Colin Powell

Bush.
. This would mean that he is descended from Edward I of England, and thus is a distant relative of George W. The number of contiguous configurations for one through seven blocks, counting reflections but not counting rotations is in this table:. Burke's Peerage speculated that General Colin Powell's great-great-great-grandmother was an illegitimate child of Sir Eyre Coote — the Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica — and an African slave. Lego itself sells a line of sets named "Lego Studios," which contains a Lego web cam (repackaged Logitech USB Quickcam), software to record video on a computer, clear plastic rods which can be used to manipulate minifigures from off-camera, and a minifigure resembling Steven Spielberg. Powell underwent surgery in 2003 for prostate cancer and made a full recovery. Several webcomics are illustrated with Lego, notably Irregular Webcomic!.

The character of General Casey, played by Paul Winfield, in the 1996 film Mars Attacks! is widely regarded to have been based on Colin Powell.[10] [11]. Director Michel Gondry filmed a live version of the video, digitized the result, and then recreated it entirely with Lego bricks. Powell is a recipient of the Silver Buffalo Award, the highest adult award given by the Boy Scouts of America. Another notable example is the award-winning music video for the song "Fell in Love with a Girl" by the White Stripes. Walker Distinguished Humanitarian Service Award for his contributions to Africa. [2]. In 2005 Powell received the Bishop John T. 'Art Craziest Nation' was shown at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, UK.

The shield can be shown surrounded by the insignia of an honorary Knight Commander of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (KCB), an award the General received after the first Gulf War. The Little Artists have created an entire Modern Art collection in a Lego Gallery. The lion may be an allusion to Scotland. Artists have also used Lego sets with one of the more notorious examples being Polish artist Zbigniew Libera's "Lego Concentration Camp," a collection of mocked-up concentration camp-themed Lego sets.[1]. The swords and stars refer to the former general's career, as does the crest, which is the badge of the 101st Airborne (which he served as a brigade commander in the mid-1970's). For example, the Monty Python and the Holy Grail Special Edition DVD contained a version of the "Camelot" musical sequence redone with Lego minifigures and accessories. And in an escrol over the same this motto, "DEVOTED TO PUBLIC SERVICE.". They usually use stop-motion animation.

Azure, two swords in saltire points downwards between four mullets Argent, on a chief of the Second a lion passant Gules. On a wreath of the Liveries is set for Crest the head of an American bald-headed eagle erased Proper. Such movies are called "Lego movies", "Brickfilms", or "cinema Lego". Blazoned as:. One hobby among enthusiasts is to re-create popular scenes from famous movies, using Lego bricks for the scenery and Lego play sets as characters. Scotland's King of Arms was asked to make the grant as the family of Colin Powell's mother is from Aberdeenshire. Another novel application of Lego bricks is the combination of bricks and electronic components to obtain a Lego Electronic Lab Kit. Technically the grant was to Powell's father (a British subject) to be passed on by descent. Because of the high degree of uniformity in Lego bricks, they have also been used in fields such as computer vision, in which knowing the exact dimensions and relative positions of objects is useful for creating test data.

The Coat of Arms of Colin Powell was granted by the Lord Lyon in Edinburgh on February 4, 2004. A set of software tools called LDraw or Lego Digital Designer can be used to model possible Lego creations in 3D. On December 15, 1993, Colin Powell was made an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. The website theory.org.uk (by academic David Gauntlett) features Lego versions of social theorists. Several schools and other institutions have been named in his honor and he holds honorary degrees from universities and colleges across the country. Legowars, the generic term for a number of wargames (most notably Brikwars) involving Lego bricks enjoys a cult-like popularity. Powell's civilian awards include two Presidential Medals of Freedom, the President's Citizens Medal, the Congressional Gold Medal, the Secretary of State Distinguished Service Medal, and the Secretary of Energy Distinguished Service Medal. The site features over 2,000 photographs of Biblical scenes.

In addition to being reported in the press (though generally, the expletive was censored in the US press), the quote was used by James Naughtie in his book, "The Accidental American: Tony Blair and the Presidency". For example, at The Brick Testament "The Reverend" Brendan Powell Smith has built the Bible in Lego pieces. Powell was the subject of controversy in 2004 when, in a conversation with British Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, he referred to neocons within the Bush administration (Cheney, Rumsfeld and others) as "fucking crazies"[9]. Lego toys have been used in a number of unexpected ways. However, Powell is opposed to allowing gays to serve openly in the military and played a crucial role in derailing President Clinton's 1993 plans on that matter. A group which calls itself "AFOLs" (for "Adult Fans of Lego") is an important demographic for The Lego Group, which has recently begun reintroducing popular sets from previous years to appeal to this group. He is pro-choice regarding abortion, in support of affirmative action, and in favor of "reasonable" gun control. Photos of many fan creations like these can be seen at Brickshelf and at MOCpages.

A moderate Republican, Powell is well known for his willingness to support liberal or centrist causes. One such masterpiece solves a Rubik's Cube through the use of Lego motors and cameras, a task that many humans cannot accomplish. He is reportedly being considered to become a member of the Harvard Corporation after Conrad Harper. Large mosaics, fully functional padlocks and pendulum clocks, a harpsichord and an inkjet printer (built by Google co-founder Larry Page while at the University of Michigan) have been constructed from Lego pieces. On January 5, 2006, he participated in a meeting at the White House of former Secretaries of Defense and State to discuss United States foreign policy with Bush administration officals. Some sculptures use hundreds of thousands of pieces and weigh tens of kilograms. ^{[citation needed]}. A cult following of people who have used Lego pieces to make sculptures, very large mosaics and complex machines has developed.

In September 2005, Powell slammed the US response to Hurricane Katrina. The Lego Group itself has developed a form of business consultancy fostering creative thinking, called Lego Serious Play, in which team members build metaphors of their organisational experiences using Lego bricks, and work through imaginary scenarios using the visual device of the Lego constructions and by exploring possibilities in a 'serious' form of 'play'. In July 2005, Powell joined Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers, a well-known Silicon Valley venture capital firm, with the title of "strategic limited partner.". Lego bricks today are used for purposes beyond children's play. Staff members on the committee believe that Bolton was probably spying on Powell, his senior advisers and other officials reporting to him on diplomatic initiatives that Bolton opposed." [8]. As of year end 2005, there are 25 LEGO Brand Retail stores in the USA, a number of stores in Europe, and a franchised LEGO store in Abu Dhabi. It added that "The foreign relations committee has discovered that Bolton made a highly unusual request and gained access to 10 intercepts by the National Security Agency.. There are also several Lego retail stores, including at Downtown Disney in both the Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts and in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota.

On 28 April The Guardian reported that Powell was in fact "conducting a campaign" against Bolton because of the acrimonious battles they had had whilst working together, which among other things had resulted in Powell cutting Bolton out of talks with Iran and Libya after complaints about Bolton's involvement from the British. Lego Group operates several Legoland amusement parks in Europe and California. The decision was viewed as potentially dealing significant damage to Bolton's chances of confirmation. It also allows advanced participants an opportunity to modify the Lego Mindstorms platform, adding their own sensors and actuators, as well as other mechanical, electrical, electronic and software related systems. Bolton as ambassador to the United Nations (Powell had clashed with him during Bush's first term). Lego Mindstorms provides primary and secondary school aged participants of RoboCup Junior an easy and intuitive introduction to robotics. After retiring from the role of Secretary of State, Powell returned to private life, but in April 2005 he telephoned Republican senators Lincoln Chafee and Chuck Hagel to express his opposition to the nomination of John R. The international RoboCup Junior autonomous soccer competition involves extensive use of Lego Mindstorms equipment which is often pushed to its limits.

He appeared on the networks that were broadcasting New Year's Eve specials and talked about this honor, as well as being a native of New York City, ABC, CNN, [7] and Fox News Channel. A related competition is FIRST Lego League for elementary and middle schools. On December 31, 2004, Powell rang in the New Year by throwing the ball in Times Square with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, ushering in the year 2005. The earliest, and likely the largest, is Botball, a national US middle- and high-school competition stemming from the MIT 6270 lego robotics tournament. The accusation came at the same time as the settlement of an agreement between the IAEA, the European Union and Iran. There are several competitions which use Lego bricks and the RCX, among other microcontrollers, for robotics. The New York Times indicated that the accusation was founded on a single, unreliable source. These programmable bricks are sold under the name Lego Mindstorms.

In mid-November, Colin Powell stated that he had information indicating that Iran was adapting missiles for a nuclear delivery system. There are even special bricks, like the LEGO RCX that can be programmed with a PC to perform very complicated and useful tasks. News of his resignation spurred mixed reactions from politicians around the world—some upset at the loss of a statesman seen as a moderating factor within the Bush administration, but others hoping for Powell's successor to wield more influence within the cabinet, and thus be a more credible negotiator. There are also motors, gears, lights, sensors, and cameras available to be used with Lego components. Bush nominated National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, as Powell's successor. LEGO recently announced the procurement of worldwide toy rights with the cable TV channel Nickelodeon for building sets with themes from two hit TV shows such as SpongeBob SquarePants and Avatar: The Last Airbender which will be available Summer of 2006. The following day, George W. Sets containing new pieces are released frequently.

He announced that he would stay on until his replacement's confirmation by Congress. Since it began producing plastic bricks, the Lego Group has released thousands of play sets themed around space, robots, pirates, vikings, medieval castles, dinosaurs, cities, suburbia, holiday locations, wild west, the Arctic, boats, racing cars, trains, Spider-Man, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Bionicle, and more. Colin Powell announced his resignation on Monday, November 15, 2004. Annual production of Lego bricks averages approximately 20 billion (2 × 10¹⁰) per year, or about 600 pieces per second. Claiming that he was unaware that some intelligence officials questioned the information prior to his presentation, Powell pushed for reform in the intelligence community, including the creation of a national intelligence director who would assure that "what one person knew, everyone else knew". Brick decorations and packaging is done at plants in Denmark, Switzerland, United States, South Korea and the Czech Republic. On September 13, 2004, Powell testified before the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, [6] acknowledging that the sources who provided much of the information in his February 2003 UN presentation were "wrong" and that it was "unlikely" that any stockpiles of WMDs would be found. Moulding is done at one of two plants in Denmark and Switzerland.

After Saddam Hussein had been deposed, Powell's new role was to once again establish a working international coalition, this time to assist in the rebuilding of post-war Iraq. Manufacturing of Lego bricks occurs at a number of locations around the world. At times, infighting between the Powell-led State Department, the Rumsfeld-led Defense Department, and Vice President Dick Cheney's office had the effect of paralyzing the administration on crucial issues, such as what actions to take regarding Iran and North Korea. It is thanks to this care in manufacturing that the Lego Group has maintained such a high degree of quality over the decades; this is one of the main reasons that pieces manufactured over 40 years ago still interlock neatly with pieces manufactured today. Because Powell is seen as more moderate than most figures in the administration, he has been spared many of the attacks that have been leveled at more controversial advocates of the invasion, such as Donald Rumsfeld and Paul Wolfowitz. According to the Lego Group, its moulding processes are so accurate that only 18 bricks out of every million fail to meet its stringent standards. It's painful now." [4][5]. Worn-out moulds are encased in the foundations of buildings to prevent their falling into competitors' hands.

It was painful. Precision-machined, small-capacity moulds are used, and human inspectors meticulously check the output of the moulds, to eliminate significant variations in colour or thickness. He went on to say, "it will always be a part of my record. Since 1963, Lego pieces are manufactured from a strong, resilient plastic known as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, or ABS. In September 2005, Powell was asked about the speech during an interview with Barbara Walters and responded that it was a "blot" on his record. In order for pieces to have just the right "clutch power", Lego elements are manufactured within a tolerance of 2 micrometres (0.00008 in). Reports have indicated that Powell himself was skeptical of the evidence presented to him. They cannot be too easy to pull apart, or the result will be Lego creations that are unstable; they cannot be too difficult to pull apart, since the disassembly of one creation in order to build another is part of the Lego appeal.

[3] The administration is currently under fire for having acted on faulty intelligence. When snapped together, pieces must have just the right amount of "clutch power"; they must stay together until pulled apart. Some of the claims were taken out, but others were left in, such as claims based on the yellowcake forgery. Bricks, beams, axles, minifigures, and all other elements in the Lego system are manufactured to an exacting degree of tolerance. State Department analysts had found dozens of factual problems in drafts of the speech. Retail Lego sets for young children are compatible with those made for teenagers. A Senate report on intelligence failures would later detail the intense debate that went on behind the scenes on what to include in Powell's speech. Lego pieces from 1963 still interlock with pieces made in 2006, despite radical changes in shape and design over the years.

While Powell's oratorical skills and personal conviction were acknowledged, there was an overall rejection of the evidence Powell offered that the regime of Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). Since their introduction in 1949, Lego pieces of all varieties have been, first and foremost, part of a system. Citing "numerous" anonymous Iraqi defectors, Powell asserted that "there can be no doubt that Saddam Hussein has biological weapons and the capability to rapidly produce more, many more." [2] Powell also stated that there was "no doubt in my mind" that Saddam was working to obtain key components to produce nuclear weapons. Nevertheless, such corporate admonitions are frequently ignored as corporate intervention in the use of language, and the word lego is commonly used not only as a noun to refer to Lego bricks but also as a generic term referring to any kind of interlocking toy brick. To this end, Powell addressed a plenary session of the United Nations Security Council on February 5, 2003 to argue in favor of military action. The company asserts that to protect its brand name, the word Lego must always be used as an adjective, as in "LEGO set," "LEGO products," "LEGO universe," and so forth. Powell's chief role was to garner international support for a multi-national coalition to mount the invasion. "Lego" is officially written in all uppercase letters.

Powell was placed at the forefront of this diplomatic campaign. Thank you! Susan Williams, Consumer Services. He was also successful in persuading Bush to take the case of Iraq to the United Nations, and in moderating other initiatives. Please always refer to our bricks as 'LEGO Bricks or Toys' and not 'LEGOS.' By doing so, you will be helping to protect and preserve a brand of which we are very proud and that stands for quality the world over. The main concession Powell wanted before he would offer his full support for the Iraq War was the involvement of the international community in the invasion, as opposed to the unilateral approach some of the hawks were advocating. We would sincerely like your help in keeping it special. He had often clashed with the hawks in the administration, who were reportedly planning an Iraq invasion even before the September 11 attacks—an insight supported by testimony by former terorrism czar Richard Clarke in front of the 9/11 Commission. The word LEGO® is a brand name and is very special to all of us in the LEGO Group Companies.

However, Powell eventually agreed to go along with the Bush administration's determination to remove Hussein. Lego catalogues in the 1970s and 1980s contained a note that read:. As was the case in the days leading up to the Persian Gulf War, Powell was initially opposed to a forcible overthrow of Hussein, preferring to continue a policy of containment. The Lego Group's name has become so synonymous with its flagship toy that many use the words "Lego" (collectively) or "Legos" to refer to the bricks themselves, and even to any plastic bricks resembling Lego bricks, although the Lego Group discourages this as dilution of their trademark. In a press statement on February 24, 2001 he had said that sanctions against Iraq had prevented the development of any weapons of mass destruction by Saddam Hussein. Over the years many more Lego sets, series, and pieces were created, with many innovative improvements and additions, culminating in the colourful versatile building toys that we know today. More recently, Powell has come under fire for his role in building the case for the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. It wasn't until 1958 that the modern-day brick design was developed, and it took another five years to find exactly the right material for it.

Later investigations by human rights organizations and the United Nations confirmed the Israeli estimate for the number of Palestinians, including militants, dead in the fighting, placing the figure at 52. Godtfred saw the immense potential in Lego bricks to become a system for creative play, but the bricks still had some problems from a technical standpoint: their "locking" ability was limited, and they were not very versatile. These critical comments came at a time when details of the events at Jenin were still unclear. It was his conversation with an overseas buyer that struck the idea of a toy system. In April 2002, he visited the site of the alleged Jenin Massacre in the occupied West Bank and later said while testifying to Congress, "I've seen no evidence that would suggest a massacre took place." Recalling the My Lai episode, critics condemned Powell as a "company man" unwilling to confront uncomfortable realities or rock the boat. By 1954, Christiansen's son, Godtfred, had become the junior managing director of the Lego Group. However, some of his actions during the War on Terrorism have been controversial, prompting heavy criticism from some parties. Many of the Lego Group's shipments were returned, following poor sales; it was thought that plastic toys could never replace wooden ones.

After September 11, Powell's job became of critical importance in managing America's relationships with foreign countries in order to secure a stable coalition in the War on Terrorism. The use of plastic for toy manufacture was not highly regarded by retailers and consumers of the time. Secretary of State in 30 years, which may have contributed to the declining image of the United States abroad. The blocks snapped together, but not so tightly that they couldn't be pulled apart. However, over the course of his tenure he traveled less than any other U.S. They had several round "studs" on top, and a hollow rectangular bottom. Powell's great asset was his tremendous popularity among the American people. A few years later, in 1949, Lego began producing similar bricks, calling them "Automatic Binding Bricks." These bricks, manufactured from cellulose acetate, were developed in the spirit of traditional wooden blocks that could be stacked upon one another; however, these plastic bricks could be "locked" together.

As Secretary of State in the Bush administration, Powell was perceived as moderate, his pragmatism serving as a balance to more ideology-driven hawks, such as Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and his colleagues Paul Wolfowitz and Richard Perle. Hilary Harry Fisher Page, a child psychologist. Bush eventually won, and Colin Powell was appointed as the first African American Secretary of State. These "Kiddicraft Self-Locking Building Bricks" were designed and patented in the UK by Mr. At the same time, it was often hinted that Powell might be appointed to a position within a Democratic administration, should Al Gore win. In 1947, Ole Kirk and his son Godtfred obtained samples of interlocking plastic bricks produced by the company Kiddicraft. Bush, serving as a key foreign policy advisor to the campaign. It should be noted, however, that the original, Greek verb "legein" actually has the meaning "put together".

Presidential Election Powell campaigned for Texas Governor George W. The Lego Group claims that "Lego" means "I put together" or "I assemble" in Latin, though this is a rather liberal translation; the more accepted and widely used application of the word is "I read". In the 2000 U.S. The company name Lego was coined by Christiansen from the Danish phrase leg godt, meaning "play well". The affair caused some controversy as it called into question the Powells' impartiality in the matter. Ole Kirk started creating wooden toys in 1932, but it wasn't until 1949 that the famous plastic Lego brick was created. Powell's stock in the company reportedly increased in value by US$4 million. The Lego Group had humble beginnings in the workshop of Ole Kirk Christiansen, a poor carpenter from Billund, Denmark.

Powell's son, Michael, was a member of the Federal Communications Commission at the time, and he was the only commissioner who advocated letting the AOL-Time Warner deal go through without scrutiny. . Colin Powell was serving on the board of America Online when it announced its intention to merge with Time Warner in January, 2000. The sets are produced by the Lego Group, a privately-held company based in Denmark. Powell often wears the logo of the organization in the form of a red wagon pin on his lapel. High production quality and careful attention to detail ensures that Lego pieces can fit together in myriad ways, which is one of the main reasons for the toy's success. In 1997 Powell founded America's Promise with the objective of helping children from all socioeconomic sectors. Cars, planes, trains, buildings, castles, sculptures, ships, spaceships, and even working robots are just a few of the many things that can be made with Lego bricks.

Presidential Election, but Powell declined, it is rumored, at the advice of his wife. Lego is a line of toys featuring colourful plastic bricks, gears, minifigures (also called minifigs or mini-figs), and other pieces which can be assembled to create models of almost anything imaginable. He was touted as a possible opponent of Bill Clinton in the 1996 U.S. The number 102,981,504 (four more than that figure) is the number of six-piece towers (of a height of six). Powell eventually declared himself a Republican, and began to campaign for Republican candidates. The figure of 102,981,500 is often given for six pieces, but it is incorrect. Many Democrats admired his moderate stance on military matters, while many Republicans saw him as a great asset associated with the successes of past Republican administrations. Six eight-stud Lego bricks of the same colour can be put together in 915,103,765 ways, and just three bricks of the same colour offer 1,560 combinations.

Colin Powell's experience in military matters made him a very popular figure with both American political parties. "Legot" (or "leegot"), plural form of "lego" (or "leego") is also used as a Finnish slang term for human teeth, because of the rectangular shape of the teeth. In addition, he pursued a career as a public speaker, addressing audiences across the country and abroad. Following his retirement from the armed services, Powell wrote a best-selling memoir, My American Journey. Another controversial part of his career is that Powell also had an operational role in the illegal Iran-Contra affair, acting as the initial coordinator for selling missiles to Iran in exchange for American hostages.

Powell's response was largely seen as a cover-up; he wrote: "In direct refutation of this portrayal is the fact that relations between American soldiers and the Vietnamese people are excellent.". During the Vietnam War, Powell, as deputy assistant chief of staff at the Americal (the 23rd Infantry Division) with the rank of Major, was charged with investigating a detailed letter by Tom Glen (a soldier from the 11th Light Infantry Brigade), which backed up rumored allegations of the My Lai massacre. Powell's successful career within the military has not been entirely free of controversy, however. Thus, while initially opposing the plan that would become Operation Desert Storm, Powell nevertheless supported it once it became official policy, and gave it his full dedication.

As an officer, Powell also valued loyalty very highly, and as a result, did not usually undermine policies he disagreed with after they were implemented. Bush Administration officials who advocated the deployment of troops to the Middle East to force Iraqi president Saddam Hussein to withdraw his armies from neighbouring Kuwait, believing the dictator could instead be contained through sanctions and a buildup of forces around Kuwait, a plan soon dubbed Powell doctrine. He was opposed to the majority of George H.W. Charles Gettys, the commander of the Americal Division.

Gen. He single-handedly rescued several men from a burning helicopter, one of them being Maj. It was also during his Vietnam service, his second tour, that Powell was decorated for bravery. The massive infection nearly killed him and it shortened his first tour.

Powell served a tour in Vietnam as a military advisor, and was badly injured when he stepped on a bamboo "punji stick". He felt the leadership was very ineffective. Powell mentioned in his autobiography that he is haunted by the nightmare of the Vietnam War. He rarely advocated military intervention as the first solution to an international dispute, and instead usually prescribed diplomacy and containment.

During these events, Powell earned a reputation as being a very dovish military leader. During this time, he oversaw 28 crises, including Operation Desert Storm in the 1991 Persian Gulf War. His 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 the age of 49, Powell left the army to become Ronald Reagan's last National Security Advisor, from 1987 to 1989.

Many of Powell's supporters have said this was pettiness and spite on Hudachek's part. Hudachek said in an efficiency evaluation that Powell was a poor leader who should not be promoted. It was there that he had a major clash with General John Hudachek his commander. In the early 1980s, Powell served at Fort Carson, Colorado.

Ward Churchill is one of those who has accused Powell of being reponsible for the 'cover-up'. So, in war, these sorts of horrible things happen every now and again, but they are still to be deplored." [1]. I got there after My Lai happened. Powell said to Larry King, "I mean, I was in a unit that was responsible for My Lai.

On May 4, 2004, United States Secretary of State Colin L. Powell wrote: "In direct refutation of this portrayal is the fact that relations between American soldiers and the Vietnamese people are excellent." Later, Powell's refutation would be called an act of "white-washing" the news of the Massacre, and questions would continue to remain undisclosed to the public. He was then a US Army Major, charged with investigating the massacre. Powell is connected with the My Lai Massacre.

Powell always professed, however, that what set Emerson apart was his great love of his soldiers and concern for their welfare. For example, he insisted his troops train only at night and made them repeatedly watch the television film Brian's Song to promote racial harmony. Emerson was somewhat eccentric personally. Powell said he regarded this man as one of the most caring officers he ever served under.

As a young Lieutenant-Colonel serving in South Korea, for example, Powell was very close to General Henry "Gunfighter" Emerson. In his autobiography My American Journey, Powell mentioned several officers he served under that inspired and mentored him. Powell obtained an MBA from George Washington University in 1971 and then served a White House fellowship under President Richard Nixon. Powell was a professional soldier for 35 years, during which time he held a variety of command and staff positions and rose to the rank of 4-star General.

Even after Powell became a four star general, he still kept on his desk a pen set that he won for a drill team competition. This was the elite ROTC drill team named after General of the Army John Pershing. Cadet Powell joined the Pershing Rifles. He later described it as one of the happiest experiences of his life finding something he loved and could do well.

He later spoke of how he "found himself" when he joined ROTC. An indifferent student, Powell attended the City College of New York and obtained a degree in geology. He wrote in his autobiography "Its the luck of the draw when you are given parents and I couldn't have been luckier". Powell always spoke warmly of his parents as loving and hard working.

His parents had immigrated from Jamaica. Colin Powell was born in The Bronx, New York City in 1937. . As a general in the United States Army, Powell also served as National Security Advisor (1987–1989) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989–1993).

Nominated by Bush on December 16, 2000 and unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate, Powell became the highest ranking African American government official in the history of the United States (now having been tied by his successor, Condoleezza Rice). Bush. Colin Luther Powell, KCB, (born April 5, 1937) was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving from January 20, 2001 to January 23, 2005 under President George W. Vietnam Gallantry Cross Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation with Palm.

Vietnam Campaign Medal. Army Staff Identification Badge. Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge. Office of the Secretary of Defense Identification Badge.

Presidential Service Badge. Parachutist Badge. Air Assault Badge. Ranger Tab.

Combat Infantryman Badge. Army Service Ribbon. Army Overseas Service Ribbon with numeral 3. Vietnam Service Medal with one silver service star.

National Defense Service Medal with one bronze service star. Army Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters. Joint Service Commendation Medal. Air Medal.

Purple Heart. Bronze Star Medal. Soldier's Medal. Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster.

Defense Superior Service Medal. Army Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster. Defense Distinguished Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters. General: 4 April 1989.

Lieutenant General: 1 July 1986. Major General: 1 August 1983. Brigadier General: 1 June 1979. Colonel: 1 February 1976.

Lieutenant Colonel: 9 July 1970. Major: 24 May 1966. Captain: 2 June 1962. First Lieutenant: 30 December 1959.

Second Lieutenant: 9 June 1957.