The Combat Veterans For Congress PAC is re-endorsing a Combat Veteran who was previously endorsed in the 2010 mid-term election and was elected to Congress, he is therefore one of the 76 Combat Veteran For Congress who have been endorsed over the last 3+ years.  Congressman Allen West, Lt Col-USA (Ret) (R-FL-22)  http://www.allenwestforcongress.com  of Palm Beach Garden, Florida served 22 years in the US Army and currently still serves his country on the US House Armed Services and the US House Small Business Committees.  Congressman West currently represents the 22nd Congressional District, but because of redistricting throughout the state of Florida, he now is running for election for a seat in the 18th Congressional District.  Congressman West is a fiscally conservative Congressman who has been working to rein in the out of control spending by Congress, has consistently opposed the attempt by the Obama Administration to increase taxes, has been a staunch supporter of the US Military especially those in Combat, and has been a strong advocate for a strong US-Israeli alliance.  Congressman West’s Democratic opponent is Patrick Murphy who supports Pelosi’s legislative agenda to impose a creative string of taxes on all Americans, has supported the Obama Administration’s out of control spending that has seriously damaged financial stability of the Republic, and supports Obama’s budget proposal which will increase the National Debt to $21 trillion.  Allen West was born on February 7, 1961 and raised in the inner city of Atlanta, in the same neighborhood where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once preached to his parishioners.   His father was a corporal in the US Army, served in the European theatre of operations in WWII, and believed serving ones country is the greatest of all honors; Allen’s mother, worked as a civilian on a military installation.  In June of 1978, Allen graduated from Grady High School in Atlanta.  He entered the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee and received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science in July 1982.   Major West obtained a Master’s Degree in Political Science in June 1996 from Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas.   While serving in the US Army, Lt Col West received a Master’s Degree in Military Arts and Sciences in Political Theory and Military Operations from the US Army Command and General Staff Officer’s College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas in June 1997. 

Allen West was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Army upon graduation from the ROTC Program at the University of Tennessee on July 31, 1982.  2nd Lt West entered active duty service on November 1, 1983 at Fort Sill, Oklahoma and reported to the Field Artillery Officer’s Basic Course.  He subsequently went on to and completed airborne training at Fort Benning, Georgia; he was a distinguished Honor Graduate in the III Corps Air Assault School.  2nd Lt West was next assigned was as an Airborne Infantry Company Fire Support Team Leader and Battalion Training Officer in the 325th Airborne Battalion Combat Team; he was promoted to First Lieutenant in February 1984.   In 1987, he was promoted to Captain and received orders to the Field Artillery Officer Advanced Course at Fort Sill.   Upon completion of training, Captain West was then assigned to the 1st Infantry Division, where he commanded Bravo Battery, 6th Field Artillery Regiment and was assigned as the Battalion Task Force Fire Support Officer for the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment.  While with the 1st Infantry Division, he deployed with his unit in 1992 in support of Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Strom to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, returning to CONUS in 1993.

After redeployment from Kuwait, Captain West served as an ROTC Instructor at Kansas State University from 1993 to 1994.  In January 1995, Captain West was assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division Support Command as the Assistant Operations/Command Plans Officer.  During that tour of duty Captain West was promoted to Major and selected to attend the US Army Command and Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; he graduated in June 1997 with a Master’s Degree.  He was next assigned as the Operations Officer of the 18th Field Artillery Brigade, followed by an assignment as the Executive Officer of the 1st Battalion, 377th Field Artillery Regiment.  Upon completion of those assignments, Major West was assigned as the US Army Liaison Officer at the Headquarters, Second Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; Major West served in that capacity until June 2002. 

After Major West was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, he received orders to report as Battalion Commander for the 2nd Battalion, 20th Field Artillery, 4th Infantry Division; it was the culminating assignment of his US Army career.  He assumed command of the 2nd Battalion on June 6, 2002, and deployed with his command in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, his combat was involved in combat operations during the Iraqi War.  He continued to command the 2nd Battalion until his retirement from the US Army in 2004, after 22 years of honorable service in defense of the Republic. Lt Col West’s awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (with two Oak Leaf Clusters), Army Commendation Medal (with three Oak Leaf Clusters, one Valor Device), Army Achievement Medal (with one Oak Leaf Cluster), a Valorus Unit Award, the Air Assault Badge, the Master Parachutist Badge, and various service and campaign medals.   Lt Col West proudly wore the Army Parachutist Badge, the Air Assault Badge, the Navy/Marine Corps Parachutist Wings, the Italian Parachutist Insignia, and the German Proficiency Badge during his active duty service. 

Upon retirement, Lt Col West taught US History and coached track at Deerfield Beach High School for one year.  He then spent two years working for Military Professional Resources, Inc. (MPRI), a defense contractor.  While with MPRI, West served in Kandahar, Afghanistan as a Regional Director in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.  In that capacity, he was an Advisor to the Afghan National Army.  In November 2010, Lt Col Allen West was elected to represent Florida’s 22nd Congressional District in the US House of Representatives.  During his first term of office, Congressman West introduced seven major pieces of legislation, and was the original sponsor of H. R. 1246 which reduces costs at the Department of Defense, was passed unanimously by 393-0, and was signed into law by President Obama as part of the National Defense Authorization Act.  Congress West voted for the Balanced Budget Amendment, and voted for over 30 different bills designed to empower small businesses, to reduce government barriers to job creation, boost American competitiveness, encourage entrepreneurship & growth, and maximize American energy production.   A quote from Congressman West’s will tell you a great deal about him; he stated “Far left liberals demand we lay down our Country, my response is just as Spartans King Leonidas responded----“Molon Labe”----Steadfast and Loyal!”  

In his campaign for re-election in the newly formed 18th Congressional District, Congressman West has been endorsed by the Republican Party of Florida, the Combat Veterans For Congress PAC, the National Defense PAC, The National Rifle Association, Congressman Tom Rooney (R-FL-16), The Republican parties of Palm Beach, Martin, and St Lucie Counties.  Congressman West is an avid distance runner, a Master SCUBA diver, and a motorcyclist; in his spare time he enjoys cheering for his beloved Tennessee Volunteers.  He is a member of the NRA, the VFW, the American Legion, the University of Tennessee Alumni Association, Kansas State University Alumni Association, and the Florida Republican Party.  Congressman West has been married to his wife, Angela, for 23 years; she holds an MBA and a Ph.D. and works as a financial planner.  His older daughter, Aubrey attends college in south Florida, and his younger daughter, Austen is in high school.   The West family attends Community Christian Church in Tamarac, Fl.

The Combat Veterans For Congress PAC is pleased to re-endorse Congressman Allen West, Lt Col-USA (Ret) who will continue to provide Congress with his leadership skills, his wisdom to better solve problems in government, and his ability to properly represent the 18th Congressional District of Florida. If you review Cong West’s positions on his Web site, you would be pleased with his stands; they agree with the Combat Veterans For Congress Mission Statement.  We look forward to continuing to work with Congressman West, and are pleased that a Combat Veteran of his caliber is running for re-election to Congress.  If you have friends, associates, or relatives who know voters in the 18th Congressional District of Florida, kindly pass this E-mail on to them, and ask them to support Congressman West by working in his campaign, providing financial support for his campaign in any amount, and/or by networking with others who would be willing to support his campaign.  The military is one of the few remaining institutions producing the caliber of men and women needed to restore this nation to the greatness our Founding Fathers envisioned.  We have endorsed another Combat Veteran For Congress that General George Washington would have approved of.  He is a Veteran who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to “The United States of America” for an amount “up to and including his life.”