FORT BENNING, Ga. " Long before the fall of Osama bin Laden, another polarizing Middle East figure fell to U.S. forces " Saddam Hussein.
Oklahoma Sen. and retired Lt. Col. Steve Russell will be at the Donovan Research Library from noon to 2 p.m. Tuesday to sign his book titled We Got Him! A memoir of the hunt and capture of Saddam Hussein.
The memoir, released in April, follows the six-month manhunt for Saddam, exposing the blow-by-blow plays of the actual raid that netted him and the stories behind the Soldiers involved.
In 2003, Russell served as a ground commander with the 4th Infantry Division’s 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team. The brigade, commanded by Col. Jim Hickey, teamed with covert joint special operations teams in December 2003 to launch Operation Red Dawn to capture Saddam and end rumors of his death.
On Dec. 13, 2003, he was discovered inside a hole armed with a pistol and an assault rifle and carrying $750,000 in cash.
The book signing is the latest in a string of appearances Russell has made in recent weeks, thanks in part to interest following the death of Osama bin Laden, publishing officials said.
This is Russell’s second book signing at Fort Benning in as many months and he recently appeared on the Mike Huckabee Show and Fox & Friends.
Time Magazine, CNN and ABC have reported on 1st Battalion’s efforts in the first year of the Iraq war. The battalion has been featured in BBC Panorama’s documentary, Saddam on the Run, and Discovery Channel’s Ace in the Hole.
“It took a unity of effort between all partners to accomplish the mission in a very complex and evolving environment,” writes Gen. Ray Odierno in the foreword to Russell’s memoir.
“I can say unequivocally, however, that Colonel Jim Hickey and Lieutenant Colonel Steve Russell were the two individuals most directly responsible for the capture of Saddam Hussein.”
Odierno, currently serving as the commanding general of U.S. Joint Forces Command, commanded the 4th Inf. Div. at the time of Saddam’s capture.
Russell once served as a chief of tactics at Fort Benning. The Bradley Fighting Vehicle showcased at the National’s Infantry Museum’s signature exhibit “The Last 100 Yards” is from 1st Battalion and was disabled in an attack while Russell commanded the unit.
Russell retired from the Army in 2006 after 21 years of service and returned to his native Oklahoma, where he lives with his wife and five children.
In 2008, he was elected to the Oklahoma State Senate. He has published several opinion pieces and has appeared as a war commentator on television and radio shows. He holds an undergraduate degree in public speaking and a master’s degree in history.
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