the Hanky-Panky", "Hokey-Pokey", and "Cha Cha Slide" on request! We have always enjoyed long walks in Arlington Cemetery, and when time permits, having family over for cook-outs.

8) How's Jim's Vietnamese? 
Jim's Vietnamese is excellent for someone who has had no formal education in the language. Being able to speak to each other in Vietnamese has been fun when we've travelled to Vietnam and provides some level of privacy especially when our lives have become so public with the campaign.

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.

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