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God and country
Steve Russell shares his story of military service and faith as he led soldiers in the hunt and capture of Saddam Hussein
| By Allison Morgan |
9/28/2012 |
Most people only read about history. Some people are lucky enough to witness history. And then there are those, like retired Army Lt. Col. Steve Russell, who actually make history.
As commander of the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, Russell played a pivotal role in tracking down one of the world’s most despised despots, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. He and his troops spent more than six months living in Hussein’s hometown of Tikrit, where the notorious dictator was being hidden and protected by a network of family members and “bodyguards.” Russell’s unit helped chip away at this protective shell until the manhunt ended successfully with Hussein’s capture in December 2003.
Russell will share these experiences and more at Tennessee Farmers Cooperative’s 2012 Annual Meeting on Monday, Nov. 26, at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville. Earlier this year, he also spoke with attendees at the Co-op Summer Managers Meeting and signed copies of his book, “We Got Him! A Memoir of the Hunt and Capture of Saddam Hussein.”
“I married a farmer’s daughter, so I can relate to the core values of the rural community,” said Russell. “Farming folks know that family, God, and country matter. Those are things that are dear to me, too, and I appreciate what farmers do.”
Russell’s sincere appreciation for agriculture is yet another measure of a man who made it clear that he believes wholeheartedly that prayer and patriotism go hand in hand. He credited his faith with helping to achieve success in what some thought was an impossible task.
“My time as a soldier has been soul-searching,” said Russell. “God encouraged me many times as I fought in three wars and served my country over a couple of decades. I was in the military for 21 years, not because I was underprivileged or less educated or couldn’t get a decent job, but because I held the conviction of love of country and the American way of life. I believe that my service was a calling.”
In his spellbinding speech to the Co-op group this summer, Russell described the critical junctures and in-depth strategies that played out during the mission to find Hussein. The capture came not from lofty intelligence or CIA agents, Russell pointed out, but as a result of determined and dedicated efforts of “regular” soldiers working with special operations forces and Iraqis who were willing to share information.
“People often ask how much detail we had, how much we knew,” said Russell. “I liken it to going down a highway. As long as you have a few confirming road signs, that’s really all you need to keep going in a direction. As you go, you pick up enough to think that you’re still on the right track.”
In spite of many wild goose chases, Hussein’s inner circle eventually unraveled, leading Russell and his forces to a farm on the banks of the Tigris River on Dec. 13, 2003. Acting on a tip from Mohammed al-Musslit, Hussein’s closest confidante who had been captured the night before, the once larger-than-life leader was found cowering underground in a “spider hole” covered by a foot mat and a layer of dirt. The haggard Hussein was taken by the troops with little resistance.
That monumental moment, Russell said, was proof that perseverance pays off.
“What if you did something 50 times and then quit, but the 51st time was success waiting for you?” asked Russell. “You just don’t know. If it’s worth doing, it’s worth continuing. There is no guarantee of success, but one thing is certain:
If you quit, it won’t be successful. You never know when your own forward momentum will create opportunity.”
Russell described the immediate aftermath of Hussein’s capture as “surreal.”
“It was hard to believe that this thing we’d been pursuing all this time was actually happening,” he said. “I just had to go find a place to be alone and reflect on so many things: the blood, the sweat, the tears our soldiers had shed. How we developed and broke the inner circle of Saddam’s bodyguards … how our soldiers and brothers in the special operations teams had worked together to net so many folks … and now this: Saddam himself, captured.”
For the naysayers who doubt that the U.S. should have been involved in military operations in Iraq, Russell said his own personal experiences tell a different story.
“We could see with our own eyes why it was worth being over there,” he said. “We had 26 million people liberated from a tyrant, a man who had murdered hundreds of thousands of people, a man who had defied the world for decades. He had to be brought to account. I was proud that our soldiers were able to achieve it.”
After coming home from Iraq, Russell retired from the Army in 2006 to devote more time to his family — wife Cindy and their five children — and returned to his native Oklahoma, where he currently serves as a state senator. Written from his extensive journal notes, personal observations, and painstaking research, Russell published “We Got Him!” last year as a tribute to the soldiers who fought alongside him in this world-changing mission.
“As I look back on the victory of the hunt and capture of Saddam Hussein, I’m also mindful of the cost — the dark days, the moments of sheer terror, the loss of my soldiers and wounding of many more, the forgotten sacrifices of the Iraqi people,” he said. “I’ve relived some portion of that time every single day, and I felt an obligation to my troops to tell this story. If nothing else, 50 years from now I want my soldiers to be known for what they did.”
There are many lessons to be learned from today’s veterans — and farmers — Russell said as he concluded his presentation:
“Any soldier knows you make use of the time and resources you have, however small, and you don’t quit until the mission is accomplished. Farmers go through that every year. You take it on faith and keep after it year after year. We have a responsibility, I believe, to serve God and country and to give of our talents and efforts to preserve our freedom.
“As you face the wind and look toward the future, you will always have the cynics and the critics. Ignore them, keep the faith, and never quit.”
Russell’s appearance at TFC’s annual meeting will be Monday, Nov. 26, at 8:30 a.m. All invited annual meeting guests, including their families, are welcome to attend this session. More details will be sent to Co-op directors, managers, and special guests in early October.
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