Collin Powell Essay -- essays research papers

Secretary of State Colin Luther Powell served as national security adviser to President Ronald Reagan, and under President George Bush became the first African American to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989-1993). In 2001 the U.S. Senate confirmed him as the Secretary of State. Colin Luther Powell was born in Harlem, New York City on April 5, 1937, the son of a shipping clerk and a seamstress, both of whom were immigrants from Jamaica. Powell spent most of his childhood in the South Bronx, then regarded as a smell up from Harlem. Despite the urgings of his parents that he should "strive for a good education" in order to "make something" of his life, Powell remained an ordinary student throughout high school. At City College of New York, Powell discovered himself his retentive mind and leadership abilities made him a conspicuous success in the Armys Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC). He graduated from the program in 1958 with the rank of cadet colonel, the highest awarded, and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He was then assigned to duty in West Germany. In 1962, while stationed at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, Powell met and married Alma Vivian Johnson. The couple had three children. Powells next overseas assignment was in South Vietnam, where he was hurt in action. He then studied at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, finishing second in a coterie of more than twelve hundred officers. During a second tour in Vietnam he received the Soldiers Medal for pulling several men from a fervent helicopter. The army then provided Powell the time to study for a Masters degree in business administration at George Washington University. He received the degree in 1971, after which he worked as an analyst at the Pentagon before securing what he called a "dream job" an appointment as a prestigious innocence House fellow in the Office of Management and Budget under the direc tor, Caspar Weinberger, and his deputy, Frank Carlucci, two men of rising influence in Washington who perceive Powells uncommon abilities and who would help shape his career. A man of commanding presence at six feet one inch and 200 pounds, Powell was assigned to South Korea in 1973 to command a battalion troubled by racial animosities. "I threw the bums out of the army and put the drug u... ...gure in government. During the 1996 presidential race, it was announced that Powell would run. He declined, citing various reasons. The withdrawal was disappointing to many Americans. In April 1997 Powell chaired a Volunteer Summit in Philadelphia. Powell, President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, designer presidents, and other big names, including Oprah Winfrey, proposed the advent of a new volunteerism that would include people from all walks of life, place, and age. Powells next step was to chair Americas Promise, the Alliance for Youth. This brass is "dedicated to mobili zing individuals, groups and organizations from all(prenominal) part of American life, to build and strengthen the character and competence of our youth." Although the organization experienced some difficulties initially, Powells commitment did not waver. Evaluations conducted in the spring of 1999 indicate that the organization has touched the lives of over 10 million children since its inception. On December 16, 2000, President-elect George W. Bush nominated Powell to become the 65th Secretary of State. Following a unanimous substantiation by the U.S. Senate, he was sworn in on January 20, 2001.