Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trailblazing Military And Political Leader Colin Powell, 84, Dies Of Covid
Colin L. Powell, who in four decades of public life served as the nation鈥檚 top soldier, diplomat and national security adviser, and whose speech at the United Nations in 2003 helped pave the way for the United States to go to war in Iraq, died on Monday. He was 84.He died of complications from Covid-19, his family said in a statement. He was fully vaccinated and was treated at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, his family said. Mr. Powell was a path breaker serving as the country鈥檚 first African American national security adviser, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and secretary of state. (Schmitt, 10/18)
The聽family said the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff聽had been fully vaccinated and was receiving treatment at Walter Reed National Medical Center. 鈥淕eneral Colin L. Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, passed away this morning due to complications from Covid 19. He was fully vaccinated. We want to thank the medical staff at Walter Reed National Medical Center for their caring treatment,鈥 the Powell family said in a statement posted to Facebook. (Schnell, 10/18)
Powell was a distinguished and trailblazing professional soldier whose career took him from combat duty in Vietnam to becoming the first Black national security adviser during the end of Ronald Reagan's presidency and the youngest and first African American chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President George H.W. Bush. His national popularity soared in the aftermath of the US-led coalition victory during the Gulf War, and for a time in the mid-90s, he was considered a leading contender to become the first Black President of the United States. ... Though he never mounted a White House bid, when Powell was sworn in as Bush's secretary of state in 2001, he became the highest-ranking Black public official to date in the country, standing fourth in the presidential line of succession. (Cole, 10/18)
Colin Powell came from a humble background to become the first African-American US secretary of state. A highly decorated army officer, he saw service in Vietnam, an experience that later helped define his own military and political strategies. He became a trusted military adviser to a number of leading US politicians. And, despite his own misgivings, he helped swing international opinion behind the 2003 invasion of Iraq. (10/18)
