Honorable Les Brownlee

Acting Secretary of the Army

Pentagon 3E732

Washington, DC 20301

Dear Secretary Brownlee:

We are highly disturbed by media accounts that the Army is beginning criminal proceedings against Lt. Col. Alien B. West for taking actions in Iraq that he believed were necessary to protect the lives and safety of his men, and which he apparently reported to his chain of command. To us, such actions if accurately reported do not appear to be those of a criminal.

In order to better understand the facts and circumstances of the case, we ask that you expeditiously provide us the complete report and recommendations of the AR 15-6 investigation ordered by the commanding general, 4th Division, on September 14th. We understand that this fact finding effort addressed a range of issues, including some beyond the incidents involving Lt. Col. West.

We also request a copy of the CID investigation into Lt. Col. West's actions. Beyond this, we urge you to closely examine this matter and provide us your assessment of facts and circumstances.

We look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Duncan Hunter

Chairman [Contact Him]

John M.McHugh

Subcommittee on Total Force

Chairman [Contact Him]

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Last Updated: November 21, 2003