Colin Powell
Colin Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the U.S. Army. Powell was a professional soldier for 35 years, during which time he held a myriad of command and staff positions. During this time, he rose to the rank of four-star general. Powell was the first, and so far, the only Jamaican-American to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. At age 52, Powell became the youngest officer and the first Afro-Caribbean American to serve in this position. Powell was also the first African American to serve as our 65th U.S. Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush.
Powell oversaw the invasion of Panama in 1989 to remove General Manuel Noriega from power. During this time, he oversaw 28 crises, including Operation Desert Storm and the 1991 Persian Gulf War. As a military strategist, Powell advocated an approach to military conflicts that maximizes the 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." 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, he advised diplomacy and containment.
In his autobiography My American Journey, published in 2003, Powell said the nightmare of the Vietnam War haunts him. Captain Powell served a tour in Vietnam as a South Vietnamese Army adviser from 1962-1963. While on patrol in a Viet Cong held area, he was wounded by stepping on a punji stake (a booby-trapped stake made of wood or bamboo, which is sharpened and heated). The infection made it difficult for him to walk and caused his foot to swell for a short time, shortening his first tour.
Powell returned to Vietnam as a Major in 1968, serving as Assistant Chief of Staff of Operations in the 23rd Infantry Division. During the second tour in Vietnam, Powell was decorated with the Soldier's Medal for bravery after he survived a helicopter crash where he single-handedly rescued three others, including Division Commander Major General Charles M. Gettys, from the burning wreckage.
In his autobiography My American Journey, Powell named several officers he served under who inspired and mentored him. As a lieutenant colonel serving in South Korea, Powell was very close to General Henry "Gunfighter" Emerson. Powell said he regarded Emerson as one of the most caring officers he ever met. Emerson insisted his troops trained at night to fight a possible North Korean attack and made them repeatedly watch the film Brian's Song to promote racial harmony.
In the early 1980s, Powell served at Fort Carson, Colorado. After he left Fort Carson, Powell became Senior Military Assistant to Secretary of Defense Casper Weinberger, whom he assisted during the 1983 invasion of Grenada and the 1986 airstrike on Libya. Following the Iran-Contra scandal, 49-year-old Powell became Ronald Reagan's National Security Advisor, serving from 1987 to 1989.
In April 1989, after his tenure with the National Security Council, Powell was promoted to four-star general under President George H.W. Bush and briefly served as the Commander in Chief, Forces Command (FORSCOM).
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