(CMR) Colin Powell, the first Black US Secretary of State and top military officer died on Monday from COVID-19 complications at the age of 84. His family said he was vaccinated. Powell's death was announced on social media by his family; however, they did not state what vaccine he received or whether he had gotten a booster shot, or whether he may have had underlying health conditions that contributed to his illness.
“We have lost a remarkable and loving husband, father, grandfather, and a great American,” his family said, offering thanks to the staff of the hospital near Washington, DC, who treated Powell.
Powell was one of America's most prominent Black figures for decades. He served three Republican presidents in senior posts and reached the top of the US military as it was regaining its vigor after the trauma of the Vietnam War, Reuters reported.
Former US President George W. Bush said, “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.”
Powell served as US national security adviser under President Ronald Reagan from 1987 to 1989. As a four-star Army general, he was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President George H.W. Bush during the 1991 Gulf War in which U.S.-led forces expelled Iraqi troops from neighboring Kuwait.
Powell later served as secretary of state under President George W. Bush and was the public face of the erroneous intelligence that the United States cited to justify its March 2003 invasion of Iraq.
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