Former Congressman Allen West Discusses His Upcoming Book Release
By Dom Giordano
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Dom Giordano talked to former Congressman Allen West about his book, Guardian of the Republic: An American Ronin's Journey to Faith, Family, and Freedom, which will be released on April 1.
West was elected to one term in Florida's 22nd Congressional District from 2011-2013. He previously served 22 years in the military, including tours in both Iraq wars and Afghanistan.
He describes his book as a "call to arms" for citizens to re-engage with public life.
"We have raised a family of guardians and when you look at those men and women who've stood on freedom's rampart throughout the years, going back to the time of Lexington Green and Concord Bridge with the Minutemen, it is now a time for us to realize we have to have more guardians to stand up and ensure the fundamental principles and values of this republic are preserved so we can pass on a greater America to our subsequent generations," he said.
West also believes President Obama was attempting to politicize the military earlier this week when he awarded 24 Medals of Honor, 21 posthumously, to recipients who were previously denied the recognition due to prejudice.
"The toughest thing for me to stomach is having a President who is failing in his role of Commander-in-Chief, who really is decimating our military capabilities and capacity, who is cutting benefits for veterans and retirees, and is not doing anything to improve the V.A. benefits system, to once again make this into a political event. No one can question the heroism of each one of those gentlemen, but to turn it into a politicized event at a time when the President is looking for a boost in polling numbers, that's not what it should be all about. We should not take the Medal of Honor and turn it into a tool that a Presidential administration can use," he stated.
West will be speaking at Valley Forge Military Academy on Thursday, April 3. Tickets for the event are available at cbsphilly.com/speakerseries.