Sergeant West was a member of the 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was seriously wounded by the enemy near Kunu-ri, North Korea, on 30 November 1950 and died of those wounds on 9 December 1950.

West was awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.