One of the most prominent figures in American public life, General
Colin L. Powell served as the twelfth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs
of Staff under both President George Bush and President Bill
Clinton. He was a major architect of Desert Storm, the dramatic
Allied success in the forty-three-day Gulf War, which began in
January 1991.
General Powell was born in New York City in 1937 and raised in the
South Bronx by his parents, who had immigrated to America from
Jamaica. He came up through the New York City public school system
and received a commission as an army second lieutenant upon
graduation from the City College of New York in 1958.
Early in his career, General Powell was stationed in Germany and in
a number of posts in the United States, and served two tours in
Vietnam, 1962-1963 and 1968-1969. He was also a battalion commander
in Korea from 1973 to 1974 and later commanded the 2nd Brigade,
101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), at Fort Campbell, Kentucky,
and V Corps in Germany.
General Powell was appointed Deputy National Security Advisor by
President Ronald Reagan in January 1987 and in December 1987 became
National Security Advisor, a post he held until January 1989. He
served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from October 1989
until his retirement on September 30, 1993.
General Powell has received numerous U.S. military awards and
decorations, as well as civilian awards honoring his public
service, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which he was
awarded twice. He has also been decorated by the governments of
Argentina, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Greece,
Jamaica, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, the United
Kingdom, and Venezuela, and received an honorary knighthood (Knight
Commanders of Bath) from the Queen of England.
"From the Hardcover edition."
The story of Powell's rise from humble beginnings in Harlem to the corridors of power in Washington is one worth hearing. This abridgment touches Powell's high points: an average school career, the ROTC program that inspired him to military life, service in a divided Germany, and painful lessons learned in Vietnam. Powell's swift rise through the Pentagon bureaucracy made him a key figure in Desert Storm, the invasion of Panama, the Iran-contra affair, the breakup of the Soviet Union, and the debate over gays in the military. He closes with indefinite comments about a future role in politics, positioning himself as a "fiscal conservative with a social conscience." Recommended for public libraries, where Powell's serviceable reading and the program's concise format will be popular.‘Linda Bredengerd, Univ. of Pittsburgh Lib., Bradford, Pa.
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