Colin Powell, who was the first black Secretary of State, passed away on October 18th. He had a blood cancer called multiple myeloma, but ultimately died from issues caused by Covid. Colin Powell had a very distinguished military career. He served in Vietnam, where he was involved in a helicopter crash and was injured. However, he was able to save other soldiers who were also in the crash. He was then given the Soldier’s Medal for this. Powell was also awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. He continued to serve in the military until 1993, and held positions such as Brigadier General, Assistant to Deputy Secretary of Defense, and National Security Advisor. He was also the Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff under George H.W. Bush. This is known as the highest military position in the Department of Defense. He became a four star general in the United States Army, as well.

After retiring from the military in 1993, Powell became the Secretary of State in 2000. Then, in 2003, President George W. Bush wanted to invade Iraq. But Colin Powell was opposed to this. However, once Powell was informed that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, he changed his mind and was in support of the invasion. In order for this invasion to work, they needed international support. So, he went to the United Nations Security Council and showed them evidence of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction. This in combination with Powell’s reputation, encouraged members to believe the evidence and support the invasion. However, about a year and a half later, Powell said that the evidence was wrong and Iraq likely did not have weapons of mass destruction. He then resigned from his position as Secretary of State. General Powell was respected by both democrats and republicans. Colin Powell had a great influence on the United States of America and will be very missed.