I was a former student of LTC West's (CPT West at the time) when he was an ROTC instructor at Kansas State University in 1992. I am now a Captain in the Army serving in Iraq, although not in the northern part of the country where this is much more danger. I have two vivid memories of him from my days at KSU. The first being my senior when I back-talked him on day during PT (physical training). After "locking me up" (making me stand at attention) and yelling at me for five minutes about who was the captain and who was the cadet, he patted me on the back and congratulated me on my PT test. The second memory I have of him was when I graduated from college. As I walked across the stage and collected my diploma, CPT West was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs. As I descended the stairs, he grabbed me and gave me a monster hug and congratulated me on completing my degree....all the while in full Class-A uniform. I was very suprised to see LTC West was facing these charges. But the circumstances do not suprise me: LTC West was doing what was best for his soldiers. Although I didn't always see eye-to-eye with then-CPT West, I knew that he gave a damn about me and my well being; and he would do anything to protect me. That is the CPT West I remember and I would willingly be a character witness for him if asked.