West went on to apply to the US Military Academy at the encouragement of her brother; she was accepted into the third class that allowed women, in 1978.
West graduated from West Point and then medical school at The George Washington University. She then went back to the Army as a medical officer and served in the first Gulf War.
As a captain in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, her commander put faith in her abilities over the fact that she was a woman.
“He asked, ‘Doc, can you fix broke soldiers.’ And I said, ‘Yes, sir, I can.’ And he says, ‘Glad to have you aboard. Glad to have you with us.’ And so he didn’t ask me where I went to medical school and ask what my grades were. He looked me in the eye and asked me if I could do that. And in my heart of hearts, I would do the darndest I could to live up to that.”