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Colin Powell, top U.S. soldier and diplomat, dies of COVID-19 complications

Published 10/18/2021, 08:07 AM
Updated 10/19/2021, 01:52 AM
© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Former U.S. Army Four Star General and former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell speaks at the funeral for the late U.S. Army Four Star General H. Norman Schwarzkopf at the Cadet Chapel at the United States Military Academy at West Point, Ne

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Former U.S. Army Four Star General and former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell speaks at the funeral for the late U.S. Army Four Star General H. Norman Schwarzkopf at the Cadet Chapel at the United States Military Academy at West Point, Ne

By Will Dunham and Arshad Mohammed

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Colin Powell, the first Black U.S. secretary of state, a top military officer and a national security adviser, died on Monday at age 84 due to complications from COVID-19. He was fully vaccinated, his family said.

Powell had multiple myeloma, a blood cancer which was in remission, and early-stage Parkinson's disease, said a close friend who asked not to be named. The blood cancer reduces the body's ability to fight infection and puts people at higher risk for a severe case of the virus.

Powell served three Republican presidents in senior posts and ascended to leadership of the U.S. military as it was regaining its vigor after the trauma of the war in Vietnam, where he served two tours as an Army officer.

"We have lost a remarkable and loving husband, father, grandfather and a great American," his family said, thanking the staff of the military hospital near Washington who treated Powell but providing few details about his illness.

He was the top U.S. military officer when American-led forces drove Iraqi troops from Kuwait in 1991 and the chief U.S. diplomat in 2003 when Washington relied on erroneous intelligence about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction to justify its invasion of Iraq.

The son of Jamaican immigrants who rose to the top of the national security establishment, Powell himself acknowledged that his presentation of that spurious U.S. intelligence would stain his record.

In a brief statement on Facebook (NASDAQ:FB), the Powell family said he had died on Monday morning from COVID-19, had been fully vaccinated against the disease and thanked the medical staff at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center who treated him.

White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said hospitalization and death are "extremely rare" among the fully vaccinated and said Powell's death underscored that underlying health issues and other diseases can lead to greater risk from the virus.

“He had two very serious underlying conditions. And unfortunately, (vaccination) didn’t work. God love him,” President Joe Biden told reporters at a White House event on education. He again implored all Americans to get vaccinated.

Biden earlier praised Powell in a statement.

"Colin embodied the highest ideals of both warrior and diplomat," Biden, describing Powell as a "patriot of unmatched honor and dignity" and a man who "could drive his Corvette Stingray like nobody's business."

Former President George W. Bush, a Republican who named Powell as U.S. secretary of state, noted that "many presidents relied on General Powell's counsel and experience."

"He was such a favorite of presidents that he earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom - twice," Bush said, referring to a medal viewed as the U.S. government's highest civilian award.

IRAQ WARS

Powell served as U.S. national security adviser under Republican President Ronald Reagan from 1987 to 1989. As a four-star Army general, he was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Republican President George H.W. Bush during the 1991 Gulf War in which U.S.-led forces expelled Iraqi troops from neighboring Kuwait.

The New York native considered running for president in 1996, but his wife Alma's worries about his safety helped him decide otherwise. In 2008, he broke with his party to endorse Democrat Barack Obama, who became the first Black person elected to the White House.

Illustrating his deep misgivings about the evolution of the Republican Party as it has moved to the right, Powell endorsed Democrats Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election and Biden last year against Donald Trump. Powell called Trump a liar who presented a danger to the United States.

Biden, who painted his 2020 presidential candidacy against Trump as a fight for the United States' soul, thanked Powell for bucking his Republican Party to back him.

"I am forever grateful for his support of my candidacy for president and for our shared battle for the soul of the nation," Biden said.

Powell will forever be associated with his controversial presentation on Feb. 5, 2003, to the U.N. Security Council, making Bush's case that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein constituted an imminent danger to the world because of the country's stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons.

He admitted later that the presentation was rife with inaccuracies and twisted intelligence provided by others in the Bush administration and represented "a blot" that will "always be a part of my record."

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell salutes the audience as he takes the stage at the Washington Ideas Forum in Washington, September 30, 2015. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Richard Boucher, one of Powell's closest aides at the State Department, praised him for admitting the mistake.

"The honorable thing is to say 'I made a mistake.' Powell did that. He owned it. He owned his mistakes as much as his incredible successes," Boucher said.

Latest comments

Where are those WMDs ? Lets go Brandon!
His endorsing Joe Biden for president, knowing as we all know, that Biden is unfit due to his mental decline, dementia. A clear observation by any clear minded individual such as Colin Powell. I'll admit that I actually liked this man at one time. But he also endorsed Hillary Clinton and we all knew she is a crook. As is her no morals husband.
if we cant foresic audit how do you know he won? They had 50k phantom voters in arizona alone which swings that to trump. I didnt vote for either but facts are facts.
 "if we cant foresic audit how do you know he won?"  -- funny you mention forensic audit, because those ninja did the audit and agreed with the certified result that Biden was the winner in Arizona, in fact they found more votes for Biden and less votes for Trump, so as you say, facts are facts
of course they censor. Anyways if you cant figure this stuff out good luck and youre not worth my time…
An honorable man, but still just a man! RiP.
He didn't die from Covid but rather old age and stress. Stop the Fear ********
I guess those experimental jabs aren’t so effective afterall
You should probably go post your misinformation (a.k.a. lies) elsewhere. Most of us are too smart to fall for the Q.
so you are saying the Trump vaccines don't work?  say it aint so.....
yeah I think he died during the riots at the capital they strung him up.... that could be true you people believe other ridiculous things so that could be true lol
tell us more, Q
Another war criminal responsible for 1000s of deaths in Iraq
maybe iam the kast
ok
Maybe i am the last man on earth still value dignity, royaly and accountability. If i said # because i dont know #, i still own it. I dont blame anyone. I blame my #.
He should have gotten the booster shot. If he took the vaccines early on, he definitely needed the booster shot after 6 months because he is old.
Bro obviously if he needed a booster the vaccines didnt work…why cant people see this ? Why are you dependent on the government ? Why do you think you need a vaccien to beat covid? Lol its incredibly ridiculous to have to ask these questions
******is wrong with you...try to make some sense. Can/do you read?
Thank you Doctor! We were missing your expertise and scientific insights, sonbadly
So i guess the vaccines dont work huh
he had all the vaccines and covid still took his life…
95% effective...please don't be so slow. It will cost you throughout your life.
so you are telling Trump lied about the vaccines' effectiveness?  tell us more.....
Both Saddam & Powell would be discussing WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION in detail Now.
a promotion for a booster shot .
Oh no! Anyway...
Vaccine protected people around him, or I mean, he was protected, or no, without vaccine he would die much easier.  Anyway, Vaccinate ASAP!!!!
Stupid censorship on this site bro
 If you are going to lie please post a link to your far-right (Q-based) website. I will link to CDC...https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7038e1.htm
I think they try to block lies, call it censorship if you want. You could also try not to lie so much.
Powell lied to Congress about Iraq WMD resulting in over 1 million dead Iraqis, displacement of other millions families, wounded Veterans, trillions in cost.
Yeah this one May not rest in peace. So much blood on his hands...
if you had only achieved 1% of what he did in your life… maybe you would not be here writing non-sense
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