Dear Fellow American,

After 22 years of service, I recently retired as Lieutenant Colonel with the United States Army. My last official tour of duty in the United States military was in 2004 as a Battalion Commander of the 4 th Infantry Division, stationed in Baghdad.

But today…I am a candidate for the United States Congress in Florida 's 22 nd Congressional District, and I wanted to introduce myself.

Since 1982, I have been a proud member of our Armed Forces with combat tours of duty in Operation Desert Shield, Operation Desert Storm, and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

After retiring from the Army, I moved to South Florida with my wife, Angela, and two daughters, Aubrey and Austen. Once in South Florida I began teaching to seniors at a local public high school.

But the call to duty once again proved more than I could resist.

And I soon went to Afghanistan to train Afghan Military Officers, while working for the Department of Defense.

Over the last few years I have begun to realize that America 's security could not be defended by armed soldiers alone.

It also needs strong, principled, and dedicated political leadership in Washington.

For the sake of my comrades who have already given the ultimate sacrifice and for those still in harm's way--it's time we have elected leaders that exemplify those qualities.

I am proud to say that I don't have any special interest trying to line my pockets.

I have received many honors while in the Army, including a Bronze Star, but today, the honor of gaining your support would rank with each and every one of my awards.

Together, we can and will return principled honest leaders with the determination to fix Washington.

I urge you to go to my website for more information, www.allenwestforcongress.com.

Thank You,

Allen B. West, Lt. Col Ret.
Congressional Candidate, District 22

Paid for by Allen West for Congress