Alpha Kappa Alpha Mourns The Passing of Ret. General and Former Secretary of State Colin Powell
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® and its more than 300,000 members worldwide mourn the passing of distinguished military leader and world diplomat, Ret. General Colin Powell.
Powell’s extraordinary career took him from combat duty in Vietnam to become the first African-American National Security Advisor and the youngest and first African-American Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under the elder Bush administration. His consequential military leadership, which spans 35 years, is underscored by armament treaty negotiations during the Panama invasion, military strategies that minimized casualties during the Gulf War, and humanitarian intervention in Somalia.
His military leadership shaped American foreign policy in the 20th century. Powell was promoted to four-star general in 1989 and served as the Commanding General of United States Army Forces Command. He would continue to blaze trails in 2001 when he became the first African-American Secretary of State.
Powell was a principled man and rebuffed party allegiance calling for bipartisanship later in life. He once said, “If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception; it is a prevailing attitude.” We honor and salute General Colin Powell and the enduring legacy of excellence, integrity and service that will live on and continue to serve as a guidepost for generations of leaders to follow.
