Army General to Presidential Advisor

He was a disinterested, “C average” student until he found military discipline to his liking. As a combat soldier, he showed personal courage, earning respect from both his superior officers and the troops he led. Eventually many Americans wanted him to be their President. 

FAMILY BACKGROUND

The parents of Colin Powell (CP) emigrated from Jamaica to the Harlem section of New York City, where he was born, though later raised in the South Bronx. Both parents were of mixed African and Scottish ancestry. After arriving in the U.S., CP’s father was a shipping clerk while his mother was a seamstress. 

CHILDHOOD 

Following high school classes and on weekends, CP worked at a local baby furniture store, where he learned to understand and speak Yiddish from the Eastern European Jewish shopkeepers and some of their customers. He became so proficient with the language that as an adult, he once spoke to a Jewish reporter in Yiddish, much to the man’s surprise. 

(Editor’s note re ‘Yiddish’ – a language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews, it originates from the 9^th century in Central Europe, providing that community with its own language based on High German fused with many elements taken from Hebrew plus Aramaic, Slavic, and Romance languages. 85% of the Jews massacred in the Holocaust spoke Yiddish, which accounts for a major decline in use of that language. A 2021 study by Rutgers University estimated 250,000 American speakers of Yiddish.)

As a child, CP did not envision himself within any specific adult career, but he was positively influenced by each of his parents’ strong work ethic. 

EDUCATION

CP was encouraged by his parents to be a ‘good’ student in each of his grades. Looking back from his adult perspective, CP recalls that he was only a ‘C average’ student, working just hard enough to get by but apparently his grades and class standing from his public high school were sufficient to gain admission to the local, public college. 

When CP had to declare a ‘major’ to focus his college courses, he chose geology – the science that deals with the earth’s physical structure and substance, its history and the processes that act on it. 

(Editor’s note – Careers in geology include land surveyor, quarry manager, drilling and mechanical engineer, climate change and sustainability consultant, hydrologist, contaminated land engineer and environmental investigator. For more information, consult “Geology.com”)

To defray some of his college tuition expenses, CP enrolled in the Army ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) program for college students, requiring (at that time) weekly meetings on campus to engage in physical fitness activities and classroom study of military history, military discipline, basic military skills (e.g., map reading) and leadership strategies. During summers, ROTC students attended two-week summer camps for more intense training. Upon college graduation, the former student is commissioned a 2^nd Lieutenant and commences his or her several years of required active military duty. 

More than a decade later, CP earned his Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) degree from a well-regarded university. Still later, he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Public Service. 

MILITARY CAREER

Though CP was not a student dedicated to all his academic studies, CP said “It was only once I was in college, when I found something that I liked: military training within the ROTC program. And I not only liked it, but I was pretty good at it. That’s what you really must look for in life, something that you like and something that you think you’re pretty good at. And if you can put those two things together, then you’re on the right track, just drive on.”

After completing basic infantry training at Fort Benning, Georgia, CP was assigned to the 48^th Infantry in West Germany, as a platoon leader. Eventually, CP served a tour of duty in Vietnam, as a South Vietnamese Army (ARVN) advisor. While on patrol in an enemy (Viet-Cong) area, he was wounded by stepping on a punji stake, which caused a severe infection though the Army medics were able to save his leg. 

CP returned to Vietnam as a Major, serving as Assistant Chief of Staff of Operations for the 23^rd (American) Infantry Division. During this second tour in Vietnam, CP was decorated with the Soldier’s Medal for bravery after he survived a helicopter crash and single-handedly rescued three others from the burning wreckage.

CP’s career as a professional soldier spanned 35 years, during which time he held many command and staff positions, rising to the rank of four-star general. 

MENTORS TEACH HOW TO CARE FOR PEOPLE YOU MUST SUPERVIZE 

In his autobiography, My American Journey, CP named several officers he served under who inspired and mentored him. One, Henry “Gunfighter” Emerson, was described as one of the most caring officers he ever met. Emerson insisted his troops train at night to fight a possible enemy attack and made them repeatedly watch the television film “Brian’s Song” to promote racial harmony. CP said that what set Emerson apart was his great love for his soldiers and concern for their welfare. 

LEADERSHIP REQUIRES TREATING ALL RACES EQUALLY

After a race riot occurred, in which Black soldiers almost killed a White officer, CP was charged by Emerson to crack down on Black militants.

CP’s efforts to solve racial tensions within the ranks of the soldiers he was leading, led to the discharge of one Black soldier and other efforts to educate the troops in the importance of respecting each other as individuals without regard to race, religion, or general characteristics over which no individual has any control. 

When CP was later promoted to Brigadier General, he received a framed quotation by President Abraham Lincoln: “I can make a brigadier general in five minutes. But it’s not so easy to replace one hundred ten horses.”

CHALLENGE – SUSPECTED RACISM

Though CP received many military promotions during his Army career, at one point he was denied a promotion based on negative comments from a superior officer, within his annual efficiency report. Then and later, CP refused to blame racism for the matter, though many of his peer officers thought he had good cause to suspect it. But CP’s Jamaican parents had taught him that the way to overcome bigotry was to “get over it and be better than them.” 

He did. A decade later, CP was a four-star general, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and arguably the most admired man in America at the time. 

THE ‘POWELL DOCTRINE’

CP’s swift ascent through military ranks seemed to personify the military strategy that came to be known as “The Powell Doctrine” – Establish precise goals, exhaust all diplomatic options, amass support from allies and the public, then defeat the adversary with overwhelming force.

GOVERNMENT ADVISOR

After advising several Presidents regarding military and international affairs, CP served as Secretary of State for four years, the first Black to hold such a presidential Cabinet position. During his term, CP traveled less than any other U.S. Secretary of State in the past thirty years, which strategy CP adopted to focus on his duties as the president’s principal foreign policy advisor and avoid trips that risked undercutting the duties of ambassadors. 

CAREER SATISFACTION

After finding his lifetime interest in leading and caring for others, CP’s calm but persistent demeanor plus his decades of leadership experience, gave him credibility when he spoke and led by example. Although mentioned seriously as a Presidential candidate by both major political parties, CP declined to get involved, prioritizing devotion to his family. 

During his retirement years, politicians from both parties and many world leaders continued to solicit advice from CP. Meanwhile, he enjoyed quiet, private time at home. “Going into the garage, I can see that the carburetor’s the problem and fix it – unlike foreign policy, where nothing gets resolved. You’re just spending four years doing the best you can.”

This career story is based on both an article about the late General Colin Powell from Wikipedia and an article written by Robert Draper, published within the NY Times Magazine on 12/26/21.