Oliver North to speak at community prayer breakfast

Oliver North Combat-decorated Marine and former U.S. Counter-Terrorism Coordinator Oliver North will be in Fort Myers Thursday, May 1 as the guest speaker at the Community Prayer Breakfast presented by the Community Prayer Breakfast Committee.

North, who also is a best-selling author, will release his newest book, "American Heroes," the same day, which is the National Day of Prayer.

More than 1,200 people are expected to attend the breakfast, now in its 25th year, at Harborside Events Center in downtown Fort Myers. Tickets are by invitation only and all tickets have been distributed, according to event organizers.

Residents without breakfast tickets can attend a book signing event with North at 9:30 a.m. at Harborside in the lobby.

"We feel very fortunate to have Lt. Col. Oliver North join us for our annual breakfast. He is a true American hero, who is a combat decorated Marine, a best-selling author, the founder of a small business, an inventor with three U.S. patents, a syndicated columnist, and host of "War Stories" on Fox News Channel," said the Rev. Dr. Israel Suarez, prayer breakfast chairman.

North graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., and served 22 years as a U.S. Marine.

Assigned to the National Security Council Staff in the Reagan administration, North was the U.S. government's counter-terrorism coordinator from 1983 to 1986.

He was at the center of national attention during the Iran-Contra Affair, during which he was a key official involved in the clandestine sale of weapons to Iran. North and others secretly diverted millions of dollars from the arms sales to the Nicaraguan Contras in direct conflict with Reagan's public pledge not to deal with Iran.

Since 2001, North has been the host of "War Stories," the award-winning military documentary series on Fox News Channel. He also has authored 11 books - all of them New York Times bestsellers.