Colin Powell Quote 02

A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work. ― Colin Powell

Who is Colin Powell?

From 2001 to 2005, Colin Luther Powell, a politician, statesman, diplomat, and American Army officer, served as the 65th Secretary of State of the United States. As Secretary of State, he was the first African-American. From 1987 to 1989, he was the 15th national security adviser for the United States, and from 1989 to 1993, he was the 12th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Early Life of Colin Powell

Colin Luther Powell was born on April 5, 1937, to Jamaican immigrants Maud Ariel (née McKoy) and Luther Theophilus Powell in the Harlem area of the Manhattan borough of New York City. Both of his parents were of mixed Scottish and African descent. While Maud was a seamstress, Luther worked as a shipping clerk. Powell was reared in the South Bronx and received his high school diploma in 1954 from the now-defunct Morris High School.

Powell picked up Yiddish from the Eastern European Jewish shopkeepers and some of the customers while working at a nearby baby furnishings business while still in school. He once surprised a Jewish reporter by speaking to him in Yiddish. He also assisted Orthodox families with necessary tasks on the Sabbath in his capacity as a Shabbos goy. He claimed to have had a "C average" while earning his Bachelor of Science in geology from the City College of New York in 1958. Powell also earned an MBA and an honorary doctorate in public service from George Washington University, both in 1971 and 1990.

Military Career of Colin Powell

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Powell's last military assignment, from October 1, 1989, to September 30, 1993, was as the 12th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest military position in the Department of Defense. At age 52, he became the youngest officer, and first Afro-Caribbean American, to serve in this position. Powell was also the first JCS chair who received his commission through ROTC.

National Security Advisor Powell retained his role as the now-senior military assistant into the presidency of Ronald Reagan, serving under Claytor's successor as deputy secretary of defense, Frank Carlucci. Powell and Carlucci formed a close friendship, referring to each by first names in private. Vietnam War Captain Powell served a tour in Vietnam as a South Vietnamese Army advisor from 1962 to 1963. While on patrol in a Viet Cong-held area, he was wounded by stepping on a punji stake.The large infection made it difficult for him to walk, and caused his foot to swell for a short time, shortening his first tour....