 A United States Air Force officer with experience in the Vietnam War and Southeast Asia (Gulf War I), Major General West wears the wings of a senior pilot and a rather uninformative rack of ribbons.He is a qualified expert with small arms and has served at least six months in Viet Nam.He has prior experience with Colonel Jack O'Neil, both trusting his judgment and his military expertise while having enough emotional distance from the man to select him for a suicide mission.