West, Allen, 1961-

<p>Allen Bernard West (born February 7, 1961) is an American politician, and retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel. A member of the Republican Party, West represented Florida's 22nd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2011 to 2013 and has served as Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas since 2020.</p>

<p>West was deployed to Kuwait in 1991 and Iraq in 2003. 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 $5,000, and allowed to retire as a lieutenant colonel. After leaving the military, West moved to Florida, where he taught at a high school for a year and worked for a defense contractor, part of this time spent in Afghanistan as a civilian adviser to the Afghan National Army.</p>

<p>West entered politics in 2008 as the Republican nominee for Florida's 22nd congressional district, losing to Democratic incumbent Ron Klein. In a re-match 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. In Congress, West was a high-profile member of the Tea Party Caucus and the Tea Party movement. Redistricting due to the 2010 census resulted in West switching to Florida's 18th congressional district for the 2012 House elections. He lost to Democratic nominee Patrick Murphy in what was the most expensive congressional House race of that cycle.</p>

<p>West ran for the chairmanship of the Republican Party of Texas in 2020. West became the new state chairman after he defeated the incumbent chairman, James Dickey, on July 20, 2020. Widely described as a "firebrand conservative", 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.</p>

<p>Lieutenant Colonel (Ret) Allen B. West is a Christian constitutional conservative, combat veteran, and former Member of the US Congress. His life has been defined as one of service, sacrifice, and commitment to this Republic, the United States of America. He believes it will be conservative, free market policies, not politics that secures a sound economic future for Americans – with growth, opportunity and returning the promise of the American dream for this generation and those to come.</p>

<p>Allen West was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia in the same neighborhood where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once preached. He is the third of four generations of military servicemen, all combat veterans, in his family.</p>

<p>West was commissioned through ROTC at the University of Tennessee as a Second Lieutenant (2LT) on July 31, 1982. He entered active duty service in the U.S. Army on November 1, 1983 at Fort Sill to attend the Field Artillery Officer Basic Course. He later attended airborne and jumpmaster training at Fort Benning. West’s first assignment was as an airborne infantry company fire support team leader and battalion training officer in the 325th Airborne Battalion Combat Team. In 1987, he was promoted to Captain and attended the Field Artillery Officer Advanced Course.</p>

<p>A decorated military veteran and dedicated conservative, Allen West entered Congress with a wave of energized conservative Republicans in the 2010 midterm elections. Discussing his beliefs and bold speaking style, West said, “I think it’s important to talk about conservative principles and values and not make it such a boogeyman thing.” Emphasizing individual responsibility, accountability, and national security, West insisted, “Character always prevails.”</p>

<p>Allen West was born on February 7, 1961, in Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia, to Herman and Elizabeth West, and grew up in Atlanta’s inner city. West grew up in a culture of military service — his father and older brother served in combat in World War II and Vietnam, respectively. West’s mother worked as a civilian employee for the Marine Corps. He joined the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (J-ROTC) in 10th grade before graduating from Henry W. Grady High School in Atlanta. West joined the Reserve Offices’ Training Corps (ROTC) while attending the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in 1983. West then began United States Army officer training and earned two master’s degrees, a political science degree from Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas, and a military arts degree from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. In 1989, he married Angela M. Graham, a financial planner, with whom he had two daughters.</p>

<p>After joining the Army, West served in Italy, South Korea, and the Middle East—including service in the Gulf War in 1991. West returned to Kansas State University to serve as an ROTC instructor until 1994. After spending much of the next decade at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina, West was deployed to Iraq in 2003. During his more than 20 years of service, he was awarded the Bronze Star and three Meritorious Service Medals. He retired from the army in 2004, at the rank of lieutenant colonel. West worked as a high school teacher and coach for a year before taking a position advising the Afghan military in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Having attracted significant attention from national Republicans through his military service, he returned to Florida in 2008, to seek political office for the first time.</p>

WEST, Allen, a Representative from Florida; born in Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia, on February 7, 1961; graduated from Henry W. Grady High School, Atlanta, Ga., 1979; B.A., University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tenn., 1983; M.A., Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kans., 1986; United States Army, 1982-2004; M.M.A.S., U.S. Army Command and General Staff Officer College; educator; military adviser to the Afghan army; elected as a Republican to the One Hundred Twelfth Congress (January 3, 2011-January 3, 2013); unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the One Hundred Thirteenth Congress in 2012.