Allen West (former U.S. military officer)
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| Allen B. West | |
|---|---|
| Place of birth | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | ? - 2004 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Commands held | 2nd Battalion 20th Field Artillery 4th Infantry Division |
| Battles/wars | Operation Desert Storm Iraq War |
| Awards | Bronze Star Meritorious Service Medal Army Commendation Medal Army Achievement Medal |
| Other work | public school instructor in Palm Beach and Broward Counties of Florida (Deerfield Beach High School) Adviser to the Afghan Army (Military Professional Resources, Inc.) Congressional candidate (Florida's 22nd congressional district). |
Allen B West is a retired American army officer and candidate for the United States Congress in Florida. West, who was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, currently resides in Florida with his wife Angela and his daughters Aubrey and Austen. He is a vocal African-American conservative.
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[edit] Candidate for Congress from Florida's 22 Congressional District
In 2008 Allen West ran as a Republican candidate for Florida's 22nd congressional district against incumbent democrat Ron Klein. He lost in a closer than expected race. Allen has announced that he is running in 2010 for US Congressional District 22.
[edit] Allegations
While serving in Taji, Iraq on August 20, 2003 as commander of the 2d Battalion 20th Field Artillery, 4th Infantry Division, Lieutenant Colonel West was in charge of the interrogation of an Iraqi police officer who was suspected of having information about planned attacks on American forces. According to the Iraqi police officer, Yehiya Kadoori Hamoodi claimed that during the interrogation, soldiers under West's supervision assaulted him attempting to get him to talk.
The police officer insisted that he did not know anything about planned attacks and was loyal to the United States Army. However, when the detainee didn't talk, Lieutenant Colonel West fired his 9mm pistol close to the man's head and at this point, the man gave information about a planned ambush, resulting in its being thwarted. According to West, there were no further ambushes on U.S. forces in Taji until he was relieved of command on October 4, 2003.
In an interview with the New York Times the Iraqi police officer, Yehiya Kadoori Hamoodi, said he felt he must have been falsely implicated by another alleged informant as being a plotting assassin and that the information he provided was useless and obtained under duress.>
West, who at the time was just short of having 20 years of service, was charged with violating articles 128 (assault) and 134 (general article) of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and was in danger of receiving an 11 year prison sentence, dishonorable discharge and losing his retirement benefits. West was processed through an Article 32 hearing in November 2003, where he admitted wrongdoing, was fined $5,000 over two months for misconduct and assault. He then submitted his resignation, and was allowed to retire with full benefits in the summer of 2004.
After West's resignation was brought to public attention the next Fall, he received over two thousand letters and e-mails from the American public offering him moral support. In addition, a letter was drafted to the secretary of the Army, its signatories being ninety-five members of Congress in West's support. Even a prominent critic of the Abu Graib affair, Sen. John W. Warner of Virginia, wrote a letter to his constituents in support of West's honorable intentions during the controversial incident.
In January 2004, the conservative Frontpage Magazine named West its Man of the Year.[1]
[edit] Activities since retirement
After leaving the Army, West moved his family from Texas to Florida and was a high school teacher for one year. He has served in Afghanistan as a civilian adviser to the Afghan Army, an assignment that finished in November 2007.
On May 29, 2007, West declared himself as a Republican candidate for congress in Florida's 22nd congressional district. West campaigned against Ron Klein for the congressional seat in the November 2008 elections. He is currently running for the same seat in 2010.
[edit] Education and awards
West is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and obtained his masters degree in political science at Kansas State University. He also holds a Master of Military Arts and Sciences from the US Army Command and General Staff Officer College in political theory and military history and operations.
[edit] Awards and decorations
His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal (two Oak Leaf Clusters), Army Commendation Medal (two Oak Leaf Clusters, one Valor Device), Army Achievement Medal (one Oak Leaf Cluster), Valorous Unit Award, Air Assault Badge and the Parachutist Badge.
In addition, West has been awarded the following service medals and ribbons: National Defense Service Medal (with bronze star device), Southwest Asia Service Medal , Army Service Ribbon, Army Overseas Service Ribbon (multiple awards), Saudi Arabia Kuwait Liberation Medal W/Palm Tree and Kuwait Liberation Medal
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- "U.S. officer fined for harsh interrogation tactics". CNN. 2003-12-13. http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/12/12/sprj.nirq.west.ruling/index.html. Retrieved on 2007-06-21.
- Colin Nickerson (2003-12-14). "US officer to resign for assulting Iraqi". Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2003/12/14/us_officer_to_resign_for_assulting_iraqi?mode=PF. Retrieved on 2007-06-21.
- Rachel Kapochunas (2007-05-31). "GOP Targets Well-Funded Florida Freshman". Yahoo News. http://news.yahoo.com/s/cq/20070531/pl_cq_politics/goptargetswellfundedfloridafreshman. Retrieved on 2007-06-21.
- DEBORAH SONTAG (2004-05-24). "How Colonel Risked His Career by Menacing Detainee and Lost". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/27/politics/27WEST.html?ex=1400990400&en=71d7b26fe2922d57&ei=5007&partner=USERLAND. Retrieved on 2007-06-21.
- "Allen West Biography". Allen West Campaign web page. http://www.allenwestforcongress.com/about_allen.php. Retrieved on 2007-06-21.
[edit] External links
- Allen West for Congress Web Site
- "Failure of command: the case of Lt. Col. Allen B. West" by Jed Babbin
