Allen B West is US House Republican Candidate for Floridas 22nd District

Colonel Allen B. West (R-FL) is running for a seat in the People's House from Florida's 22nd district which includes Palm Beach. West has announced that he has received the endorsement of former Governor Sarah Palin. See a video below.

Allen B. West

Col. West's opponent in the November 2010 election is incumbent Ron Klein. Klein and West ran against each other in 2008. Klein won with 54% of the vote. He is in his second term and his seat is considered safe. What they don't know won't hurt them.

The uber-Liberal Americans for Democratic Action ranked Ron Klein as 95 on a scale of 100 - meaning Klein is almost perfectly Liberal. We have the opportunity to seat a true America hero in the People's House. Let's get 'er done!

Allen B. West background:

Allen West was born in Atlana, Georgia on February 7, 1961 to parents Herman West, Sr. and Elizabeth West. He is 49 years old. He is married to Dr. Angela M. Graham-West of Kingston Jamaica. Mrs. West holds an MBA and Ph.D. She is a financial planner. The West's have two daughters: Aubrey, 15, and Austen, 11.

West holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Tennessee, a Masters in Political Science from Kansas State University, and Master of Military Arts and Science degree from the US Army Command and General Staff College, Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. He served as Commander  of the 2nd Battalion 20th Field Artillery, 4th Infantry.

He joined the Army on November 1, 1983, attending the Field Artillery Officer Basic Course at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. He completed the Basic Airborne and Jumpmaster courses at Ft. Benning, Georgia. Read more on Col. West's military service here. 

Col. West retired from the U.S. Army as a Lt. Colonel. He served in Operation Desert Storm, and the Iraq War.  He has been an adviser to the Afghan Army through Military Professional Resources, Inc. He is the third of four generations of family to serve in the military. His military awards include:

The Bronze Star
The Meritorious Service Medal with three Oak Leaf clusters
The Army Commendation Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters and Combat V-Device for Valor

Saudi Arabia Kuwait Liberation Medal with Palm Tree

Kuwait Liberation Medal

The Army Valorous Unit Award
Army Master Parachutist Badge
Army Air Assault Badge
Navy marine Corps Parachute Insignia
Italian Parachutist Badge
German Proficiency Badge Bronze Award
The Army Achievement Medal

In 2004, FrontPageMag names Colonel Allen B. West their Man of the Year:

FrontPage Magazine’s Man of the Year has shown true courage, compassion and heroism in the face of battle – and unlike the worthies named above, he has suffered for his good deeds rather than received commendation. He has been on the frontlines of the War on Terror in the heart of the Iraqi resistance. He undertook extraordinary measures to safeguard the lives of his men, to protect Americans under attack by bloodthirsty Islamist gangleaders. Yet instead of reward he has been tested by fire, having been dishonored by the very military he served so effectively for the last 20 years of his life. This irresponsible punishing of someone who should be awarded for his bravery and patriotism endangers the American people. For that reason, we seek to honor Col. Allen B. West.

Colonel West earned the disdain of leftist intellectuals and the rebuke of the United States armed forces for protecting the lives of his troops. West commanded the 4^th Infantry Division, 2^nd Battalion, 20th Field Artillery Regiment, near Tikrit. In the days following the toppling of Saddam’s regime and preceding the dictator’s capture in a filthy desert hole, West was responsible for the lives and safety of 700 men and women who had spent a cautious summer sweltering in the crosshairs of Sunni Triangle terrorists.

As we near the elections, we are certain to hear the Left attack Col. West for protecting his own men in Iraq. What happened to the Colonel is unthinkable, yet it happened. This is the real story:

In late August, Colonel West received news that his men had been targeted by a group of thugs associated with an Iraqi policeman named Yahya Jhodri Hamoodi. Allied forces quickly apprehended Hamoodi in Saba al Boor, a tiny town near Tikrit. Four interrogation specialists worked late into the evening of August 20, desperately trying to pry the attack plans out of him. Growing frustrated, the interrogators resorted to physical force, punching Hamoodi – without success. (Hamoodi was not seriously injured at any point during the interrogation.) It was then that Col. Allen West intervened.

Seeing that even physical violence had proven ineffective, Colonel West took the next logical step: He took the intransigent suspect outside, shoved Hamoodi’s head into a sandbox and threatened to kill him. The Colonel then pulled out his sidearm and fired a warning shot into the sky. Then West carefully held Hamoodi’s head aside as he fired a shot over Hamoodi’s shoulder, into the warm Iraqi sand burying his visage.

That near-scrape with death did the trick. Hamoodi began singing, telling West the identities of two men planning the attacks and revealing their attack plans, including the site of the intended ambush. The two men were arrested, and Colonel West ordered his men away from the site as they continued to serve the liberated Iraqi people. Upon turning Hamoodi over, he admitted his unorthodox tactics. For protecting the 700 soldiers in his care and cracking Hamoodi where professional interrogators had failed, Colonel West was immediately stripped of his command and threatened with jail time. 

In October, the armed forces offered Colonel West an ultimatum: resign the military and lose his pension and benefits, or face trial for violating standard interrogation procedure. If convicted, West could have received up to eight years in jail – for saving his men’s lives.  On the other hand, West, who had just qualified to retire with 20 years service, needed his benefits to care for his wife, Angela, a cancer victim.

West chose to make his case to his military colleagues. Publicly choking back tears, West acknowledged his actions in interrogating Hamoodi; he merely denied that what he had done was criminal, knowing his troops had been targeted for extermination in the midst of a war. His great heart showed during his trial, as he said, "If it's about the lives of my men and their safety, I'd go through Hell with a gasoline can . . . There is not a person in this room I would not sacrifice my life for." 

On December 11, West escaped court martial. Major General Raymond Odierno ordered West to pay a $5,000 fine and allowed him to retire as a Lieutenant Colonel. The ordeal caused by his desire to save his troops a violent death in a desert land had finally ended. He was free to return to Ft. Hood, Texas, to his wife Angela, with his reputation essentially cleared.

I hope you will read the FrontPageMag article linked above. There is much about the Colonel that we need to know as the election nears.

Colonel West had his soldier's backs - no matter what. He braved all and took care of his men. He will have the back of America, as well. His website is here. West's positions on the issues are here.



Allen West on FOX Business Talks About Iran and Energy (video)