Officer's Wife Suspects Politics Behind Military Prosecution for His Actions in Iraq
by Chad Groening
November 18, 2003
(AgapePress) - The wife of a U.S. Army officer facing potentially serious disciplinary action says her husband does not believe in doing whatever it takes to achieve higher rank. But now it looks as though this military man's belief in putting his men before politics might cost him his career.Lt. Colonel Allen West, an Army battalion commander, was able to obtain important information from an uncooperative Iraqi detainee about a planned sniper attack, probably saving many lives in the process. But instead of commending the colonel for his actions, Army officials arrested him and charged him with aggravated assault.
All this happened because Lt. Colonel West, after lengthy efforts to get information from the Saddam-loyalist in a non-confrontational manner, finally drew a gun and fired two shots away from the Iraqi detainee, frightening him into giving up the vital intelligence. And for this, the decorated officer is facing a possible court martial, the loss of his retirement benefits, and possibly even prison.
Angela West recently told American Family Radio News that her family has been blind-sided by the reaction of military officials to her husband's actions in Iraq. She says he does not believe in playing political games. "My husband has always put his soldiers first, and he has said from the beginning that he is the one who is expendable; his soldiers were not."
According to his wife, West did what he had to do to protect his men. "He felt that if you did all the right things, then the right accolades will come to you. He wasn't trying to scheme and plot and plan to get to the next level," she says.
West says several troops from her husband's former command have come by to express their support for him, and she says the soldiers' morale is seriously low, as they are devastated by what is happening to him. And now that she is speaking publicly about the Lt. Colonel's case, she wonders -- with some misgivings -- whether military officials will order the other soldiers not to speak to her again.
Mrs. West believes politics may be behind the drastic measures being taken to discipline her husband. She suspects that if the case continues, certain hidden agendas may begin to come out. "As this thing goes on, if they want it to go any further, I think people will find out certain motivations behind certain people," she says.
