Lieutenant Colonel Steve Russell (Ret)

The unit Lieutenant Colonel Steve Russell (Ret) commanded was a central player in the hunt and Capture of Saddam Hussein. LTC Russell speaks across the US and Canada, rallying the American public to support the troops with victory, not just words.

LTC Russell retired from the US Army after serving 21 years in Airborne, Light and Mechanized assignments in the Arctic, the desert, the Pacific, in Europe and in the Continental United States. He served more than 7 years overseas and has deployed operationally to Kosovo, Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq.

During Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, LTC Russell commanded the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry 'Regulars' and conducted combat in Tikrit, Iraq from the spring of 2003 to the spring of 2004. His battalion was broadly covered during the first year of the war by CNN, FOX NEWS, ABC, NBC, CBS, TIME MAGAZINE, Associated Press and Reuters. His unit was a central player in the hunt and capture of Saddam Hussein and has been featured in Discovery's 'Ace in the Hole' and BBC Panorama's 'Saddam on the Run' documentaries.

He is described by the media as "an officer who never misses a chance to be on patrol with his unit. Russell is of average height, wiry and doesn't seem imposing. Yet, he impresses you as a natural leader. He's got the earnestness and intensity of a missionary."

LTC Russell is highly decorated, having received the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal with Valor Device and Oak Leaf Cluster, the Combat Infantryman's Badge and the Valorous Unit Award.

As a sought after speaker, thought-provoking writer, and media analyst, he travels the country to put the soldier's voice in the national debate on the war. He is the founder and chairman of Vets for Victory, an organization that educates the public about the war on terror.