Lt. Col. Allen B. West

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With all due respect, this is the very first time I have ever written to a Senator. With regards to this fine officer and the plight he is in. I have attached the article below if you are unaware of his situation. As an American, and as a veteran myself, I am utterly disgusted, shocked, and ashamed that our Army is harassing this man and is even considering a court martial. These same people who are requesting this mans court martial would probably have something quite different to say if it were their loved ones lives who were saved by this mans actions. I can not express to you how utterly disgusted and extremely angry I am at this outrageous and unjust treatment of an officer who saves lives by using such tender tactics as these to gain information from an enemy who does not abide by, or respect any code, or human right. I mean are you kidding me! So he fired a weapon near his head and made a threat, BIG DEAL! LIVES WERE SAVED!!!! Hello? Is this thing on? Are you hearing me!!! Are we such a nation of weaklings that we would have our interrogators offer prisoners candy popcorn and maybe a comfortable seat on the couch while they decide if they want to cooperate or not! Consider the tactics of our enemy, yeah, I won't even go there as they are too gruesome and inhumane to even mention. This absolutely ludicrous and unjust action being considered against this American fighting man who saves lives and who gave so many years of his life in that effort is an abhorrent black mark on the face of what is increasingly becoming and embarrassing country to have sworn my allegiance to. And no, I am not ashamed of our president and his decision to go to war. I am NOT one of those. No, in fact I LOVE our president and I am all for sending a message to radical religious groups who have committed so many blatant acts of war against our country in the name of their religion. No Sir, what makes me ashamed is to read of our nation treating it's heroes, like this Man Col. West, like a criminal when his only action was to save lives. It sickens me. Absolutely sickens me and almost makes me wish I had never served. Almost. Let me just leave you with this last thought so that you understand. I say almost as I never served in our country's armed services for you, or any fed. No government agenda was ever a motivating factor in my serving. As though I was subordinate to the government and obeyed the orders thereof, my service was to the people who had gone before me and stood and fought and died for my right to impart this to you now. It is for their sake, and for their honor that I did serve. And it is for their sake, and for their honor that I am still proud to be an American and I will still stand and fight should my country call me to do so. I do not know how to make this any more plain to you Sir, this is an injustice that needs to be rectified. PLEASE do what you can on this honorable mans behalf. Also, thank you Sir for having taken the time.

'Heroic' officer clings to faith Facing charges after foiling ambush plot, 'devastating' to be regarded as a criminal

Sign a citizen petition on behalf of Lt. Col. Allen B. West, U.S. Army, who was indicted last week on criminal assault charges for the psychological intimidation tactic he used to acquire vital intelligence from a captured enemy combatant in Iraq -- intelligence that saved the lives of American soldiers facing imminent attack.

"[The enemy detainee] and his accomplices were a threat to our soldiers and the method was not right, but why should I...be forced into prison for protecting my men?," Col. West asks. Patriot Petitions poses the same question: How can we expect our frontline officers to fight wars the Bush administration calls "preemptive" if they are not given the latitude to respond -- preemptively -- to the asymmetric threats of terrorist aggressors? Would the deaths of American soldiers in the ambush Col. West thwarted at Saba al Boor have constituted a more acceptable result for the Army's judge advocate? Please sign the petition to exonerate Col. West from this grossly misguided criminal prosecution. [Another note from me,(Randall)] Col. West fired a firearm into the air to intimadate this prisoner to get information about a planned ambush/attack on his men. It worked.He got the details and saved his men's life. For this action the Politially Correct wants him to rot in prison. I know I may lose some friends for siding with him...so I'll bid you a fond farewell at this time. Thank you, Randall. ]

(Please forward this invitation to friends, family members, and fellow American Patriots. In order to force serious consideration of this issue within the White House and Congress, we must first collect as many petition signatures as possible.)

PatriotPetitions.US, the nation's leading public opinion advocate for U.S. national security, sovereignty, and Constitutional integrity, has released its newest campaign entreating the President, Congress and Department of Defense to Exonerate Lt. Col. Allen B. West from Criminal Prosecution. Please read this brief description of the campaign and register your opinion on this matter. Please let your voice be heard!

Please join fellow Patriots on the front lines in defense of our liberty and national sovereignty.

Link to -- http://PatriotPetitions.US/colwest

(If you don't have Web access, please send a blank e-mail to: Each e-mail sent to this address will be counted as one signature for the petition.)

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OPERATION: IRAQI FREEDOM
'Heroic' officer
clings to faith
Facing charges after foiling ambush plot, 'devastating' to be regarded as a criminal

Posted: November 5, 2003
5:00 p.m. Eastern

By Art Moore
© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com

A U.S. Army officer facing assault charges for frightening an Iraqi into disclosing details of an impending ambush plot says his faith in God has kept him from falling apart amid the severe pain it has caused him and his family.

Lt. Col. Allen B. West and wife, Angela, in undated family photo (Courtesy Angela West)

"Without God and my Savior Jesus Christ, I would have cracked a long time ago," Lt. Col. Allen B. West, a battalion commander with the 4th Infantry Division, said in an e-mail to WorldNetDaily this morning.

"It is devastating to my family to think that I am being considered a criminal and possibly to be imprisoned," he told WND. "That is an attack on the family unit. What hurts us even more was the ultimatum of resignation without any benefits for 20 years of service. It would be as though we never existed to the Army and my service meant nothing."

As WorldNetDaily reported, under threat of an attack, West took charge of the interrogation of an Iraqi policeman, determined to flush out information as he warned subordinates "it could get ugly." Threatening to kill the Iraqi if he didn't talk, West fired a pistol near the policeman's head, prompting a flow of information that led to arrests and the probable foiling of a deadly attack.

Army prosecutors believe West's actions on Aug. 21 in the town of Saba al Boor, near Tikrit, violated the Uniform Code of Military Justice. He faces a wide range of possible outcomes from no disciplinary action to a sentence of up to eight years in prison.

The prosecutors gave West a choice – face charges or resign early, losing retirement benefits. The 19-year veteran was scheduled to reach his 20-year retirement last Saturday.

West chose to face the charges, but already he has been relieved of his position, effectively ending a decorated military career that included a bronze star and another medal for valor in combat.

In an interview with WorldNetDaily yesterday, West's attorney, retired Marine Corps Lt. Col. Neal Puckett, said he's received about 100 e-mails in support of his client, some from veterans who served in Korea and Vietnam.

"Nearly everyone says this guy is an American hero who should be commended rather than court martialed," Puckett said.

Lt. Col. Allen B. West, left, is greeted during a change-of-command ceremony in June. (Courtesy Washington Times)

Many WorldNetDaily readers have expressed similar sentiments today.

One wrote, "Here we are fighting a vicious war with an enemy who could care less how many Americans die. The more the better. An enemy hell bent on killing Americans and sending them home in coffins with the hope that the people of the United States will cry out for their dead and for our government to put a hasty end to the raging battle in Iraqi. The enemy is playing us like a fiddle, our men and women die, and along comes Lt. Col. West fighting fire with fire and now they are going to court martial him and take away his pension?"

A U.S. Air Force captain asked: "Since when do the 'feelings' of combatants who are planning/have knowledge of plans to kill American troops matter more than the lives of those troops?"

Writing from Antarctica, a reader said, "I can't believe they are even thinking about pressing charges against Col. West. To me and many Americans he is considered a hero."

In his e-mail to WND, however, West downplayed that notion.

"I am but now a relieved battalion commander and not a hero," he said. "My soldiers are the true heroes! We must do this, preserve American life. I made a decision and it has consequences and accept that. However, I can look at myself in the mirror and know that my men are well. My regret and sorrow is that I failed because I was supposed to be on that flight to bring them home."

'Valley of humiliation'

West told WND that during his ordeal "God has revealed to me much Scripture," including Bible passages from Joshua chapter one, the book of Job, the Psalms of David and particularly Jeremiah 29:11-13.

"God has taken me down into a valley of humiliation to strengthen and build my faith and has a great work for me," he said. "My goal now is to retire and teach high school and continue to make a difference in the development of our young people. Whenever I do return home it will be a testament to God and I will give Him all praise, honor, and glory. I may be cast down but not conquered. John 16:33 sums it all up!"

Puckett said West's two daughters, who are with his wife, Angela, in Fort Hood, Texas, are sharing some of the humiliation.

Since parents at the girls' school caught wind of the news "Mr. West is in trouble," the daughters are enduring taunts from classmates.

One of the daughters has started giving out a false last name to avoid kids making fun of her.

"The girls have been taught their daddy is a hero," Puckett said. "But now kids are coming up to them and saying, 'Your daddy is no hero.'"

Intervention?

Puckett plans to depart for Iraq Friday where he will participate in an Article 32 investigation – a procedure allowing him to present evidence supporting his argument charges should be dropped. A hearing is scheduled for Nov. 10, but Puckett has requested it be moved to Nov. 12 because he was appointed to the case late in the process.

Each individual command runs its own military justice system, he explained. After hearing the evidence and determining whether there is probable cause, the presiding colonel will make a recommendation to division commander Maj. Gen. Raymond Odierno, who has the authority to implement the recommendation or do something completely different.

The options range from doing nothing to a general court martial, which is a felony prosecution.

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has the power to intervene on West's behalf, "but he wouldn't normally do that," said Puckett.

More appropriate, he says, would be action by Acting Secretary of the Army Les Brownlee.

"This all could be short-circuited by the secretary of the Army saying, 'Somebody get me [West's] retirement request and I will process it through right now,'" Puckett said.

Spokesmen at the Pentagon and the Army's 4th Infantry at Fort Hood said they could not comment on a pending case.

The Army is concerned about what it should do to dissuade others from transgressing, Puckett acknowledged.

But he insists it's not entirely clear West did anything wrong.

"We could have a spirited debate about whether he transgressed at all," Puckett said. "Is firing a pistol near [the Iraqi's] head, but not at him, aggravated assault? I don't know. He didn't kill anyone. He didn't torture anyone."

Puckett acknowledged West "certainly used a psychological ploy."

"The fact is," the attorney said, "two trained interrogators, both female, worked with [the Iraqi policeman] for hours and hours, and he wouldn't talk, so they called their commander."

West strode into the room, according to Puckett, and said to the Iraqi, "If you don't give us this information, I'm going to kill you."

The policeman, "as a demonstration of his seriousness," responded to West with a smile and said, "I love you."

West then took the Iraqi outside and, with the help of colleagues, forced his head down. With one hand on the man's head – to provide protection – and the other holding the pistol, West fired into a weapons-clearing barrel filled with sand.

"There was an immediate outpouring of information," Puckett said. The man told my client everything he wanted to know."

That same evening, West made a full report to his superior and did not hear anything for many weeks.

Aggressive interrogation

Puckett believes U.S. forces in an intense battle in the Sunni Triangle near Tikrit with Saddam Hussein loyalists need special consideration to help ensure their success.

"Maybe we should propose interrogating a little more aggressively, as long as we don't hurt anybody," he said.

In July, he noted, another officer in the 4th Infantry reportedly used unorthodox methods to persuade an Iraqi general to turn himself in. According to the Washington Post, Col. David Hogg ordered the Iraqi officer's family be rounded up and held hostage. Hogg then sent word to the general that if he wanted to see his family again, he needed to comply.

The tactic worked, and the Iraqi general appeared in front of the U.S. base and surrendered. Puckett said there is a report that Hogg has been promoted.

"Here we have a guy using what might be considered by touchy feely types to be a questionable tactic," Puckett said. "But, in the same way, my client never intended to carry out the threat."

In such situations, time is of the essence, he argues.

"The sooner he gets the information, the better the chance to foil the ambush," he said of West. "Nobody can prove what would have happened had he not done that."

Puckett said if citizens want to get involved, they can contact their Congress members in the House of Representatives and the Senate or the Army.

West can be contacted by e-mail and his wife has her own e-mail address.

Angela West has set up a legal fund for her husband with the following address: Allen West Defense Fund c/o Angela West, 6823 Coleman Drive, Ft. Hood, TX 76544.

Puckett said he welcomes communication with any experts in military law who might have ideas or information to pass on.

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