Colin Powell’s son: He was a ‘great leader because he was a great follower’
Powell’s son: He was a “great leader because he was a great follower” and willing to do what he asked of others
Michael Powell, Colin Powell’s son, painted a picture of what his father was like at home, when he wasn’t making major decisions on the world stage. He called his father a “great lion with a big heart.”
“Dad was famous for his 13 rules, but our family life was unregimented. No morning revelry or marching drills. It was a warm and joyous and loving home anchored by our strong and graceful mother Alma,” he said during his father’s funeral service held at the Washington National Cathedral.
“Our parents taught us right. They taught us wrong, and they taught us to take responsibility for our actions and never to blame others. Disappointing them was the worst punishment you could imagine. My father is frequently remembered as a problem-solver while his solutions to world problems may have been elegant. His fixes around the house were a bit more kludge.”
Powell said his father had a “passion for people” and this was evident through his interactions with others.
“His zest for life derived from his endless passion for people. He was genuinely interested in everyone he met. He loved the hot dog vendor, a bank teller, a janitor and a student as much as any world leader,” he said.
He went on to reflect on the leadership of his father and the impact he had in the roles he served.
“Colin Powell was a great leader because he was a great follower. He knew you could not ask your troops to do anything you were unwilling to do yourself,” he said.
He continued further in his remarks: “The example of Colin Powell does not call on us to emulate his resume which is too formidable for mere mortals. It is to emulate his character and his example as a human being that we can strive to do that. We can choose to be good.”
“My father made a monumental difference. He lived, he lived well. I’ve heard it asked, ‘Are we still making his kind?’ I believe the answer to that question is up to us. To honor his legacy, I hope we do more than consign him to the history books. I hope we recommit ourselves to being a nation where we are still making his kind,” he added.
CNN’s Veronica Stracqualursi contributed reporting to this post.
Madeleine Albright reflects on Powell’s friendship and the impact he had on others
Madeleine Albright, who served as secretary of state in the Bill Clinton administration and was Colin Powell’s predecessor, honored her friend by sharing some of the traits and characteristics she came to know throughout their friendship.
She noted that despite their differences in ideas or background, they were able to become close friends.
“On policy, the general and I didn’t always reach the same conclusions, and in fact he would later recount that one of my comments almost gave him an aneurysm,” she said. “Although we were the same age he and I were shaped by different experiences and had different ideas and represented different departments, but over the past quarter century we also became very close friends, an experience I know that I have in common with many of you.”
She continued: “The reason is that beneath that glossy exterior of warrior statesman was one of the gentlest and most decent people any of us will ever meet. As I grew to know him, I came to view Colin Powell as a figure who almost transcended time for his virtues were homeric, honesty, dignity and loyalty and an unshakeable commitment to his calling and word.”
Albright said Powell would work to instill these traits in the soldiers in his command, his colleagues and those he met. The former secretary of state said Powell “relished the opportunity” to connect with other generations and lift them up.
“A first rate listener, and in government the ultimate team player, Colin was nevertheless always true to himself. He could not be moved by any threat or attempting promise to depart from what he felt was right,” she added.
Albright mentioned some of the factors that helped shape Powell’s life and leadership.
“He had a code instilled by his immigrant parents, honed by army tradition and nurtured by more than half a century of marriage. He was also guided by conscience that unlike many never slept,” she said.
NOW: Funeral service begins at Washington National Cathedral
From CNN’s Veronica Stracqualursi
Former presidents, dignitaries and friends of the late Gen. Colin Powell are gathering at Washington National Cathedral for the funeral service of the former secretary of state and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The Powell family was seated in the cathedral as “America the Beautiful” played.
President Biden and first lady Jill Biden are in attendance, and are sitting next to former President Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama.
Former President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush are also seated in the same row.
Former Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice and current Secretary of State Antony Blinken are there, along with current Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley.
The ceremony, which is closed to the public, will include tributes from Richard Armitage, who served for a time as Powell’s deputy secretary of state, Madeleine Albright, who served as secretary of state in the Bill Clinton administration, and Powell’s son, Michael.
Colin Powell’s casket is being brought into the Washington National Cathedral for funeral
The casket of Colin Powell, the first Black US secretary of state, is being brought into the Washington National Cathedral ahead of the start of the funeral service.
Powell’s wife Alma Vivian (Johnson) Powell, whom he married in 1962, was just escorted in.
Watch the moment:
Bob Marley and ABBA: Prelude music was a nod to Powell’s heritage and musical favorites
From CNN’s Veronica Stracqualursi
The musical selections for the funeral’s organ and brass prelude were a mix of patriotic songs, religious hymns, and popular music, including Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds,” a nod to Colin Powell’s Jamaican heritage, and ABBA’s “Dancing Queen,” as Powell was a noted fan of the Swedish pop group.
CNN’s Suzanne Malveaux said she spoke to Powell’s longtime aide Peggy Cifrino, who told her a story about how Powell attended the premiere of the Broadway show “Mamma Mia!”
“The music played. He went — he got up out of his seat, went down the aisle, sashaying, dancing to ‘Dancing Queen,’” Malveaux said. “…Gen. Powell knew all the words to the songs.”
“So he just really was a lot of fun, very eclectic taste in music, entertainment, and really very accessible to folks who knew him,” she added.
President Biden has arrived at the cathedral for Colin Powell’s funeral service
From CNN’s Betsy Klein and Veronica Stracqualursi
President Biden’s motorcade has arrived at Washington National Cathedral.
The Bidens are set to sit in the front row with former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, as well as former first ladies Laura Bush and Michelle Obama, and Sec. Hillary Clinton.
Former Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice and the current Secretary of State Antony Blinken are also in attendance, along with current Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley.
Former President Bill Clinton, who was recently hospitalized, is not in attendance for the memorial service.
The funeral is scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. ET.
Colin Powell’s funeral will start soon. Here’s a look back at some key moments from his career.
Colin Powell, the first Black US secretary of state, will be honored soon in a funeral service at the Washington National Cathedral. Powell was also the youngest person and first African-American to be chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Although he served in a Republican administration, later in his public life, he would grow disillusioned with the party’s rightward lurch and would use his political capital to help elect Democrats to the White House, most notably Barack Obama, the first Black president whom Powell endorsed in the final weeks of the 2008 campaign.
Here’s a look back at some key moments from his career as secretary of state and beyond:
- Nov. 1987-Jan. 1989 – National security adviser to President Ronald Reagan.
- 1989-1994 – Commander in chief of the Forces Command at Ft. McPherson, Georgia.
- Oct. 1, 1989-Sept. 30, 1993 – Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
- Jan. 20, 2001- Is appointed and unanimously confirmed as secretary of state.
- Jan. 26, 2001 – Is sworn in as the 65th secretary of state of the United States.
- Feb. 5, 2003 – Powell addresses the United Nations Security Council to present the United States’ case against Iraq under UN Resolution 1441 regarding weapons of mass destruction.
- Dec. 15, 2003 – Undergoes surgery for prostate cancer at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He was diagnosed with the disease earlier in the year.
- Nov. 15, 2004 – The White House announces President Bush has accepted Powell’s letter of resignation dated Nov. 12. The letter states he will remain in office until his successor is confirmed.
- Jan. 26, 2005 – Powell’s resignation becomes effective with the confirmation of Condoleezza Rice.
- 2005 – Joins the California venture capital firm of Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers as a “strategic limited partner.”
- March 2006 – The National War College Foundation establishes the Colin Powell Chair for National Security, Leadership, Character and Ethics.
- Summer 2007 – Begins to speak out against the Bush administration’s decision to go to war against Iraq, the increase in troop strength in Iraq and the treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay.
- Jan. 20, 2009 – Is one of the honorary co-chairs of President Barack Obama’s inauguration. Powell endorsed Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign.
- Feb. 3, 2010 – Powell reverses his stance on gays and lesbians in the military; his opposition to homosexuals in the military helped lead to the original “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy of the 1990s.
- 2012 – Publishes a second memoir, “It Worked For Me: In Life and Leadership,” with Tony Koltz.
- Oct. 7, 2018 – Powell, along with former secretaries of state Hillary Clinton and Madeleine Albright makes a cameo appearance on the CBS show “Madam Secretary.”
- June 1, 2019 – Along with his wife Alma, Powell receives the Lincoln Medal, an award given by Ford’s Theatre Society. The society celebrates those who embody the legacy of President Abraham Lincoln.
- Jan. 10, 2021 – Following the deadly insurrection at the US Capitol, Powell said he no longer considers himself a Republican.
Read more about Powell’s career here.
CNN’s Devan Cole contributed reporting to this post.
CNN’s Wolf Blitzer calls Powell’s funeral “a rare moment of bipartisanship here in Washington”
Reporting from outside the Washington National Cathedral, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer described today’s funeral service in honor of Colin Powell as a “very poignant moment” that will put bipartisanship on display, as leaders from both parties gather to pay their respects.
“This is a rare moment of bipartisanship here in Washington right now at this very, very poignant moment,” Blitzer said.
President Biden will be attending the service as will former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama, as well as former President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
“Because the life, the remarkable life, of general and secretary Colin Powell was itself a bipartisan journey,” CNN’s John King said. “You’re watching the Bushes in there, you’re watching the Clintons in there. The Obamas will be here. President Biden is on his way here. Members of Congress and administrations, Democratic and Republican, hugging, saying hello.”
King continued: “That was one of the great strengths of Colin Powell. He listened. He respected, perhaps even more so with people who disagreed with him. He took the time to get to know why.”
“He put country first, America came first, not your political party,” he said.
Here’s who is attending and speaking in today’s service
From CNN’s Veronica Stracqualursi
Gen. Colin Powell, the late former secretary of state and Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, will be honored this morning at a private funeral service at the Washington National Cathedral.
Powell died on Oct. 18 from complications from Covid-19. He was 84.
Though he was fully vaccinated against Covid-19, Powell, who had multiple myeloma and Parkinson’s, was immunocompromised, putting him at greater risk to the virus.
Family, friends and numerous military and congressional leaders are expected to attend Powell’s funeral scheduled for noon ET.
President Biden, who recently returned from an international trip, and first lady Jill Biden plan to attend the funeral service, according to the White House.
Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama, as well as former President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush, will also be attendance, as will former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The ceremony, which will be closed to the public, will include tributes from Richard Armitage, who served for a time as Powell’s deputy secretary of state, Madeleine Albright, who served as secretary of state in the Bill Clinton administration, and Powell’s son, Michael.
Coronavirus safety measures will be followed to protect the health of the attendees, according to the cathedral, which has hosted the funerals of top Washington officials and public servants.
Source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/cnn_topstories/~3/RkQRDRxfHNI/h_b6ff19d6d575f2e3e706588043d80208
