I was working at HQ USCENTCOM when "the West incident" went down. He got F'd by the CC but he is a hero among everyone else who wore and still wear the uniform. It is men like him that we willingly follow into battle. He demonstrated in combat the finest values of honor and integrity.
God Speed LTC West and keep kick'n ass!!
I was not sure what the "the West incident" actually is.
Iraq interrogation incident :
While serving in Taji, Iraq, on August 20, 2003, West was in charge of the interrogation of Yahya Jhodri Hamoodi, a civilian Iraqi police officer suspected of having information about attacks on American troops in the area.[citation needed] Interrogators had been informed the detainee knew about a planned ambush. When the detainee refused to talk, LTC West was asked to assist. Hamoodi continued to withhold information, and West was accused of firing his pistol past the prisoner's head, frightening him into talking. According to West's sworn statement,[6] the detainee told West:
[The attack] was to occur Friday morning in Saba al Boor vicinity of the police station by positioned snipers supposedly being brought in from Fallujah. [The detainee] was to ID my vehicle and myself for these rooftop firers. We took this information and the following day established flask CPs and used AH-64s overhead. There was no attack and no further attacks have emanated from the town since the apprehension of [the detainee] and his named associates.
At least one suspect was arrested as a result of the information obtained through the detainee's information. The suspect's home was searched, but no plans for attacks or weapons were found. West testified he did not know if "any corroboration" of a plot was ever found. He added: "At the time I had to base my decision on the intelligence I received. It's possible that I was wrong about Mr. Hamoodi."[12]
West, who had completed almost 22 years of active service, was charged with violating articles 128 (assault) and 134 (general article) of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. He was processed through an Article 32 hearing in November 2003, where he stated "I know the method I used was not right, but I wanted to take care of my soldiers" and was fined $5,000. LTC West accepted the judgment and retired with full benefits in the summer of 2004. Asked if he would have act differently if under similar circumstances again, West testified, "If it's about the lives of my soldiers at stake, I'd go through hell with a gasoline can."[13]
Post-military career;
(2004�2010)At his hearing, West had been asked by his defense attorney if he would fire his pistol again under similar circumstances. He replied: "If it's about the lives of my men and their safety, I'd go through hell with a gasoline can," he said.[6] West pointed out that there were no further ambushes against American forces in Taji until he was relieved of his leadership post on October 4."[6] After West's forced retirement was made public, he received more than two thousand letters and e-mails offering him moral support.[12] Furthermore, a letter supporting West was signed by ninety-five members of Congress and sent to the Secretary of the Army.[12]
In September 2010, West spoke in defense of a group of U.S. military personnel known as the "Leavenworth 10" who were convicted of war crimes.[14]
After retiring from the Army, West moved his family to Florida and taught high school for a year.[12] He then worked as a contractor for the Department of Defense in Afghanistan and in the United States until December 2010.[citation
For some reason I kept thinking he did some awful thing.
Must be the media of course.
But if thats all there is to it, then its much more understandable.
Liberal dickfaces dont know how to fight a war.
Allen West does.
dave