first black chairman of joint chiefs of staff
Colin Powell Colin Luther Powell (/ˈkoʊlɪn/; born April 5, 1937)[1] is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army.[2] Powell was born in Harlem as the son of Jamaican immigrants. During his military career, Powell also served as National Security Advisor (1987–1989), as Commander of the U.S. Army Forces Command (1989) and as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989–1993), holding the latter position during the Persian Gulf War. Powell was the first, and so far the only, African American to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under U.S. President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005, the first African American to serve in that position.[3][4][5][6]