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LTC Allen B. West 4th Infantry Division, Iraq Allen West Defense Fund
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Intro
Letters & Essays Index News Links Player Contact Info Feedback / Contact Back to YAP's front door |
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LTC Allen B. West 4th Infantry Division, Iraq Allen West Defense Fund
|
Intro
Letters & Essays Index News Links Player Contact Info Feedback / Contact Back to YAP's front door |
The case against LTC West has concluded
He was fined $5,000 by NJP Article 15. The Federalist, "The Conservative E-Journal of Record," has offered to cover the $5,000 fine in total. Your free subscription to and financial support of The Federalist is hereby encouraged. Please also still consider your direct support of the West family via the legal defense fund at the address above.
News Link IndexTHIS PAGE NOT UPDATED SINCE CONCLUSION OF PROCEEDINGS. SOME LINKS MAY HAVE EXPIRED.
Articles are listed in reverse chronological order -- most recent at the bottom Army files charge in combat tactic (28 Oct.)
Accused Army officer gets support (29 Oct.)
Colonel in Iraq refuses to resign (30 Oct.)
Prison for officer's effort to foil attack? (30 Oct.) -- "His actions were consistent with his selfless dedication to duty and the welfare of his soldiers. The fact that he reported this incident speaks to his integrity. He should be commended, not persecuted, for saving the lives of our soldiers."
Accused Army officer gets support (30 Oct.) -- "He's getting a bum rap," retired Army Col. Mike Kryschtal said about his friend, Lt. Col. Allen B. West of the 4th Infantry Division.
The Plight of Lt. Col. Allen West (31 Oct.)
Military officers must protect their men (1 Nov.)
Rumsfeld mum over accused Colonel (2 Nov.)
Let Slip the Dogs of War (3 Nov.) -- "I love the Army. Metcalf’s have served in the Army since before we officially had one. However, I am apoplectic over the chairborne, politically correct cancer-brain flatulence, which reportedly intends to excoriate Lt. Col. Allen B. West for doing his job and saving lives.
How to lose this war (4 Nov.) -- Do you want a surefire recipe to lose the Iraq war? It's easy, really. Just allow the Pentagon to move forward with plans to court martial Lt. Col. Allen B. West. The day that happens is the day U.S. popular support for this war goes south. The day that happens is the day our fighting men realize this war – like Vietnam – is going to be micro-managed by the politicians in Washington who know little or nothing about the split-second judgments that need to be made when you're under fire.
Railroading Col. West (5 Nov.) -- The rules of engagement are proper in times of warfare. But there's also an important place for prosecutorial discretion in dealing with certain actions that occur in the heat of combat.
Americans rally behind officer who fooled plot (5 Nov.)
Rumsfeld should restore Colonel West (5 Nov.)
When the wise guys aren't very wise (5 Nov.) -- Battlefield delicacy is nice, but who will speak up for the men he put in harm's way if the president does not? Who will speak up for the president next November if his most loyal constituents do not?
'Heroic' officer clings to faith (5 Nov.) -- "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."
Fire the perfumed princes now (11 Nov.) -- "From what I've discovered, this street-smart leader [LTC West] used the right tactics and techniques, while his commander, Maj. Gen. Raymond Odierno, played Political Correctness – a popular sport with our star-wearers..."
Free Colonel West, by Michael Reagan (14 Nov.)
Some tortured logic about interrogations (17 Nov.) -- by Clifford D. May, The Washington Times.
Officer faces court-martial for Iraq interrogation (18 Nov.) -- Fox News via AP (Note: AP is consistently hostile toward the USA in its reporting and editorializing of Operation Iraqi Freedom).
'Heroic' officer faces Army hearing (18 Nov.) -- Reports some testimony of first day of Article 32 hearing. Lt. Col. West to testify tomorrow (Wed., 19 Nov.).
Officer facing charges would do it again (19 Nov.) -- "To protect my men, I'd go through hell with a gasoline can." -- LTC Allen B. West in testimony during Article 32 hearing today.
Senators question case against officer (19 Nov.) -- Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma said Lt. Col. Allen B. West was trying to protect his soldiers. "I think the message if we were to end up punishing someone for doing what it took to protect the soldiers entrusted to his command, it would be the wrong signal," Inhofe said at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing with top Army officials.
4th ID officer faces discipline for alleged abuse of Iraqi (19 Nov.) -- Day, the intelligence officer, testified that it was virtually impossible to obtain information from detainees under the constraints imposed by the code of military justice [UCMJ]. "Our hands are tied behind our backs," Day said. "It didn't take the detainees long to figure out our techniques and procedures. They knew we had to stay in certain boundaries (of treatment) because we're Americans. They knew they could sit all day long and not say anything and eventually walk free."
Risking all for the unworthy (20 Nov.) -- WND article by Hal Lindsey.
Jessica Lynch, Col. West, And Common Sense (21 Nov.) -- "The courage of Col. West is evident, and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld should affirm this by absolving West of these charges."
Persecuting Col. West (22 Nov.) -- "It is immoral to send good men like Col. West into harm's way and then persecute them for going the extra mile to ensure the safety of the men and women under their command.
Congressman Hunter (R-CA) goes to bat for Army officer's actions in Iraq (24 Nov.) -- Hunter and McHugh's actions follow the protests voiced last week by Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner, R-VA, and one of his subcommittee chairmen, Sen. James Inhofe, R-OK, when (Acting Secretary of the Army) Brownlee appeared before the panel.
Public Statement regarding Lt. Col. West (24 Nov.) -- by West's attorney, Neal Puckett
West's attorney cites woes in queries (1 Dec.)
Failure of Command (4 Dec.) -- In the investigation that followed, two junior officers drafted a report. That report is tainted: It didn't go directly to the JAG or the commanding general, but went instead to [LTC West's immediate superior, Col.] Stramara, who made changes to it and then got the two junior officers to sign it.Statement direct from LTC West's attorney, Neal A. Puckett: "LTC West will be accepting Article 15 non-judicial punishment from the Commanding General of the 4th Infantry Division on Friday, in Tikrit, Iraq. Major General Raymond Odierno will hold the hearing and determine whether LTC West is guilty or not guilty of the charges he faces. If he is found guilty, the punishment could include a letter or reprimand and perhaps some forfeiture of his pay. That punishment would be recorded in his official military record. Such punishment does NOT amount to a federal conviction, which can only be adjudged by a court-martial. We presume that he will be ordered back to Ft. Hood thereafter, but a timeline for his return has been neither established or nor promised by the Army. All indications are that LTC West will not be ordered to face trial by general court-martial, and will be allowed to retire in the grade of Lieutenant Colonel sometime in the spring of 2004." (Recd. 10 Dec., 2003)
Officer avoids court-martial (13 Dec.) -- Lt. Col. Allen B. West was fined $5,000 by his commanding officer yesterday, closing a case in which the Army charged him with assault for firing his gun to frighten an Iraqi detainee into disclosing a planned ambush.
Not specific to the LTC West case, but related
Why America is losing the intelligence war(11 Nov.) -- Asian Times Online: "It is already clear that America is losing the intelligence war in Iraq, for the same reasons it lost in Somalia. The rocket attack on the al-Rashid hotel while Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz was present, the downing of a Chinook helicopter with 16 deaths, and related incidents suggest that the Iraqi resistance has infiltrated the American command. That should be no surprise, given that the occupiers depend on local sources for information, and have little capacity to distinguish a repentant Ba'athist from a saboteur. There exist ways to compensate for such limitations, to be sure, but an army that would court-martial Lieutenant Colonel Allen West for scaring a prisoner into a confession with a harmless pistol shot does not have the stomach for them."
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©opyright since 2003 by Steve Harrison. All rights reserved.