Fiscal Note
No fiscal impact.
Title
In Honor & Appreciation of the Distinguished Life & Service of Former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell
Body
WHEREAS, Colin Luther Powell was born to Jamaican immigrant parents on April 5, 1937 in Harlem, New York; and,
WHEREAS, Mr. Powell attended the City College of New York - joining the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) and graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology in 1958; and,
WHEREAS, Mr. Powell served two decorated combat tours in Vietnam from 1962-63 and from 1968-69 - receiving a Purple Heart and a Soldier’s Medal for his actions; and,
WHEREAS, Mr. Powell received a Master’s in Business Administration from George Washington University in 1971; became Special Assistant to the Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in 1972; and served multiple troop assignments throughout the 1970s; and,
WHEREAS, Mr. Powell became Senior Military Assistant to the United States Secretary of Defense in 1983; served as National Security Adviser beginning in 1987; and was named as both Commander in Chief of the Army Forces Command and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1989; and,
WHEREAS, before his retirement from the military in 1993, Mr. Powell’s time as Chairman coincided with the end of the Cold War; the invasion of Panama; the Persian Gulf War; and the 1990s Balkan Wars; and resulted in the most significant reorganization of American military structure and strategy since World War II; and,
WHEREAS, Mr. Powell was awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1993; helped negotiate a peaceful transition of power in Haiti in 1994; launched America’s Promise -The Alliance for Youth in 1997; received the Sylvanus Thayer Award in 1998; was presented with the Thomas D. White Defense Award in 1999; and served as the 65th United States Secretary of State under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005; and,
WHEREAS, Mr. Powell’s life and work - serving as the Nation’s first black National Security Adviser, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Secretary of State, among other accomplishments - has broken barriers and been an inspiration to Americans of all walks of life;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City of Madison Common Council and Mayor, on behalf of the people of Madison, express their deep appreciation to Colin Luther Powell for his significant contributions to American and international military strategy, politics, and public policy.
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the Common Council and Mayor honor his memory and accomplishments, and extend to his family their appreciation of all that Mr. Powell has given to the American public.