Today, Americans from all walks of life are celebrating and remembering the life of Colin Powell.
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Gen. Colin Powell, who was the first Black US Secretary of State, the first Black Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the first Black National Security Advisor, and a revered military and political figure, passed away on Monday unexpectedly due to complications from COVID-19. Gen. Powell had been secretly suffering from a rare blood cancer known as multiple myeloma as well as Parkinson’s disease, which compromised his immune system and contributed to his death. Although the general was fully vaccinated, he ironically was scheduled to receive a COVID booster shot later this week.
“General Colin L. Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, passed away this morning due to complications from Covid 19,” the Powell family said in a post on Facebook. “We have lost a remarkable and loving husband, father, grandfather, and a great American,” the family added.
Colin Luther Powell was born April 5, 1937, in Harlem, New York to Jamaican immigrant parents. He married Alma Johnson in 1962 and the couple gave birth to 3 children. Colin Powell began his military service with combat duty in Vietnam, then quickly rose through the ranks of military brass. He was named National Security Advisor under President Ronald Reagan and the youngest chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President George H.W. Bush. Of course, he made history by being the first Black man in America to hold each post.
As flags at The White House and around the country were lowered to half-staff in his honor, emotional tributes for the man who is widely considered a trailblazer and a giant among men flooded in on Monday.
President Joe Biden described Powell as a “dear friend” and a dedicated public servant who broke barriers.
“Colin embodied the highest ideals of both warrior and diplomat. He was committed to our nation’s strength and security above all. Having fought in wars, he understood better than anyone that military might alone was not enough to maintain our peace and prosperity. From his front-seat view of history, advising presidents and shaping our nation’s policies, Colin led with his personal commitment to the democratic values that make our country strong. Time and again, he put country before self, before party, before all else — in uniform and out — and it earned him the universal respect of the American people,” Mr. Biden said.
Vice President Kamala Harris — the first Black vice-president of the United States — praised Gen. Powell as “an independent thinker and a barrier breaker who inspired leaders in our military and throughout our nation.”
Former President Barack Obama honored his friend via Twitter, saying “Michelle and I will always look to him as an example of what America—and Americans—can and should be.”
General Colin Powell understood what was best in this country, and tried to bring his own life, career, and public statements in line with that ideal. Michelle and I will always look to him as an example of what America—and Americans—can and should be. pic.twitter.com/vSxTbUE5aR
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) October 18, 2021
Former President George W. Bush called Gen. Powell “a great public servant” who was “such a favorite of Presidents that he earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom — twice. He was highly respected at home and abroad. And most important, Colin was a family man and a friend.”
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who himself made history earlier this year as the first Black Defense secretary, said in remarks on Monday that in Powell he “lost a tremendous personal friend and mentor.”
“He always made time for me and I could always go to him with tough issues. He always had great counsel. We will certainly miss him,” Gen. Austin said.
Colin Powell was 84.
AP:
Powell’s death doesn’t mean the COVID vaccines don’t work. It means everyone else needs to protect vulnerable individuals from infection.
The military leader had been fully vaccinated, but like millions of Americans, Powell suffered from a medical condition that increased his risk of severe illness from COVID-19. Powell had previously been diagnosed and treated for multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer that impacts the body’s ability to fight infections.
Powell’s death has reignited an ongoing issue with how we think and talk about COVID-19. Since the start of the pandemic, the virus has often been painted as a disease that spares the healthy and targets the vulnerable.