Colin Powell, a US military hero and the first Black secretary of state, died of complications with Covid-19. Powell's legacy was tainted when he made the case for war in Iraq in 2003. He was 84 years old when he died.
The family released a message on social media on Monday, saying, “We have lost a remarkable and loving husband, father, grandfather, and a great American."
The retired four-star general and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who served four presidents, built a reputation as a man of honor who kept his distance from politics – a valuable asset in the halls of power.
“General Powell is an American hero, an American example, and a great American story,” George W. Bush said as he announced the nomination of Powell, the son of Jamaican immigrants who became the Republican president’s secretary of state in 2000.
“In directness of speech, his towering integrity, his deep respect for our democracy, and his soldier’s sense of duty and honor, Colin Powell demonstrates qualities that will make him a great representative of all the people of this country.”
But he found it hard to live down his infamous February 2003 speech to the United Nations Security Council about the alleged existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq — the evidence he presented was later proven to be false.
“It’s a blot and will always be a part of my record. It was painful. It’s painful now,” Powell said in a 2005 interview with ABC News.
Source: Punchng
