Diplomat, Political Force (w) Ties to Fordham University

                             Diplomat, Political Force (w) Ties to Fordham University



     Colin L. Powell was an American politician, diplomat, statesman, and four-star general who served as the 65th United States Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005. He has the distinction of being the first African-American Secretary of State in the history of the USA. His early years of training brought him in direct contact with Fordham University. 

 Completed his ROTC Training at Fordham University Rose Hill 
Powell was raised in the South Bronx and graduated from the now defunct Morris High School in 1954. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology from the City College of New York (CCNY) in 1958.

 There are approximately 35 New York Metro area colleges and universities that supplement their Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) with the assistance of the program at Fordham University on the Bronx campus (Rose Hill). General Powell was one of them-see photo below. He was a member of Pershing Rifles, an ROTC fraternal organization and drill team begun by General John Pershing. Even after he had become a general, Powell kept a pen set, on his desk, that he had won for a drill team competition. 

 

                                           (Photo Courtesy of Fordham University Army ROTC) 
 
Did It Without A West Point Diploma. 

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) is the highest-ranking and most senior military officer in the United States Armed Forces. At age 52, he became the youngest officer, and first African-American/Afro-Caribbean (of Jamaican Parents), to serve in this position. Powell was also the first JCS Chair who received his commission through ROTC. In addition to being only the 3rd CJCS who did not attend a service academy (USMA or Annapolis). The Fordham University Military Hall of Fame is established to recognize the achievements of Fordham University veterans and graduates of Fordham University’s Army Reserve Officer Training Corps who exemplify the ideal of men and women in service to others. Powell was included on the 2002 roster. No alt text provided for this image (https://forever.fordham.edu/s/1362/18/interior.aspx?sid=1362&gid=1&pgid=3900) 


 Later Career Vietnam War: Powell served a tour in Vietnam as a South Vietnamese Army (ARVN) advisor from 1962 to 1963. While on patrol in a Viet Cong-held area, he was wounded. Later, he returned to Vietnam as a major in 1968, serving as assistant chief of staff of operations for the 23rd (Americal) Infantry Division. 

 During his second tour in Vietnam he was decorated with the Soldier's Medal for bravery after he survived a helicopter crash and single-handedly rescued three others.

 Secretary of State: From 2001 to 2005 he served as Secretary of State during the administration of George W. Bush. After the September 11 attacks, Powell came under fire for his role in building the case for the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. 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. 

 


     Powell holding a model vial of anthrax while presenting to the U.N. Security Council in Feb. 2003. 

 April 5, 1937 – October 18, 2021 

The cause of death was complications of Covid-19, his family said in a statement, adding that he had been vaccinated and was being treated at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, in Bethesda, Md., when he died there. 

A spokeswoman said his immune system had been compromised by multiple myeloma, for which he had been undergoing treatment. He had been due to receive a booster shot for his vaccine last week, she added, but had to postpone it when he fell ill. He had also been treated for early stages of Parkinson’s disease.

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This article originally appeared on the Fordham University Class of 1980 Facebook site: https://www.facebook.com/groups/537184563628982 -Kevin Bergin 

Bibliography 

  • (The First African American Secretary of State, Colin Powell Archived June 4, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, The African American Registry.) 
  • O'Sullivan, Christopher D. (April 16, 2009). Colin Powell: American Power and Intervention From Vietnam to Iraq. Rowman & Littlefield. p. ix. ISBN 978-0-7425-6535-7.
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Powell#cite_note-23 Retrieved (October 19th, 2021) 
  •  Title 10 of the United States Code 
  • "The 14 Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff". 
  • https://www.defense.gov/ https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2019/07 
  • Finlayson, Reggie (2003). Colin Powell. Biography (A & E). Twenty-First Century Books. p. 55. ISBN 9780822549666. 
  • Colin Powell, Who Shaped U.S. National Security, Dies at 84, N.Y. Times Obit October 18, 2021 

-Published by Kevin Bergin

 
#colinpowell #ROTC #CCNY #FORDHAMUNIVERSITY #vietnamwar #WMD #parkinson's #covid #westpoint #annapolis #september11th #SaddamHussein

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