Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Jim Lawrence will present “American Veterans: Their Stories of Service and Valor,” Thursday as part of the LBW Community College Greenville Campus Lecture Series.

Lawrence is the latest in a line of speakers that have addressed everything from Mark Twain, to the Titanic, to ghosts that haunt universities across the state.

Lawrence is expected to share stories from his book, which is a researched history of American veterans ranging from the Civil War to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Mollie Waters, who coordinates the lecture series at the Greenville campus, said she first learned of Lawrence after he spoke on LBW’s Andalusia campus. She said it’s fitting that the retired service member would be on campus just days after Veterans Day.

“He was supposed to come in October, but due to conflicting schedules, we had to push back his speaking date,” she said. “It’s great that he’ll be here this week, though, and I hope people in our community will take advantage of this opportunity.”

Retired Col. Richard Brauer Jr. described Lawrence’s book as a “literary gold mine” for those interested in military history.

“In time of war there are so many untold stories that are worthy of being handed down for our current and future generations to read and understand, but, sadly, they are never recorded and become lost forever,” Brauer said. “This collection of amazing stories within ‘American Veterans: Their Stories of Service and Valor’ takes the reader on a journey through eight major conflicts and concludes with powerful stories of our U.S. prisoners of war.”

Lawrence will begin speaking at 11 a.m. in the Wendell Mitchell Conference Center on the campus of LBW.

The event is free and open to the public.

Copies of his book will be available for purchase following his lecture.