General Colin Luther Powell
By Our Reporter
Despite being fully vaccinated, General Colin Luther Powell, the first African American Secretary of state died at the age of 84 from complications arising from COVID-19.
He died at the Walter Reed Hospital in Washington D.C and this much was made public via Facebook by his family.
“General Colin L. Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, passed away this morning due to complications from Covid 19.
“He was fully vaccinated.
“We want to thank the medical staff at Walter Reed National Medical Center for their caring treatment.
“We have lost a remarkable and loving husband, father, grandfather and a great American”, the family said.
The former diplomat and retired four-star general served as the 65th United States Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005 during the George Bush Jr. years.
The American with Jamaican ancestry was a 35-year veteran of the U.S. Army.
He is survived by his wife, Alma who he married in 1962 and three children.
They are Linda Powell, Michael Powell and Annemarie Powell.
Prior to the election of Barack Obama as president in 2008, Powell and his successor, Condoleezza Rice, were the highest-ranking African Americans in the history of the federal executive branch of the United States
As secretary of state, he stood fourth in the presidential line of succession.
Powell also served as the 16th United States National Security Advisor from 1987 to 1989 and as the 12th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1989 to 1993.
In retirement, he wrote his autobiography, My American Journey, acknowledging that the Iraqi war was a regrettable aspect of his glorious career.
On Feb. 5, 2003, Powell presented to the U.N. Security Council President George W. Bush’s case that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein constituted an imminent danger to the world because of his stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons.
He admitted later that the presentation was rife with inaccuracies and twisted intelligence provided by others in the Bush administration and represented “a blot” that will “always be a part of my record”.
He was born 5 April 1937 in Harlem in New York City and was raised in the South Bronx, by Jamaican parents.
He was educated in the New York City public schools, graduating from the City College of New York (CCNY), where he earned a bachelor’s degree in geology.
He received a commission as an Army second lieutenant upon graduation in June 1958.
He served in the military for 35 years, during which time he held many command and staff positions and rose to the rank of four-star general.
He was Commander of the U.S. Army Forces Command in 1989.
His last assignment, from October 1989 to September 1993, was as the 12th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest military position in the Department of Defense.
During this time, he oversaw 28 crises, including the invasion of Panama in 1989 and Operation Desert Storm in the Persian Gulf War against Iraq in 1990–1991.
He formulated the Powell Doctrine which limits American military action unless it satisfies criteria regarding American national security.
*Background assisted by Wikipedia.
