Synopsis: This piece uses Colin Powell’s leadership quote—soldiers follow what leaders do, not what they’re told—to frame a brisk career retrospective of one of America’s most admired generals and public servants.
-It traces Powell’s upbringing in New York, ROTC commissioning at CCNY, and early command assignments before two Vietnam tours that included a Purple Heart and the Soldier’s Medal for heroism.
-The article then moves through his ascent into senior national-security roles, culminating as National Security Advisor and later Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, where he helped shape operations from Panama to the Gulf War.
-It closes with his post-Army years, Secretary of State tenure, death in 2021, and personal reflections on his leadership principles.
The Colin Powell Quote Every Leader Needs to Hear
“The most important thing I learned is that soldiers watch what their leaders do. You can give them classes and lecture them forever, but it is your personal example they will follow.” That quote belongs to U.S. Army General Colin L. Powell, one of the most admired and beloved American military leaders of all time.
We now take a brief look at the remarkable career of this American soldier, diplomat, and folk hero.
Early Life
Colin Luther Powell was born on April 5, 1937, in Harlem, New York City, to Jamaican immigrants Maud Ariel (née McKoy) and Luther Theophilus Powell.
He was raised in the South Bronx and graduated from the now-defunct Morris High School.
Paul D. Wolfowitz, under secretary of defense for policy, right, takes notes while Gen. Colin Powell, chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, commander-in-chief, U.S. Central Command, listen to Secretary of Defense Richard Cheney answer questions from the media. The men are taking part in a press conference held by U.S. and Saudi Arabian officials during Operation Desert Storm.
As a student, Powell worked at a local baby furniture store, learning Yiddish from the Eastern European Jewish shopkeepers.
Army ROTC
Young Colin didn’t obtain his military education and commission at West Point, but rather via Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), doing so at the City College of New York (CCNY), whereupon he became company commander of the Pershing Rifles, attained ROTC’s highest rank of cadet colonel, and was named a “distinguished military graduate.”
Powell graduated in l958 with a Bachelor of Science in geology and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Regular Army.
Junior Officer and Vietnam War Years
The timing of 2LT Powell’s commissioning couldn’t have been better, as the Army was still fairly newly desegregated.
He completed Infantry Officer Basic, Ranger, and Airborne schools.
He joined the 3rd Armored Division in West Germany as a platoon leader.
He then transferred to Fort Devens, Massachusetts, to command a company in the 5th Infantry Division, and in 1962 was promoted to captain.
1962 was a double-celebration year for CPT Powell, as he married his beloved Alma Johnson on August 25 of that year; the couple had one son, Michael, and one daughter, Linda.
It was whilst he was still a Captain that Powell was first “blooded” in combat, both literally and figuratively: he did his first Vietnam War tour as a South Vietnamese Army (ARVN) advisor from 1962 to 1963. During that time, he was wounded when he stepped on a punji stake and was awarded a Purple Heart for his troubles.
In June 1968, Powell was back in Vietnam, this time as a major. This time, he received the Soldier’s Medal for repeatedly returning to a burning helicopter to rescue three fellow soldiers (including division commander Major General Charles M. Gettys) despite his own injuries.
National Security Advisor and Joint Chiefs Chairman
He spent the 1970s and 1980s working in numerous high-level offices; he was awarded his first star on June 1, 1979.
From November 23, 1987, to January 20, 1989, Powell served as National Security Advisor to President Ronald Reagan.
As impressive as that stint was, it set the stage for even bigger and better things.
As noted by the official Joint Chiefs of Staff info page, “In April 1989 Powell received his fourth star…Within months of his appointment as CINCFOR, President George H. W. Bush selected General Powell to be the twelfth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. When Powell became Chairman on 1 October 1989, he was the first African-American, the first ROTC graduate, and, at fifty-two, the youngest officer to serve in the position.”
Gen. Powell had barely settled into his seat as CJCS Chairman when the U.S. Armed Forces embarked upon Operation Just Cause, the December 1989 invasion of Panama that overthrew strongman Manuel Noriega.
Thus, the stage was set for Gen. Powell’s most significant moment of triumph, the one that would make him a household name and national hero.
In response to then-Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait in August 1990, Powell became the driving force behind Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, the latter being the 1991 Gulf War that evicted Saddam’s forces from Kuwait.
Life After the Military
Gen. Powell retired from the Army on September 30, 1993, and two years later, he published his bestselling autobiography, “My American Journey.”
He eschewed multiple calls to run for President of the United States (or any other elected office for that matter), even though he would’ve almost certainly won the election in a bipartisan landslide (I knew quite a few staunch Democrats who told me that they’d have voted for Powell in a heartbeat).
Secretary of Defense Richard Cheney; Gen. Colin Powell, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, Commander, U.S. Central Command, during an award ceremony prior to the Welcome Home parade honoring the coalition forces of Desert Storm.
However, he didn’t avoid a post-military political career completely, as he would go back to work for another President Bush, this time as Secretary of State for George Walker Bush. Secretary Powell served in that position from January 20, 2001, to January 26, 2005. During that time, he famously made remarks to the United Nations Security Council describing Saddam’s weapons of mass destruction (WMD) program and providing the rationale for the eventual 2003 Iraq War.
Colin Powell died of complications from the pandemic on October 18, 2021, while being treated for a form of blood cancer that damaged his immune system.
He was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery, in Section 60, Grave 11917.
Personal Memories of Powell
I had the privilege of attending Powell’s speech at my baccalaureate alma mater, the University of Southern California (USC), back in 1998, the year after I graduate from that hallowed institution. To say that the speech was both well-attended and rousingly well-received would be a major understatement. (Coincidentally, USC was also the postgraduate alma mater of Powell’s fellow Desert Storm hero, Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf.)
A few months later, I was attending U.S. Air Force Officer Training School (OTS), and in our handbook, known as “The Talon,” which we were required to learn and carry everywhere, was an entire page dedicated to Gen. Powell’s leadership principles.
The one our upperclassmen especially harped upon was “It ain’t as bad as it looks. It will be better in the morning.” Other nuggets of wisdom from that list that stick with me all these years later are “Get mad, then get over it” and “Never take counsel of your fears or your naysayers.”
About the Author: Christian D. Orr, Defense Expert
Christian D. Orr is a Senior Defense Editor. He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU). He is also the author of the newly published book “Five Decades of a Fabulous Firearm: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Beretta 92 Pistol Series.”
