Yahoo Finance Colin Powell: key facts from his life
Colin Powell, former military leader and the first Black US secretary of state, has died of complications from Covid-19 at the age of 84. Here is a look back at some key facts from Powell’s life, reported by CNN:
Powell was born on 5 April 1937 in Harlem, New York. His parents were Jamaican immigrants, his dad, a shipping clerk, and his mom, a seamstress.
In college, Powell participated in ROTC, a military training program, and was leader of the precision drill team, earning a top rank.
While serving two tours during the Vietnam war, Powell was injured in a helicopter crash and rescued by two fellow soldiers.
Powell earned several military and civilian awards in his lifetime including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, twice.
Powell was the youngest person, as well as the first Black person, to serve as chairman of the joint chief of staff during the George HW Bush administration.
In 1993, Powell was named an honorary Knight Commander of the Most Honorable Order of the Bath by Queen Elizabeth II.
Powell helped negotiate the return of the former Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide, Haiti’s first democratically elected president, in 1994.
In 2001, Powell was sworn in as the first Black US secretary of state.
Powell published two memoirs, My American Journey and It Worked For Me: In Life and Leadership.
After being diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2003, Powell underwent surgery at the Walter Reed army medical center.
Powell pushed for a swift military response to 9/11 in 2001, and Iraq intervention in 2003. He was criticized for presenting questionable intelligence to the United Nations in a 75-minute speech, which he later called a blot on his record.
During the summer of 2007, Powell began criticizing the Bush administration’s decision to invade Iraq, the increasing military presence in the country, and Guantánamo Bay.
Powell served as one of the honorary co-chairs for Barack Obama’s inauguration, endorsing Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign.
Following the 6 January insurrection, Powell said he no longer considered himself a Republican.
Powell suffered from multiple myeloma, a blood cancer, which can lead to a severely compromised immune response.
