How long did colin powell live

Powell, former U. Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, passed away this morning due to complications from Covid 19," the Powell family wrote on Facebook. A spokesman for the hospital offered their condolences to Powell's family in a statement, writing, "Walter Reed National Military Medical Center is deeply saddened by the passing of the former U.

In addition to his service to the nation, he also served as a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. Powell, the son of Jamaican immigrants, ascended the ranks to the pinnacle of America's national security establishment during his military career. In , former President Ronald Reagan tapped Powell to become his national security advisor, the first Black person to serve in that role. President George H. He continued his role as chairman under President Bill Clinton. After 35 years of military service, Powell retired from the U.

Army as a four-star general in He was mentioned as a possible candidate for president several times. In , he became the first Black secretary of State under the younger Bush in a transformative appointment from combat soldier to statesman.

As the nation's top diplomat, Powell faced an unprecedented assignment eight months into the job when 19 militants affiliated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda hijacked commercial airliners with the purpose of carrying out suicide attacks against targets in the United States.

On the heels of the Sept. Soon thereafter, the Bush administration turned its attention to Iraq. As talk of an invasion grew louder, Powell warned Bush in that "once you break it, you are going to own it," referring to Iraq. After being presented with an intelligence assessment that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had amassed a deadly and dangerous arsenal, Powell went to the United Nations to make the American case for war with Iraq.

In early , during a minute speech, Powell presented the global community with intelligence that claimed Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and also the ambition to produce more. Much of the information turned out to be incorrect. Powell would later call the speech a "blot" on his distinguished record. In , he said the speech was a "great intelligence failure.

He was a great public servant, starting with his time as a soldier during Vietnam," Bush and former first lady Laura Bush wrote in a statement. According to her bio , Alma Powell has received multiple awards for her advocacy work. Getty R to L U. President George W.

General Colin Powell will be remembered in the history books for his groundbreaking roles and as CBS News reported, he was respected across the political spectrum. The BBC, citing the book, reported Alma Powell threatened to leave her husband if he ran for the Republican nomination.

Colin and Alma Powell raised three children together. Alma Powell explained to the newspaper that because of inconsistent mail delivery, it took weeks to share the news of the birth with her husband. Michael Powell also pursued a career in civil service. He served as the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission in the early s, according to his current bio. He is married with two children, according to Grand Magazine. Their second daughter is Annemarie.

She worked as television news producer, the Washington Pos t reported. He was promoted to brigadier general in and commanded the 2nd Brigade of the st Airborne Division.

In the Carter administration, Powell was an assistant to the deputy secretary of defense and the secretary of energy. Promoted to major general, he again assisted Frank Carlucci at the Department of Defense during the transition from the Carter to the Reagan administration. He then served as senior military aide to Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger, helping to coordinate the invasion of Granada and the bombing of Libya. In , Powell became national security adviser, a post he held for the duration of the Reagan administration.

While there, he coordinated technical and policy advisers during Reagan's summit meetings with Soviet President Gorbachev and his conferences to topple the pro-Communist Sandinista government in Nicaragua. It was discovered that the administration had arranged for covert and illegal shipments of U. Proceeds from the sale of the weapons would go to support the counter-insurgency movement in Nicaragua, which was aimed at toppling the Sandinistas.

Such support had been prohibited by Congress since Powell was asked to testify before Congress about the incident, but he was not implicated in any wrongdoing. In , President George H. The post is the highest military position in the Department of Defense, and Powell was the first African American officer to receive that distinction. As chief military strategist, he developed what became known as the "Powell Doctrine," an approach to military conflicts that advocates using overwhelming force to maximize success and minimize casualties.

He continued as chairman of the Joint Chiefs in the first few months of the Clinton administration. He publicly disagreed with the president on the issue of admitting gays into the military, although he eventually agreed to the "don't ask, don't tell" compromise.

Powell retired from the Army in In , he joined Senator Sam Nunn and former President Carter on a last-minute peacekeeping expedition to Haiti, which resulted in the end of military rule and a peaceful return to elected government in that country. In , he published a best-selling autobiography, My American Journey , which chronicles his life and its influences, the ins and outs of military bureaucracy, and what he learned in his life about personal rules and character.

From to , he was chairman of America's Promise, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering character and competence in young people. Powell and his wife, Alma, now co-chair the organization, which has a presence in more than communities in all 50 states. In , President George W. Bush appointed Powell secretary of state, and Powell was unanimously confirmed by the U. At that time, this was the highest rank in civilian government ever held by an African American.

During his tenure, Powell came under fire for his role in building the case for the invasion of Iraq. Powell believed the policy of containment was sufficient to control the Iraqi regime.

He warned Bush that a military invasion would consume the president's first term and that if an attack were to occur, it should use overwhelming force and have broad international support.

This support would be key to the rebuilding of Iraq. Bush decided to go to war and, in a crucial moment, Powell agreed to support the president.