Washington [US], October 18 (ANI): Former US State Secretary of State Colin Powell died from the COVID-19 complications, Fox News reported citing his family members.
In a Facebook post from Colin Powell’s account, his family said: “General Colin L Powell, former US Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, passed away this morning due to complications from Covid 19.”
“He was fully vaccinated. We want to thank the medical staff at Walter Reed National Medical Center for their caring treatment. We have lost a remarkable and loving husband, father, grandfather, and a great American,” the post added.
After his graduation in 1958, Powell was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. During his 35 years in the Army, he served two tours in Vietnam, was stationed in West Germany and South Korea, and acted as President Ronald Reagan’s Deputy National Security Advisor in 1987 and then National Security Advisor from 1988 until 1989.
In 1989, he was promoted to the rank of General and was appointed by then-President George HW Bush to the position of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. After his retirement in 1993, he founded America’s Promise, an organization that helps at-risk children. He was nominated for Secretary of State by then President George W. Bush on December 16, 2000. Powell accepted the offer and left the post in 2005. Powell supported current President Joe Biden during his 2020 presidential campaign.
US President Joe Biden paid tribute to the former US Secretary of State Colin Powell after he died from the COVID-19 complications on Monday. “As a Senator, I worked closely with him when he served as National Security Advisor, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and as Secretary of State. Over our many years working together – even in disagreement – Colin was always someone who gave you his best and treated you with respect,” Biden said in a statement. “I am forever grateful for his support of my candidacy for president and for our shared battle for the soul of the nation. I will miss being able to call on his wisdom in the future,” he added.
Former US Secretary of State and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Colin Powell, was a true leader who was full of ideas but was not ideological, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday. “Secretary Powell was simply and completely a leader, and he knew how to build a strong and united team,” Blinken said in a statement. “He was a man of ideas, but he wasn’t ideological.”
Blinken added that Powell believed the United States is an exceptional nation and was the most respected and celebrated American in uniform. Powell died on Monday at the age of 84 from coronavirus-related complications, his family said in a statement. He was fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Powell became chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1989 and served in that position for four years. In 2001, former US President George W. Bush tapped Powell to serve as secretary of state. Powell accepted the offer and left the post in 2005. Powell supported current President Joe Biden during his 2020 presidential campaign.(ANI)
