About Allen

Congressman Allen West was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia in the same neighborhood where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once preached. He is the third of four generations of military servicemen in his family. His parents instilled in him a very basic principle, love of God and country.

In 2004, upon retiring after 22 years of service in the United States Army, he brought his wife Angela and their two daughters, Aubrey and Austen, to south Florida. Allen taught high school for a year before returning to Afghanistan as a civilian military adviser to the Afghan army, an assignment he finished in November 2007.

During his career in the United States Army, Lieutenant Colonel West served in several combat zones: in Operation Desert Storm, in Operation Iraqi Freedom, where he was a Battalion Commander in the Army’s 4th Infantry Division, and later in Afghanistan. He received many honors including a Bronze Star, three Meritorious Service Medals, three Army Commendation Medals (one with Valor), and a Valorous Unit Award. He received his valor award as a Captain in Desert Shield/Storm, was the US Army ROTC Instructor of the Year in 1993, and was a Distinguished Honor Graduate III Corps Air Assault School.

In November of 2010, Allen was honored to be able to continue his oath of service to his country when he was elected as a Representative in the United States Congress.

As a member of the 112th Congress, Allen sits on the Small Business and Armed Services Committee. He has introduced seven major pieces of legislation, and was the original sponsor of H.R. 1246 which reduces costs at the Department of Defense. Almost unheard of for a freshman member, this bill passed the House of Representatives unanimously on a vote of 393-0 and was subsequently signed into law by President Barack Obama as part of the National Defense Authorization Act.

In Congress, Allen is a staunch advocate for a strong the US-Israeli alliance.

He was proud to vote yes on the Balanced Budget Amendment, and voted yes for over 27 different bills designed to empower small businesses and reduce government barriers to job creation, boost American competitiveness, encourage entrepreneurship and growth, and maximize American energy production.

Allen is an avid distance runner, a Master SCUBA diver, and motorcyclist. Allen’s wife, Angela, holds an MBA and 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.