Colin Luther Powell was born on April 5, 1937[5] in Harlem,
a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, to
Jamaican immigrant parents Maud Arial (née McKoy) and Luther
Theophilus Powell.
He is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the
United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of
State (2001–2005), serving under President George W. Bush.
He was the first African American appointed to that position.
During his military career, Powell also served as National
Security Advisor (1987–1989), as Commander-in-Chief, U.S.
Army Forces Command (1989) and as Chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff (1989–1993), holding the latter position
during the Gulf War. He was the first, and so far the only,
African American to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Even after he had become a General, Powell kept on his desk
a pen set he had won for a drill team competition. Graduating
from City College, he received a commission as an Army second
lieutenant.[10] He was a professional soldier for 35 years,
holding a variety of command and staff positions and rising to
the rank of General.
Powell was a captain during the Vietnam War, serving as a South
Vietnamese Army adviser from 1962 to 1963. While on patrol
in a Viet Cong-held area, he was wounded by stepping on a punji
stake.[12] He returned to Vietnam as a major in 1968, serving
in the Americal Division (23rd Infantry Division), then
as assistant chief of staff of operations for the Americal Division.
Powell served a White House fellowship, a highly selective
and prestigious position, under President Richard Nixon
from 1972 to 1973.
In his autobiography, My American Journey, Powell named
several officers he served under that inspired and mentored him.
In the early 1980s, Powell served at Fort Carson, Colorado.
After he left Fort Carson, Powell became senior military assistant
to Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger, whom he assisted during
the 1983 invasion of Grenada and the 1986 airstrike on Libya.
In 1986, he took over the command of V Corps in Frankfurt,
Germany, from Robert Lewis "Sam" Wetze.
Following the Iran Contra scandal, Powell became Ronald
Reagan's National Security Advisor, serving from 1987 to
1989. In April 1989, Powell was promoted to General and
briefly served as the Commander in Chief, Forces Command,
headquartered at Fort McPherson, Georgia. Later that year,
President George H.W. Bush selected him as Chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff.
At age 52, he became the youngest officer, and first
Afro-Caribbean American, to serve in this position. In 1989,
he joined Dwight D. Eisenhower and Alexander Haig as the
third general since World War II to reach four-star rank
without ever being a divisional commander.[16] During this
time, he oversaw 28 crises, including the invasion of Panama
in 1989 to remove General Manuel Noriega from power and
Operation Desert Storm in the 1991 Persian Gulf War.
During these events, Powell earned his nickname,
"the reluctant warrior." He rarely advocated military
intervention as the first solution to an international
crisis, and instead usually prescribed diplomacy and containment.
Powell said he is haunted by the nightmare of the Vietnam
War and felt that the leadership was very ineffective.
Powell served a tour in Vietnam as a military adviser,
and was mildly injured when he stepped on a bamboo "punji stick."
The large infection made it difficult for him to walk,
and caused his foot to swell for a short time, shortening
his first tour. It was also during his Vietnam service,
his second tour, that Powell was decorated for bravery.
He single-handedly rescued several men from a burning
helicopter, one of them being Maj. Gen. Charles Gettys,
the commander of the Americal Division.
As a military strategist, Powell has advocated an
approach to military conflicts that maximizes the
potential for success and minimizes casualties. A
component of this approach is the use of overwhelming
force, which he applied to Operation Desert Storm
in 1991. His approach has been dubbed the "Powell Doctrine."
Powell's experience in military matters made him a very
popular figure with both American political parties. Many
Democrats admired his moderate stance on military matters,
while many Republicans saw him as a great asset associated
with the successes of past Republican administrations. Put
forth as a potential Democratic Vice Presidential nominee
in the 1992 U.S. Presidential Election[19] or even potentially
replacing Vice President Dan Quayle as the Republican Vice
Presidential nominee,[20] Powell eventually declared himself
a Republican and began to campaign for Republican candidates in 1995.
He was touted as a possible opponent of Bill Clinton
in the 1996 U.S. Presidential Election, possibly
capitalizing on a split conservative vote in Iowa and
even leading New Hampshire polls for the GOP nomination,
but Powell declined, citing a lack of passion for politics.
Powell defeated Clinton 50-38 in a hypothetical match-up
proposed to voters in the exit polls conducted on Election Day.
Despite not standing in the race, Powell won the New
Hampshire Vice-Presidential primary on write-in votes.
In 1997 Powell founded America's Promise with the
objective of helping children from all socioeconomic
sectors. Powell often wears the organization's logo
in the form of a red wagon pin on his lapel.
In the 2000 U.S. Presidential Election Powell
campaigned for Senator John McCain and later Texas
Governor George W. Bush after the latter secured
the Republican nomination. Bush eventually won, and
Powell was appointed Secretary of State.
a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, to
Jamaican immigrant parents Maud Arial (née McKoy) and Luther
Theophilus Powell.
He is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the
United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of
State (2001–2005), serving under President George W. Bush.
He was the first African American appointed to that position.
During his military career, Powell also served as National
Security Advisor (1987–1989), as Commander-in-Chief, U.S.
Army Forces Command (1989) and as Chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff (1989–1993), holding the latter position
during the Gulf War. He was the first, and so far the only,
African American to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Even after he had become a General, Powell kept on his desk
a pen set he had won for a drill team competition. Graduating
from City College, he received a commission as an Army second
lieutenant.[10] He was a professional soldier for 35 years,
holding a variety of command and staff positions and rising to
the rank of General.
Powell was a captain during the Vietnam War, serving as a South
Vietnamese Army adviser from 1962 to 1963. While on patrol
in a Viet Cong-held area, he was wounded by stepping on a punji
stake.[12] He returned to Vietnam as a major in 1968, serving
in the Americal Division (23rd Infantry Division), then
as assistant chief of staff of operations for the Americal Division.
Powell served a White House fellowship, a highly selective
and prestigious position, under President Richard Nixon
from 1972 to 1973.
In his autobiography, My American Journey, Powell named
several officers he served under that inspired and mentored him.
In the early 1980s, Powell served at Fort Carson, Colorado.
After he left Fort Carson, Powell became senior military assistant
to Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger, whom he assisted during
the 1983 invasion of Grenada and the 1986 airstrike on Libya.
In 1986, he took over the command of V Corps in Frankfurt,
Germany, from Robert Lewis "Sam" Wetze.
Following the Iran Contra scandal, Powell became Ronald
Reagan's National Security Advisor, serving from 1987 to
1989. In April 1989, Powell was promoted to General and
briefly served as the Commander in Chief, Forces Command,
headquartered at Fort McPherson, Georgia. Later that year,
President George H.W. Bush selected him as Chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff.
At age 52, he became the youngest officer, and first
Afro-Caribbean American, to serve in this position. In 1989,
he joined Dwight D. Eisenhower and Alexander Haig as the
third general since World War II to reach four-star rank
without ever being a divisional commander.[16] During this
time, he oversaw 28 crises, including the invasion of Panama
in 1989 to remove General Manuel Noriega from power and
Operation Desert Storm in the 1991 Persian Gulf War.
During these events, Powell earned his nickname,
"the reluctant warrior." He rarely advocated military
intervention as the first solution to an international
crisis, and instead usually prescribed diplomacy and containment.
Powell said he is haunted by the nightmare of the Vietnam
War and felt that the leadership was very ineffective.
Powell served a tour in Vietnam as a military adviser,
and was mildly injured when he stepped on a bamboo "punji stick."
The large infection made it difficult for him to walk,
and caused his foot to swell for a short time, shortening
his first tour. It was also during his Vietnam service,
his second tour, that Powell was decorated for bravery.
He single-handedly rescued several men from a burning
helicopter, one of them being Maj. Gen. Charles Gettys,
the commander of the Americal Division.
As a military strategist, Powell has advocated an
approach to military conflicts that maximizes the
potential for success and minimizes casualties. A
component of this approach is the use of overwhelming
force, which he applied to Operation Desert Storm
in 1991. His approach has been dubbed the "Powell Doctrine."
Powell's experience in military matters made him a very
popular figure with both American political parties. Many
Democrats admired his moderate stance on military matters,
while many Republicans saw him as a great asset associated
with the successes of past Republican administrations. Put
forth as a potential Democratic Vice Presidential nominee
in the 1992 U.S. Presidential Election[19] or even potentially
replacing Vice President Dan Quayle as the Republican Vice
Presidential nominee,[20] Powell eventually declared himself
a Republican and began to campaign for Republican candidates in 1995.
He was touted as a possible opponent of Bill Clinton
in the 1996 U.S. Presidential Election, possibly
capitalizing on a split conservative vote in Iowa and
even leading New Hampshire polls for the GOP nomination,
but Powell declined, citing a lack of passion for politics.
Powell defeated Clinton 50-38 in a hypothetical match-up
proposed to voters in the exit polls conducted on Election Day.
Despite not standing in the race, Powell won the New
Hampshire Vice-Presidential primary on write-in votes.
In 1997 Powell founded America's Promise with the
objective of helping children from all socioeconomic
sectors. Powell often wears the organization's logo
in the form of a red wagon pin on his lapel.
In the 2000 U.S. Presidential Election Powell
campaigned for Senator John McCain and later Texas
Governor George W. Bush after the latter secured
the Republican nomination. Bush eventually won, and
Powell was appointed Secretary of State.
Last edited by Admin on Wed 11 May 2011 - 14:12; edited 1 time in total
