by Allen West
Steadfast and loyal, we’re fit to fight,
The nation’s finest soldiers keep liberty’s light,
Our soldiers roar for freedom,
We’re fit for any test,
The mighty 4th Division, America’s best.
So, as with all correspondence I write, I will sign off and conclude this, my first-ever literary project, with those three simple words:
Steadfast and Loyal.
With my mom and little brother Arlan (center) around 1972 in a family picture taken at Mom’s work, the Sixth US Marine Corps District Headquarters in Atlanta. Dad was never one for staged portraits, plus he was probably sleeping since he worked the night shift at the Veterans Administration Hospital. Whenever I visited Mom at her office, I knew to be respectful and address Marines and the civilians as “Sir” and “Ma’am.” I hoped one day I’d be like those men and women in uniform. (West family photo)
With Mom and Dad on Commissioning Day, July 31, 1982, at the University of Tennessee Army ROTC Office in Stokely Athletic Center. I’d just returned from ROTC Advanced Camp in Fort Lewis, Washington, and still had a year of school to complete. But because of my experience in high school ROTC, I advanced faster in the college program. You can see that Buck West smirk, but I knew inside Dad was beaming. After all those years at the Sixth Marine Corps District, Mom finally got to pin the bars on her own officer. (West family photo)
Me as a second lieutenant, Delta Battery, Fourth Battalion, 325th Airborne Battalion Combat Team (ABCT), Vicenza, Italy, 1984. Before there was a Third Ranger Battalion, there was the ABCT in Vicenza, Italy. Our unit was deployed nine months out of the year to various locations related to our contingency missions. During this assignment, I learned to ski, but the most memorable moment was when I passed through Checkpoint Charlie into East Berlin. It was in East Berlin that I saw what communism/socialism was all about. (West family photo)
Colonel Denny R. Lewis, commander of the Eighteenth Field Artillery Brigade (Airborne), 1997–1999. To look into his eyes is to understand our brigade motto, “Sweat Saves Blood.” Colonel Lewis taught me to have a commander’s vision and to understand operational planning and execution. He gave me an unheard-of opportunity, allowing a fresh-out-of-Staff-College major to be the operations officer of the largest Field Artillery unit in the US Army. Denny Lewis is now chairman of the Allen West Guardian Fund, which supports military and minority conservative candidates for federal elected office. He is a true patriot. (US Army official portrait)
With Corporal Robert Delgado in Kuwait, March 2003. Del was from Texas, a stellar young soldier, and an excellent driver with a meticulous attention to detail. I’ll never forget the night he was shot. We were heading to the rally point for a major raid operation against an insurgent weapons cache when we were suddenly hit by a vehicle drive-by ambush. Del was hit in the chest, but the bullet ricocheted off and went into his arm. We eliminated the enemy, and as I knelt down over Del he said, “Sir, the mutha!@#$er shot me.” I responded, “We shot them back.” He testified at the Article 32 hearing, and we remain close to this day. (West family photo)
With Pastor Jim Vineyard at the Windsor Hill Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, summer 2004. Pastor Vineyard knew the story from Iraq and wanted to have me out for a dinner and awards recognition ceremony. A funny note: This church was an Evangelical Christian one where typical female attire was long dresses, but my wife, Angela, showed up dressed like a “South Florida chick.” I’ll never forget Angela and the girls heading over to a Walmart to change their attire—we believe in being respectful. Ultimately, we all had a great time. (West family photo)
This is how I roll, with my 2005 Honda VTX-1800N, which sports a custom US flag paint job by Chopper Zoo, Fort Lauderdale. The first motorcycle I rode was a Honda CBR 750 café racer when I was in Italy in 1985, but today I love my powerful VTX-1800 with the shaft drive and after-market pipes. Of course, I know some are saying, “Why ain’t the Colonel on a Harley-Davidson?” Because I like my bike’s uniqueness, I’m a fiscal conservative, and this bike happens to be very well priced. And as long as I put my American butt on it, it’s American. (Boris Balaban)
Dishing out Five Guys at a grand opening in Fort Lauderdale off Cypress Creek Road, near our congressional district office in 2011. I love Five Guys and eat their food at least once a week. Serving on the House Small Business Committee made me look differently at franchisers like the family who owned the Five Guys. I wanted to understand the effects tax policy, regulations, and health-care mandates have on the entrepreneurs who are the backbone of our country. Too often, politicians come up with schemes to win over the electorate but never consider the second- and third-order effects. After I ended my tour of duty at the Five Guys, I treated myself to a nice cheeseburger. (Boris Balaban)
Surfacing after a reef cleanup dive off the shores of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. We went out to clean and clear the fishing line that endangers the pristine reef system here in South Florida. Some say that conservatives don’t care for the environment, but that’s BS. I’d be happy to take anyone on a reef cleanup dive, and I want to see us secure more vessels to sink for artificial reefs. My initial SCUBA certification came when I was an ROTC cadet at Tennessee. I re-certified when I retired in 2004 and have achieved the level of Master SCUBA diver. (Boris Balaban)
Election night at the Boca Raton Marriott Hotel. A little-known fact about that night was that I didn’t show up at the hotel until around 8:30 p.m. or so. I’d told very few people, besides Angela, that I’d be at our church with my pastor, Scott Eynon. We prayed for a while and then turned the results over to God. After that, we watched the classic film The Robe. Pastor Scott had never seen the film, so I gave him the movie to share with his family, then drove up the Sawgrass Expressway to Boca Raton. Those who didn’t know where I was gave a sigh of relief. (Palm Beach Post/ZUMApress.com)
Swearing-in day, January 2011. From left: brother-in-law Roger Graham, cousin Anthony Wilson, Speaker John Boehner, niece Chiquitta, wife Angela, nephew Captain Bernard West, daughter Austen, daughter Aubrey (hidden), myself, and sister-in-law Jannetta. I was born in February 1961, and later that same year there was an event called the “wade-in” on Fort Lauderdale beach to protest segregation. Amazingly enough, fifty years later I was sworn in as the congressional representative of Fort Lauderdale beach. It was a day that my girls will always remember, and I know my parents were looking down on us with a smile. (US House of Representatives)
I had a great office and fantastic congressional staff. We were in the Longworth building, seventh floor, and I could look out onto the Library of Congress and the Supreme Court. Next door to me was Maryland congressman Chris Van Hollen. Sometimes I’d walk by his office and hear visitors say in tones usually reserved for the boogeyman, “That’s Allen West.” The best part of serving in that office was when families would come to visit, and I’d put the kids in the chair for pictures. Their faces would just light up. (Boris Balaban)
Lights, cameras, media … the aftermath of a town hall meeting in Deerfield Beach. Our standard operating procedure was to hold two town halls each month, one in Broward County and one in Palm Beach County. It was my responsibility to report back to our constituents every month at an open venue. No one could ever say that I hid from the people or that I lied. I’m not in Congress anymore, but these days I can look in the mirror and feel that I did my best. (Mort Kuff)
In September 2012 the “Romney for President” bus pulled into Traditions in Port St. Lucie, Florida. I was asked to give introductory comments before those of Florida attorney general Pam Bondi. The best part of the day was when my wife, daughters, and exchange student daughter met Ann Romney. I believe America regrets not having elected Governor Romney to the presidency. He and Mrs. Romney would have restored a sense of exceptionalism to America and a sense of honor to the office. Governor Romney certainly would have done better in restoring our economy. The reelection of President Obama was the ultimate mistake. (Boris Balaban)
CPAC 2013. I delivered the opening address, welcoming the audience to the fortieth CPAC. I remember my first CPAC, 2008. I’d just returned from Afghanistan and was running for Congress. I was a complete unknown and was just trying to hand out my card and meet as many people as I could. From a TV screen outside, I watched the proceedings and wondered what it would be like to speak on the grand stage. In 2010, I was invited to speak at CPAC, and it was phenomenal. In 2011, I was sitting at my favorite Chinese food place in Washington, DC, with my chief of staff, and he received a call asking me to be the CPAC keynote speaker. It was Tuesday and the speech was to be on Saturday, and without hesitation I said, “Yep!” I’d gone from handing out cards in 2008 to being a keynoter. America is awesome! (Eric Draper)
C’mon, man, I was Artillery—I never carried a machine gun! There were countless cartoon caricatures of me, some funny, others offensive. It’s always humorous when progressives think they can “hurt my feelings.” Do they fail to realize that I served in the Army for twenty-two years and have been in combat? Did you see that stare from Colonel Lewis? If anything, all this just made me relish the fact that I was getting under their skin. Am I a tough guy? Sure. But there are many who are far tougher, and I had the honor to serve with them. Vladimir Putin would never intimidate me or punk me out as he did our president. Furthermore, if I ever sit across the table from despots and dictators, I want this image in their heads. But next time, please give me a simple M4 carbine. (Matt Dawson)
May 2012 at Community Christian Church. My wife of twenty-four years, Angela (second from right), a beautiful, brilliant woman who is tough and demanding. My oldest daughter, Aubrey (right), who has grown into a highly principled fighter. Her nickname is Chili Bean. My youngest daughter, Austen (second from left), nickname Beetlejuice, is a technology whiz and a somewhat goofy little comedian. When you look at this picture you see the strength of America—the family. However, two-parent families represent only 28 percent of the black community. Where did we go so wrong and is it too late to restore this foundation of a successful society? I don’t believe so, which is why I remain a guardian of the republic. (West family photo)
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I want to thank God for giving me the courage to stand on principle and blessing me in countless ways.
I want to thank my wife of twenty-four years, Angela Graham-West, PhD, who has always been there through good times and bad and who has pushed me beyond my perceived limits to excel. I thought that earning two master’s degrees would put me in the same intellectual league with her, but no such luck.
I want to thank my darling daughters, Aubrey Elizabeth (call sign Chili Bean) and Austen Brianna (call sign Beetlejuice) for understanding my commitment to our country and their future and why Dad has often been away. They’ve truly been troopers and have always given me the best hugs. And thanks to Wangying Lin (call sign Linny Lin), who came into our lives as an exchange student from China and quickly became a loving member of our family.
I want to thank sister-in-law Joann Williams-West for her spiritual support and for providing the keepsake pictures. And to my nephew, Major Herman Bernard West II, the fourth man in the West family to serve the republic. I’m so proud of you, young man. Doggone, I used to bounce you on my knee, and now you are just one promotion away.…
I want to thank Michele Hickford, my cowriter, who took my words and edited them into this finished product. It’s tough editing for a Southerner—we still have that subject-verb agreement issue. As well, Michele is my dive buddy, and after all this she’s probably planning a real nice live-aboard dive trip somewhere. Michele, you are the consummate professional, and I am so thankful for the day we met onboard the South Florida Diving Headquarters catamaran four years ago.
I want to thank Dana Perino, who dialed me up and simply said, “You need to write a book.” She may be tiny in stature, but she certainly makes it up in her resolve. Dana, thanks so much for believing this was something I could accomplish.
And thanks too to the impeccable team at Penguin Random House: Rick Horgan, Campbell Wharton, and Nathan Roberson—and Sean Desmond, with whom I started. What an incredible honor that a young fella from the inner city of Atlanta could grow up and be published by one of the most recognized publishing houses in the world. I cannot thank you all enough for taking my raw thoughts and converting them into this final work. This is something I shall never forget, and it will be part of the legacy I leave to Chili Bean and Beetlejuice.
And to all my friends and fellow patriots—as well as my detractors and critics—I hope you’ll enjoy this book. Don’t know if I will do this again, but it sure was fun this time.
Mom and Dad, thanks for raising me to be the disciplined man I am. May you smile just a little brighter up there in heaven knowing your legacy lives on.