The United States paid tribute on Friday to “general-diplomat” Colin Powell, first African-American secretary of state who died on October 18, during a national funeral at Washington Cathedral.
In the presence of President Joe Biden and his wife Jill and the principal leaders of the Pentagon, the former chief of diplomacy Madeleine Albright evoked “a character who almost transcended history, so much his virtues were Homeric: honesty, dignity, loyalty and an unwavering commitment to his profession and to keep his word“.
“The military adored him, his opponents respected him, and in the State Department he was far more popular than his predecessor.“, joked the one to whom Colin Powell had succeeded as head of the State Department.
Beside the presidential couple were former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle, his predecessor George W. Bush and his wife Laura, as well as former First Lady and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Her husband Bill Clinton, who was recently hospitalized with an infection, was absent.
Died at the age of 84 from complications related to Covid-19, Colin Powell was the first African-American and the youngest man to serve as Chief of Staff of the Armies, from 1989 to 1993 , before becoming the first black secretary of state under the Republican presidency of George W. Bush.
His son Michael Powell paid tribute to his military commitment. “He loved the soldiers, with all his heart“, he said. “He knew that you can’t ask the soldiers what you are not ready to do yourself“.
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