Team America would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to two awesome Congressional candidates running in the 2010 elections.  Both Lieutenant Colonel Allen West (US Army, Retired) of Florida's District 22 (Palm Beach and Broward Counties) and Vaughn Ward of Idaho's First Congressional District, a former Marine, are dedicated Conservatives.  Both have continued family traditions of military service and have served their country with honor.  

Among the many pro-family and Conservative issues these candidates share, each of these men believes that we must protect and secure our borders, are tough on illegal immigration and opposed to amnesty.

Lieutenant Colonel Allen West (US Army, Retired) [click on picture below to see a video of a recent speech] was born and raised in Atlanta Georgia and is third of four generations of military servicemen in his family. He retired after more than 20 years of service in the US Army, and brought his wife and two young daughters to Broward County, Florida.  He taught high school for one year, and then returned to Afghanistan as an advisor to the Afghan army, an assignment he finished in November 2007.

A great believer in the power of a good education, Allen West received his Bachelors degree from University of Tennessee and Masters degree from Kansas State University, both in political science. He also holds a Master of Military Arts and Sciences from the US Army Command and General Staff Officer College in political theory and military operations.

During his Army career, Col. West was awarded a Bronze Star, three Meritorious Service Medals, three Army Commendation Medals (one with Valor), and a Valorous Unit Award as a Captain in Desert Shield/Storm. 

West states, "There are three words I hate to hear used. I hate big-tent. I hate inclusiveness. And I hate outreach. I think you stand on the principles that make you great, which transcend everybody in America, and people will come to it."

To learn more about Col. Allen West and his position on issues such as the Economy, Energy, Health Care, the Troops, The Second Amendment, Israel and more on his immigration position, please visit his website at http://allenwestforcongress.com/.

If you can, please donate to Col. West's campaign - we need to support these Conservative candidates in 2010!

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Our second candidate today is Vaughn Ward.

A fourth-generation Idaho native, Vaughn volunteered on the U.S. Senate campaign of Dirk Kempthorne, and subsequently accepted a position as a Legislative Aide on Kempthorne’s staff in Washington, D.C., and worked on commerce, defense, energy, transportation, and veterans' issues for the people of Idaho.

In 1995, Vaughn entered the Marine Corps.  As a 2nd Lieutenant, Ward led and served with the Marines on missions in Liberia, Cuba, Japan, and Korea.  Lieutenant Ward was transferred in 1998 and served as a military Fellow in the United States Senate where he worked on variety of budgetary and national security policy issues.

In 1999, Vaughn began a Master's in Business Administration at the University of Maryland.  After his graduation in 2002, and moved by the events of 9/11, Vaughn joined the CIA where he was trained as an Operations Officer and served in the Middle East, Africa, and Washington, D.C.  He worked closely with senior government officials from the U.S. and multiple foreign countries to combat the Taliban and Al Qaeda.

In January 2006, Vaughn took a leave of absence from the CIA and volunteered to serve on active duty with the Marines for a tour in Iraq.  He assumed command of Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 25th Marines.  Major Ward led his men through a combat tour in Fallujah, Al-Anbar Province, Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.  For his actions, Vaughn was awarded the Bronze Star with Combat V (Valor).

Upon his return from Iraq, Vaughn served as the Nevada State Director for the McCain/Palin campaign. 

To learn more about Vaughn's positions on the Economy, Health Care, National Defense, the Second Amendment, Illegal Immigration and Amnesty, please visit Vaughn's website at http://www.vaughnward.com/.

If you can, please donate to Vaughn's campaign - keep this resurgence of Conservative values alive!