General Colin Powell; His View of America General Colin L. Powell served as the twelfth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Department of Defense, from October 1, 1989 to September 30, 1993, under both President George Bush and President Bill Clinton. In this capacity, he served as the principal military advisor to the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the National Security Council. Colin Powell will be the new Secretary of State in the George W. Bush administration, making him the highest-ranking African -American in US History. Bearing that in mind, we wanted to look at what he had to say at the Republican convention back in July 2000. Specifically we will review and opinions are on national issues that will probably be priorities for him as he becomes the next secretary of state. Since this was a speech, he did not go into detail on every issue, but we can still see what is important to him and how he feels the problems we face can be solved. Powell's View of America: The Good "During the almost seven years since I left the Army, I've traveled all across America. I've seen people hard at work providing for their families, giving of themselves, caring for each other. I've seen them creating wealth for the nation. I've seen an economy transforming itself to seize the promise of the information revolution. I've met so many of our fellow citizens who believe in America to the depth of their hearts and who are doing everything they can in their communities to make our nation that more perfect union spoken of in our Constitution. I've been moved yet again to stand in awe of the American dream, which was given birth in this city over two hundred years ago. A dream I have been privileged to live. I've met so many young people who believe in the dream. They are on a road to success. They are being raised in strong families, going to good schools, filling the finest universities, graduating and going on to find their place and fortune in this land. Even the youngest of them, still in elementary school are getting ready for the future -- using computers, logging onto the Internet -- while still enjoying the magic of childhood by curling up with a "Harry Potter" book. There is so much that is good and right in America!" Powell's view of America: Children & Education "Yet, I cannot ignore that in my travels I've also seen poverty, failing communities, people who've lost hope. Tragically, I've seen too many young Americans who are overwhelmed by the daily struggle just to survive. I've seen kids destroying themselves with drugs. Kids who see violence and crime as the answer to their hopelessness. Kids who no longer believe in themselves and who don't see a reason to believe in America. I've seen kids in utter despair. I've visited kids in jail doing adult time for crimes they've committed. They are part of a growing population of over two million Americans behind bars. Two million convicts, not consumers. Two million Americans who, while paying for their crimes, are not paying taxes, are not there for their children and are not raising families. Most of them are men and the majority of those men are minorities. The issue of race still casts a shadow over our society, despite the impressive progress we have made over the last 40 years to overcome the legacy of our troubled past. So, with all the success we have enjoyed and with all the wealth we have created, we have much more work to do and a long way to go to bring the promise of America to every American." "With all we have to do on our national agenda, I am convinced that to deliver on that promise, we must begin with our children. So many of the problems we worry about go back to how we raise our children. We either build our children or we build more jails. Time to stop building jails. And listen -- our children are not the problem, they are our future. They are America's promise. The problem is we if we fail to give them what they need to be successful in life. That mission has become the passion of my life. Because if you want to solve our drug problem, you won't do it by trying to cut off the supply and arresting street pushers alone. It will only be solved when we place into the heart of every child growing up in America the moral strength never to fall for the destructive lure of drugs -- the strength to just say "no, not me. I won't do it! I've got too much to live for." If you want to solve the problem of violence and crime on our streets, it begins with us teaching children to value life, their own and others, and to have respect for themselves and respect for others. If you want young people to become contributing citizens and not convicts, then early in life we must give them the character and the competence they need to succeed in this exciting new world. It begins in the home with caring, loving parents and family members who pass on the virtues of past generations, who live good lives which serve as models for their children. And where the family is broken or not up to the task, the rest of us must step in to help as mentors, tutors, foster parents, friends to kids who desperately need responsible adults to show them the way. Tens of thousands of our neighbors have stepped forward. Tens of thousands who realize that children are a gift from God not only to their parents, but also to their community. They belong to us all. We need to provide safe places for those kids to learn and to grow. More clubs and after-school programs to protect them from the dangers in our society and to surround them with more adults who will keep them in play. We are obliged to make sure that every child gets a healthy start in life. With all our wealth and capacity, we just can't stand by idly. We must make sure that every child has health care. As we are giving these necessities, and others, to our children, let's ask them to also give back to the community of which they are a part. Early in life help them to learn of the joy that comes from giving to others through community service. Let youngsters be part of the solution. With character in their hearts, and nurturing adults in their lives, our youngsters will be ready for the schooling that will give them the education needed to win those jobs of the future. There's work for all of us to do -- parents, aunts, uncles, teachers, the government at all levels, the private sector, our great non-profits, our houses of worship, all joining in the crusade to point kids in the right direction in life. Tonight we focus on education. Every child deserves and must receive a quality education. Give a quality education to a child who believes in him or herself and even with the bleakest beginning in life that child can make it and break the cycle of poverty and failure for that family forever. So many of our public schools are doing a fine job preparing our youngsters. I have been given no greater honor than to have had four public schools named after me -- an honor greater than medals. In those schools and so many others I've visited, you've never seen better facilities, more dedicated teachers and more involved parents. It makes your heart pound with pride. But I have also seen too many schools that are failing. They are trapped in fossilized bureaucracies. Bureaucracies that have low expectations for children and consequently set low standards for them. These schools are leaving our children behind and they must be fixed. If we believe they are all our children, then all of us must be willing to spend more to repair our schools and to pay our teachers better. We must also be open to new ideas. Let's not be afraid of standardized testing for students, testing of teachers, charter schools, private scholarship funding to give poor parents a choice, or home schooling. Let's experiment prudently with school voucher programs to see if they help. Let's use innovation and competition to help give our children the best education possible. We invite skilled workers to come to America from all over the world to fill the good jobs that are waiting here. I think that's great. Immigration is our life's blood. I am the son of immigrants. But I also want our kids educated and trained for those jobs. We owe it to them!" Powell's Comment: Outreach & Affirmative Action "We must understand the cynicism that exists in the black community. The kind of cynicism that is created when, for example, some in our party miss no opportunity to roundly and loudly condemn affirmative action that helped a few thousand Black kids get an education, but hardly a whimper is heard from them over affirmative action for lobbyists who load our federal tax codes with preferences for special interests. Overcoming the cynicism and mistrust that exist and raising up that mantle of Lincoln is about more than just winning votes. It is about giving all minorities a competitive choice. We deserve one! It will be good for our party and it will be good for America. Whether it's economic policy or military strategy or seeing what we can do to make our American family more inclusive, we will always try to do what is good and right for America." Powell's Comment: America's Place in the World "We stand at an historic turning point in world history. For the first time in almost a century, America does not face an enemy fueled by an ideology claiming to be superior to our beloved system of democracy, free enterprise and the rights of men and women to pursue their individual destinies. We defeated communism and fascism on the field of battle and on the field of ideas. The sick nations that still pursue the 'fools gold' of tyranny and weapons of mass destruction will soon find themselves left behind in the dustbin of history. They are investing in their own demise as surely as the Soviet Union did by investing in the Red Army. Today, we are the most powerful nation on earth -- militarily, economically, by any measure. We are that rarity in history -- a trusted nation whose power is tempered by compassion, whose leadership is earned by example and whose foreign affairs will be guided by common interests and common sense. The world is watching to see if all this power and wealth is just for the well to do, the comfortable, the privileged. Or are we a nation that can make our dream real for all Americans, so that all share in what we have been given by a generous God. We must show to the rest of the world the beauty and potential of democracy. Our greatest strength is the power of our example -- to be that shining city on the hill. To continue to be that place, we must all work together, we must reach down, back and across, all of us coming together to show the world what our American family can do. That is the challenge. This is the time." Colin L. Powell Retired General U.S. Army General Colin L. Powell served as the twelfth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Department of Defense, from October 1, 1989 to September 30, 1993, under both President George Bush and President Bill Clinton. In this capacity, he served as the principal military adviser to the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the National Security Council. Biography General Powell was born in New York City on April 5, 1937, and was raised in the South Bronx. His parents, Luther and Maud Powell, immigrated to the United States from Jamaica. General Powell was educated in the New York City Public Schools, graduating from Morris High School and the City College of New York (CCNY), where he earned a bachelor's degree in geology. He also participated in ROTC at CCNY and received a commission as an Army second lieutenant upon graduation in June 1958. His further academic achievements include a Master of Business Administration Degree from George Washington University. After completing the Infantry Officer Basic Course, Ranger Course, and Airborne Course at Fort Benning, Georgia, General Powell was stationed as a lieutenant in Germany. Subsequent operational assignment took him to Fort Denvens, Massachusetts; Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; and Fort Carson, Colorado. General Powell served two tours in Vietnam from 1962 to 1963 and1968 to 1969. He was also a battalion commander in Korea from 1973 to 1974. He later commanded the 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky and the U.S. Army's V Corps in Germany. Prior to being named Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he served as the Commander in Chief, Forces Command headquartered at Fort McPherson, Georgia. In addition to his selection as a White House Fellow in 1972, General Powell's assignments in Washington, D.C. included duty as Senior Military Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense and as Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense. He served as Executive Assistant to the Secretary of Energy for a brief period. In December1987, President Ronald Reagan named General Powell as the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, a post in which he served until January 1989. General Powell has been the recipient of numerous U.S. military awards and decorations including the Defense Distinguished Service Medal (with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters), the Army Distinguished Service Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster), Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit (with Oak Leaf Cluster), Soldier's Medal, Bronze Star Medal, and the Purple Heart. He has also been decorated by the governments of Argentina, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Jamaica, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, United Kingdom, and Venezuela. Among General Powell's civilian awards honoring his public service are two awards of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the President's Citizens Medal, the Congressional Gold Medal, the Secretary of State Distinguished Service Medal, and the Secretary of Energy Distinguished Service Medal. Additionally, he received an honorary knighthood (Knight of the Bath) form the Queen of England in December of 1993. Upon retiring from the U.S. Army on September 30, 1993, General Powell spent the next two years writing his autobiography, titled My American Journey, which was published in September 1995. Currently he is lecturing to diverse audiences in the United States and abroad, while serving on the boards of several non-profit organizations. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of Howard University and a member of the Board of Directors of the United Negro College Fund. The General also serves on the Board of Governors of The Boys & Girls Clubs of America and is a member of the Advisory Board of the Children's Health Fund. In January of 1997, President Clinton named him to be the General Chairman of The Presidents' Summit for America's Future, to be held in Philadelphia on April 27-29, 1997. General Powell is married to the former Alma Vivian Johnson of Birmingham, Alabama. The Powell family included son Michael; daughters, Linda and Annmarie, daughter-in-law Jane, and grandsons Jeffery and Bryan.

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