Lt. Colonel Allen West, US Army retired
STARRS Board of Advisors
Sage Steele sat down with Colonel Allen West, combat veteran, former congressman, and one of the most principled leaders in America, for a powerful conversation on the 25th anniversary of September 11th.
West takes us back to that morning, from watching the second tower fall in a Marine operations center, to the aircraft striking the Pentagon wing where a close friend survived, to driving home under a silent sky with no aircraft and knowing this was the Pearl Harbor of his generation.
He shares what it meant to lead nearly 500 soldiers into Iraq when only two of them had ever seen combat, the moment he told a frightened young soldier that his own greatest fear was letting his men down, and the interrogation decision that ended his military career because protecting his troops mattered more to him than his own rank.
West also reflects on faith, his father’s charge to always take care of his troops, the family military legacy he shares with Sage, and why he still believes America’s greatest days are ahead.
A moving conversation about service, sacrifice, and leadership on The Sage Steele Show. Watch:
Chapters:
00:00 – Intro
03:24 – Colonel West Remembers September 11, 2001
07:00 – Why 9/11 Changed America Forever
12:02 – The Controversy Surrounding New York’s 9/11 Memorial
18:04 – The Soldier Colonel West Trained Who Helped Lead America’s Response
21:02 – How America Went From United to Deeply Divided
23:21 – The Muslim Brotherhood’s 1991 Plan for America
30:17 – Trump, Immigration & Confronting Threats From Within
40:45 – Getting the Call to Lead His Troops Into Iraq
49:00 – Why Colonel West Believed in the Iraq War Mission
51:02 – The Gulf War, Saddam Hussein & Leaving the Job Unfinished
53:04 – What Young Americans Don’t Understand About Socialism
56:03 – The Decision to Protect His Soldiers That Cost Him His Military Career
01:04:00 – Why Colonel West Never Stopped Serving
01:07:39 – What Gives Colonel West Hope for America
01:10:00 – Faith, Conviction & Fighting for the Next Generation
01:15:37 – Final Thoughts
STARRS Board of Advisors member Lt. Colonel Allen West, USA (Ret.) is the Executive Director of the American Constitutional Conservative Rights Union and the ACRU Action Fund. He is a constitutional conservative, combat veteran, and former member of the US Congress.
Col. West is the third of four generations of military servicemen in his family. During his 22-year career in the U.S. Army, Lt. Col. West served in several combat zones and received many honors, including the Bronze Star; Meritorious Service Medal; Army Commendation Medal; Army Achievement Medal; and Valorous Unit Award.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee and two Masters degrees from Kansas State University and the US Army Command and General Staff Officers Course.
In November 2010, West was elected to the United States Congress representing Florida’s 22d District. As a member of the 112th Congress, West sat on the Small Business and Armed Services Committees.
West is the former Executive Director of the National Center for Policy Analysis in Dallas, Texas, and a former Director of the Booker T. Washington Initiative (BTWI) for the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
In July of 2020, Col. West was elected Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas by an overwhelming majority of State delegates.
West is the author of three books: Guardian of the Republic: An American Ronin’s Journey to Family, Faith, and Freedom; Hold Texas, Hold the Nation: Victory or Death; and We Can Overcome: An American Black Conservative Manifesto.
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