9-11 Caring Carolina

John C. West

Ambassador and Past Governor of SC

    The former South Carolina governor, John C. West, served in Saudi Arabia from 1977 to 1981 as the U.S. Ambassador. Since he has returned from the Middle East in 1981, he has stayed in contact with most of the officials he knew there. John West has shared his thoughts in a three-part interview with the Chronicle-Independent in Camden.

    Osama bin Laden’s family met with John West shortly after he arrived in the Middle East. West stated, "I got to know the bin Laden family well. I knew his brothers." West said that Osama had 13 brothers. Mr. West says, "His brothers call him the crazy one," referring to Osama. He was the youngest out of them all. Most of them ran his father’s business empire in Saudi Arabia. West also says, "They took away his citizenship. If Osama was to ever go back to Saudi Arabia, he would have his head chopped off because he is on a death sentence."

    September 11, 2001, Osama bin Laden shocked the world with an unexpected attack on the U.S.A. Many Americans wonder if it is possible to catch bin Laden. John West doesn’t think it will be easy. John West also has his opinions of dropping food packages over Afghanistan. He thinks it is "one of the smartest things we’ve done."

    John West has his opinion on how President Bush has reacted since September 11, 2001. He says, "As a Democrat, I want to give the president high marks as to how he has handled the situation so far. I give him high marks on what he’s done." He also says, "He has redeemed himself in my judgment."

    We thank John West for sharing his comments and experiences with the bin Laden family.  He is probably one of the few South Carolinians that can really understand how all of this could happen, knowing the bin Laden family.