Allen Bernard West is an American politician, and retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel. West represented Florida’s 22nd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2011 to 2013. He has served as Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas since 2020. In 2003, West was charged in an incident that involved the beating and simulated execution of an Iraqi policeman, with West firing a gun near the Iraqi man’s head during an interrogation.
About Allen West (politician) in brief
Allen Bernard West is an American politician, and retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel. West represented Florida’s 22nd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2011 to 2013. He has served as Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas since 2020. In 2003, West was charged in an incident that involved the beating and simulated execution of an Iraqi policeman, with West firing a gun near the Iraqi man’s head during an interrogation. After an Article 32 hearing was held, West accepted non-judicial punishment, was fined USD 5,000, and allowed to retire as a lieutenant colonel and taught at a high school for a year. West has been criticized for comments about Islam, descriptions of President Barack Obama as a low-level Socialist agitator, and unfounded accusations that 81 Democratic members of Congress were members of the Communist Party. His father and older brother were both career military officers; West’s father served in World War II, and his brother served in Vietnam. West is the third of four consecutive generations in his family to serve in the U. S. Armed Forces. He later received a master’s degree in political science from Kansas State University. He also earned a master of military arts and sciences degree from the Army Command and General Staff Officer College in political theory and military history and operations. West entered active duty on November 1, 1983, at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where he completed the Field Artillery Officer’s Basic Course. He then proceeded to airborne training at Fort Benning, Georgia,where he received his Parachutist Badge.
He served as an airborne infantry fire support officer and platoon leader, as well as battalion training officer for the 4th B. C. T., 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, SETAF under the command of Lt. Col. Thomas R. Needham at Caserma Ederle in Vicenza, Italy. West was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1999 and assumed command of the 2d Battalion, 2d Infantry Division. He was awarded the Army ROTC Instructor of the Year in January 1993. West served as the assistant operations officer for 2nd Infantry Division in January 1995. In January 1996, he was assigned to the 2nd Division’s 2nd Battalion, 377th Field Art artillery Regiment. After his assumption of command, he became the executive officer of the 1st Battalion,. 377th field artillery regiment. In 2001, West became the assistant director of operations for the Army’s 1st Infantry Division and served in Afghanistan as an exchange officer at Camp Lejeune. In 2007, he served as a civilian adviser to the Afghan National Army. In 2008, West won the Republican nomination for Florida”s 22nd congressional district. He lost to Democratic nominee Patrick Murphy in what was the most expensive congressional House race of that cycle. In 2010, he won the seat, coinciding with significant Republican gains in that year’s midterm elections. West took office in January 2011 as the first African-American Republican member of Congress from Florida since Josiah T. Walls left office in 1876 near the end of Reconstruction.
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