CNN Editorial Research
(CNN) — Here’s a look at the life of Colin Powell, former US secretary of state.
Personal
Birth date: April 5, 1937
Death date: October 18, 2021
Birth place: Harlem, New York
Birth name: Colin Luther Powell
Parents: Luther Powell, shipping clerk
Mother: Maud Ariel (McKoy) Powell, seamstress
Marriage: Alma Vivian (Johnson) Powell (August 25, 1962-October 18, 2021, his death)
Children: Annemarie, Linda and Michael
Education: City College of New York, B.S. in geology, 1958; George Washington University, M.B.A., 1971; National War College, 1976
Military service: US Army, 1958-1993, General
Other Facts
Powell grew up in the South Bronx, the son of Jamaican immigrants.
Powell participated in ROTC in college, leading the precision drill team and attaining the top rank offered by the corps, cadet colonel.
Military awards include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Air Medal, Soldier’s Medal and two Purple Hearts.
Civilian awards include the President’s Citizens Medal, the Congressional Gold Medal, the Secretary of State Distinguished Service Medal, and the Secretary of Energy Distinguished Service Medal as well as receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom twice.
Powell was the youngest person and first African-American to be chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Powell was the first African-American secretary of state.
Timeline
June 1958 – Is commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in the US Army.
1960s – Serves two tours of duty in South Vietnam.
1963 – Powell is wounded while in Vietnam by a Viet Cong booby trap.
1969 – Powell is wounded again in Vietnam in a helicopter crash. He rescues two other soldiers in the crash.
1972-1973 – As a White House fellow, works for Frank Carlucci, the deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget under Caspar Weinberger.
1976-1977 – Commander of the 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division.
1979 – Executive assistant to Charles Duncan Jr., secretary of energy.
1979-1981 – Senior military assistant to the deputy secretary of defense.
1981-1983 – Assistant division commander of the 4th Infantry Division in Ft. Carson, Colorado.
1983-1986 – Senior military assistant to Defense Secretary Weinberger.
1986-1987 – Is assigned to US Fifth Corps in Frankfurt, Germany.
November 1987-January 1989 – National security adviser to President Ronald Reagan.
1989-1994 – Commander in chief of the Forces Command at Ft. McPherson, Georgia.
October 1, 1989-September 30, 1993 – Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
1991 – Oversees Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
1993 – Retires from the Army as a four-star general.
1993 – Is named honorary Knight Commander Most Honorable Order of the Bath