The Town Hall of Cleveland will be welcoming Steve Russell to the podium at the Ohio Theatre on Monday, Sept. 24, for the beginning of the 82nd season of the Town Hall’s annual lecture series.

Russell, a current Oklahoma state senator, national veteran advocate, and author of “We Got Him! A Memoir of the Hunt and Capture of Saddam Hussein,” is the first of seven speakers in this season’s line up.

“We felt that with everything that is going on in the Middle East, the importance of the military and what is happening in our country, that this is someone who has a story to tell,” said Kathy Friedrich, Cleveland Town Hall Administrator.

“And through his storytelling, he conveys to the audience the recounting of the hunt and capture of Saddam Hussein while inspiring them with a message of hope and patriotism,” she continued.

Russell served 21 years in the United States army as an infantry officer, deploying operationally to Kosovo, Kuwait, Afghanistan, and Iraq. He was a leader in the military operation that captured Hussein, and he has been the subject of numerous books, publications, and other various forms of media coverage. Russell is also Chairman and Founder of Vets for Victory, an organization that works to better the lives of America’s military men and women.

Case Western Reserve University is this year’s academic sponsor for the series. “There’s been a number of speakers who have been really awesome and just had a great message to convey,” Friedrich said.

The lecture series was founded by a number of women who were the wives of past Cleveland executives. “They thought it was important to bring education and information to the community, so they started the speaker series and it’s still alive today,” she said.

Past speakers have ranged from Tim Russert to George W. and Barbara Bush, and the 2012-2013 season will also feature Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and P.J. O’Rourke, among others. People from all over Northeast Ohio convene for the public event annually.

“We try and pick from a variety of topics – national, international, business, science and medicine, and [include] well-roundedness and variety… It‘s just been very diverse in what people present,” Friedrich said.

“We would just like people to come out and participate in this great speaker series, which is something great for our community.”