Former U. S. Secretary of State Colin Powell has passed away. The 84 year old succumbed to health complications from COVID on Monday, at the age of 84. Powell is remembered as a trailblazing political and military official who served as State Secretary for President George W. Bush and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President George H.W. Bush, as well as a partial stint under President Bill Clinton. He also served as President Ronald Reagan's deputy national security advisor.
According to Christian Headlines, the Powell family took to Facebook to share that the late Republican leader passed away "due to complications from Covid 19." The family added that "He was fully vaccinated." Aside from COVID, however, Powell was also battling Parkinson's and multiple myeloma, a type of bone marrow cancer.
"We have lost a remarkable and loving husband, father, grandfather and a great American," the Powell family wrote, adding a thank you note to the medical staff at the Walter Reed National Medical Center, where the former State Secretary was treated.
Since Powell's passing, tributes have been pouring in to honor the former State Secretary, whose long years of service made tremendous impact across the country. Powell broke ground as the first Black secretary of state and first Black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Faithwire reported that Powell was also a man of the Christian faith who was born to Jamaican immigrants in New York City on April 5, 1937. He was raised in the Episcopal Church. He even wrote about his experiences as a senior layperson at a small Episcopal church in northern Virginia in his 2012 memoir titled "It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership."
"'Always show more kindness than seems necessary, because the person receiving it needs it more than you will ever know,'" Powell wrote of a piece of advice an elderly priest told the congregation. "That sentence hit me for four decades. The lesson was clear: Kindness is not just about being nice; it's about recognizing another human being who deserves care and respect."
Powell also served in the U.S. Army, having been commissioned as second lieutenant in 1958. He trained in Georgia, where as a result of his race, he was denied service at restaurants and bars. By 1962, he was sent as an adviser to South Vietnam by then-President John F. Kennedy. Powell made his way back to Vietnam in 1968 and was later commended for his bravery after pulling out other soldiers from a helicopter crash they suffered together.
Former President George W. Bush had nothing but praises for Powell. In a statement, the ex-Republican leader called the former State Secretary "a great public servant" and said that "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. He was highly respected at home and abroad." President Joe Biden remarked that Powell "embodied the highest ideals of both warrior and diplomat."
Powell's death from COVID complications despite being vaccinated from the disease sparked a comment from Fox News anchor John Roberts, who took to Twitter to comment about the vaccine's long-term efficacy, WND reported. His tweet was taken down after it was met with intense criticism.
"The fact that Colin Powell died from a breakthrough COVID infection raises new concerns about how effective vaccines are long-term," Roberts declared. Many responded to Roberts, criticizing him for the lack of context and for failing to point out that Powell was already battling several illnesses when he got COVID.
