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After he retired, West earned the Military Rodeo Cowboys Association's title of World Champion Team Roper in San Antonio in 1989 and again in Palm Springs, Calif., in 1991. "It was the cowboys at Camp Pendleton who formed the association," said West. "I became a life member, but I don't know if it's still going on."

West didn't spend much time at Camp Pendleton; he never met Colonel Ace Bowen for whom the rodeo arena at the base is named. However, he is familiar with the facility since he was involved in the early planning stages.

"I came back from China with the 1st Service Battalion. General [Major General Graves B.] Erskine was the CG of the First Marine Division, and he had gone to a little rodeo where I roped in Escondido. So he called me in his office and said I should start planning on building an arena [on the base] to give the boys something to do during peacetime."

But all too soon, West received orders to recruiting duty in St. Louis, so he went to see the general, hoping for a reprieve.

"While I was there, the Big E … that was his nickname … asked me where I'd been wounded. He pulled up his pant leg and showed me where he had been wounded in World War I. 'Let's see,' he said, but he couldn't adequately see [my] wound, so he said, 'Drop your trousers.' Right there in the CG's office! These are the funny little things I remember," said West.

Without delay, West reported to recruiting duty. "What they were doing was sending decorated officers to recruit. Lou Wilson [a comrade from 2d Battalion, 9th Marines destined to be Commandant] was in New York City, and they sent me to St. Louis. There was no recruiting school for officers or enlisted; there was nothing. You had to go out there and fight. I made quota for 35 months and even helped some of the others in the Recruiting Division. It was a very satisfying tour," said West.

The colonel wouldn't say how much the rodeo helped him out, but he had a horse during his tour in Missouri, and he belonged to a roping club. He competed in Missouri, Illinois and Oklahoma.

Later in his career, West seized several opportunities to build rodeo arenas for the Corps. He claims to be the "daddy of service rodeos and horse-show exhibiting" wherever he was stationed. And perhaps Marine Corps rodeo does owe him a debt. West was responsible for constructing two rodeo arenas in Concord, Calif., one on Treasure Island, Calif., two in Hawaii and one in Quantico, Va.

"When I was stationed in Quantico, I built a rodeo arena on land adjacent to the airstrip and held the first interservice rodeo," said West. "General [Clifton B.] Cates had Marine, soldier and sailor participants flown in from up and down the Atlantic seaboard."

West also conceived the Sgt Fritz Truan Arena at Kaneohe, Hawaii. (Truan was killed in action on Iwo Jima.) In addition, West coordinated the Navy Relief Rodeo, starring James Arness at Pearl Harbor and Treasure Island, conducting six rodeos in that venue to benefit Navy Relief.

West's decision to retire centered on his family, in particular his son. So he settled in California, and in 1973 he bought Westhaven. He began raising Longhorn cattle, selectively breeding until he owned some of the best of the breed.

Throughout the years his cattle have garnered dozens of prizes for him, including Premier Exhibitor, Premier Breeder and Premier Sire honors. West is the recipient of the Elmer Parker Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest tribute bestowed by the Longhorn Breeders Association of America for "a lifetime of dedication and preservation to the Texas Longhorn breed."

Meanwhile, he continued roping and skiing. He served as a volunteer ranking official during four of the Olympic Winter Games, including Squaw Valley, Calif.; Calgary, Canada; Salt Lake City; and Lake Placid, N.Y. During the 1968 Winter Games in Grenoble, France, he provided the Bay area on-site radio reports. At the 1980 Olympics, West was in charge of the Alpine Discipline for both men and women, coordinating events and volunteers and making decisions on protests.

He remains a member of the U.S. Ski Association and the International Ski Federation, but reluctantly gave up competitive skiing at the age of 75. West is a recipient of a 1978 Hans Georg Award for long-term positive inpact on the sport of skiing. In addition, in 1994, he received the USSA's highest honor, the Julius Blegen Award, for prolonged and outstanding service to the sport.

Among the many accomplishments that punctuate his life, West pointed to his family as his most rewarding achievement.

"I'm most proud of my family -- Teddy, my lovely wife of 60 years, and what she did in raising all four precocious kids. We never had any of them on drugs; they're all nonsmokers and good citizens. One can't ask for more in life."

In 1998 Ropers Sports News called West the "oldest active team roper in California." It's a title he anticipates retaining. He has no plans to retire and expects to continue riding and roping through his 80s.

"The Corps teaches you a 'can-do' attitude," said West. "All you've got to do is keep moving. Never retire, keep volunteering and keep looking forward in life."

Editor's note: Margarette Chavez, currently a graduate student at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, is a retired chief warrant officer 5 and a member of the last all-active-duty staff assigned to Leatherneck magazine. She is the PAO and "Caltrap" newsletter editor for the Third Marine Division Association.

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