What he did then: Army Lt. Col.; Commander, 2nd Battalion, 20th Field Artillery Regiment

What he does now: Private citizen

Reported involvement: Army investigators learned that West participated in the August 2003 forcible interrogation of an Iraqi police officer thought to be involved in a plot to assassinate him and other soldiers. In their report, the investigators found that West directed four enlisted soldiers and a female civilian interpreter to punch and kick the Iraqi detainee repeatedly in an attempt to get information. The investigation also found that West brandished his pistol during the interrogation and fired it near the detainee's head in a mock execution to scare the detainee into talking.

Punishment: Fourth Infantry Division commanding Gen. Raymond Odierno initially brought criminal charges against West, but a pretrial hearing officer recommended that those charges be dismissed. Instead, Odierno gave West an administrative punishment and fined him half a month's pay for two months, or about $5,000. In spring 2004, West retired from the Army.