A Computer Science webpage assignment created by syed ilyas


Colin Powell

A first-generation American, Powell was born to Jamaican immigrant parents in Harlem, New York. The family relocated to the Bronx early in Powell's childhood. After graduating from Morris High School in 1954, Powell earned a degree from the City College of New York's Kings College, where he joined the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC). His academic career was unremarkable, but his tenure with the ROTC proved fruitful. He gained the highest rank achievable, cadet colonel, and upon his graduation in 1958 he was appointed second lieutenant in the United States Army. Powell received his military training at Fort Benning, Georgia.
His first posting was to West Germany, where he remained for two years, followed by a two-year period in Massachusetts. He met and married Alma Vivian Johnson, a young speech pathologist, in 1962. The couple had three children: Michael, Linda, and Anne Marie. Powell, now a captain, was stationed in Vietnam just months after his marriage. He received the Purple Heart after being injured by a punji-stick booby-trap set by the Viet Cong. In 1963 Powell returned to the United States and moved back to Fort Benning, where he studied and worked as an instructor at the Infantry School.

Moving up the ranks of the military, Powell became a major in 1966. The highlight of the period was his impressive performance at the United States Army Command and General Staff College, where he distinguished himself by graduating second in his class. He was sent back to Vietnam in 1968 to work under General Charles Gettys. Once again, Powell was wounded, this time in a helicopter accident; despite his injuries, he saved other servicemen from the burning site of the crash, a deed that earned him his second Purple Heart and a Soldiers Medal.

On his return from Vietnam in 1969, Powell was promoted to lieutenant colonel. He earned an M.B.A. degree from George Washington University in 1971. One year later, he received his first political appointment: as a White House fellow assigned to work in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under the administration of President Richard Nixon. His tenure at the OMB afforded him the opportunity to work with OMB director Caspar Weinberger and deputy director Frank Carlucci. Both men held Powell in high esteem and in later years figured prominently in his political advancement.
Capitalizing on Powell's reputation as a troubleshooter, the army assigned him to command a troubled infantry battalion in South Korea, where drug abuse and racial tensions threatened to paralyze the unit. The following year he was stationed in the United States, working in the Pentagon. In rapid succession he enrolled in a nine-month program at the National War College, was made a full colonel, and in 1976 was assigned to lead the 2nd Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Powell returned to the Pentagon in 1977, although not for long: By 1979 he had been promoted to brigadier general and went on to work briefly as an aide to Charles Duncan, secretary of the Department of Energy.
IVTHE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL AND JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF Powell's professional ascent continued unchecked through the 1980s. In 1981 he took on a military assignment, commanding the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colorado. Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger, Powell's former superior at the OMB, then appointed him senior military assistant. His job was to act as a bridge between the Pentagon and the White House—a role in which he excelled. By mid-1986 Powell had been promoted to lieutenant general, commanding the 5th Corps in Frankfurt, Germany. The Iran-Contra debacle and ensuing restructuring in Washington resulted in Frank Carlucci's appointment as national security adviser. Carlucci requested that Powell be recalled to Washington as his deputy, and although initially hesitant, Powell agreed. Carlucci was appointed secretary of defense in 1987, and Powell received a corresponding promotion to national security adviser. In this position, Powell advocated a strong military budget but opposed the heavy spending on the space-based Strategic Defense Initiative (nicknamed Star Wars). He served as national security adviser until President Ronald Reagan's term ended in January 1989. In April Powell became a four-star general.

In the late 1980s Powell continued to distinguish himself in diplomatic and military coups, orchestrating groundbreaking meetings between Reagan and then-leader of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) Mikhail Gorbachev. In recognition of his sterling efforts, President George Bush appointed Powell chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1989. His installation was a double triumph: He was both the youngest person and the first African American appointed to the highest rank in the military. Early in his term, Powell was confronted with Bush's plan to invade Panama and overthrow General Manuel Noriega. Powell reportedly counseled against the invasion, but Bush chose to proceed. Powell planned the successful assault, which sent 25,000 U.S. troops to Panama in December 1989.

After the outbreak of the Persian Gulf War in August 1990, Powell coordinated a successful ground strategy with General Norman Schwarzkopf, gaining popular approval from the American public for his effective military strategy. His capable and comforting demeanor was an added bonus at a time when television was often the public's principal source of information on the state of the war. Bush reappointed
In 1992 Democratic candidate Bill Clinton was elected president. Living up to a campaign promise, Clinton began exploring measures to end the ban on homosexuals in the military. Powell opposed the endeavor; it was largely through his efforts that the “don't ask, don't tell” policy was established, whereby homosexuals were allowed in the armed forces as long as they did not reveal their sexual orientation. Clinton and Powell also disagreed over Clinton's proposal to drastically cut the military budget.

In September of 1993 Powell retired from the military. This move fueled intense national speculation that he intended to run for president against Clinton in 1996. Powell did not refute the rumors, instead concentrating on promoting his autobiography, My American Journey (1995). At the end of the book tour, Powell announced that he would not run for the presidency, and he retired to private life. Newly elected President Bush appointed General Powell secretary of state, the first person of African American to be appointed to that post. Powell chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1991. During this time, Powell faced regional crises in Somalia and the former Yugoslavia but had little success in guiding the administration to a clear policy in either area.

Laziness or Bias?

Dear Editor,

Following is note to Abigail Thernstrom:

Dear Abby,

I can’t say it gently, so I’ll just say it plainly: You goofed.

When at his town hall style discussion on race Bill Clinton asked you if you were opposed to the affirmative action policy that made Colin Powell possible, you should have risen to your feet in righteous indignation to unmask as emphatically as possible the ugly errors lurking behind Clinton’s insulting and ill-conceived question.

First, you should have insisted plainly that Colin Powell is not the result of a government policy or program, no matter who says otherwise. Colin Powell is the product of parental love and guidance, of intelligence, hard work, courage, commitment and character. For Bill Clinton to claim government credit for Powell’s military contribution is highly insulting to Colin Powell. It denigrates Powell’s real achievement, as if he could not have been a highly successful soldier on his own merit.

For liberals like Clinton, blacks cannot make it to the top on their own mettle, on their own hard work and money—they need Big Brother’s help, which is an amazingly insulting and paternalistic idea to put forth at a meeting on race. But for Clinton to say as much without opposition is, if anything, even more amazing. Perhaps nobody objected to Clinton’s statement because they all agreed with its racist presuppositions and therefore did not notice its ugly bias.

Their silence was eloquent.

Second, you should have reminded Bill Clinton that even on its own bigoted basis, his question neatly left out the victims of the affirmative action policy he was defending. Why didn’t you ask him about the possible MacArthurs, Pattons, Marshalls and Eisenhowers his pet policy suppressed by barring the door to military advancement to highly promising soldiers simply because they were the wrong race? The cost of this policy was the exile to historical obscurity of many talented soldiers simply because they had the great misfortune to be born to the wrong parents.

But you didn’t object.

Because of his political views and his inexperience, Colin Powell will never get my vote for president, but he’s a fine general. For all we know, he might even be as good a general as the man he displaced.

That’s no way to run an army, Abby. But it’s what you’d expect from a Commander-in-Chief who spent his adolescence and young adulthood running as fast and as far as he could from the armed services.

Michael Bauman, Ph.D.
Hillsdale, Michigan

In Harvard University Professor Samuel Huntington’s brilliant book, "The Clash of Civilizations," he persuasively argues that racial, ethnic and cultural clashes have replaced the world’s traditional political and economic wars. In "The Ends of the Earth," author Robert D. Kaplan agrees, noting that "The world has been moving in our century from nation-state conflict to ideological conflict, and finally to culture conflict." This may be the real, tragic legacy of programs like Affirmative Action. By focusing relentlessly on racial, ethnic and cultural differences in American society we manage to rub raw virtually every sensitive nerve ending between the Atlantic and the Pacific and beyond, inviting turmoil and conflict. —Ed.

---

V

Retired Army General Colin L. Powell,

founding chairman of America's Promise -- The Alliance for Youth.

Retired Army General Colin L. Powell is the founding chairman of America's Promise -- The Alliance for Youth. The organization has granted us permission to reprint an excerpt, dated 10/1/98, from a dispatch he wrote on America’s Promise Web site.

Instead of the presidential politics so many implored him to pursue, he dedicates his time, intellect and celebrity to an effort of historic proportions: mobilizing all sectors of America to bring the American dream to all children - to keep America's Promise to future generations. America's Promise - The Alliance for Youth is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to build and strengthen the character and capability of youth.

Powell credits his success to the deceptively simple influences in his life. From caring, involved parents, whom he calls his personal heroes, to watchful and protective eyes of neighborhood mothers always present to lend a helping hand - or a bit of discipline, Powell knew from the very beginning, the value of thoughtful adult participation in the lives of young people. A self-described "barely average" young student, the chance to wear the uniform of his country and be a part of something larger than himself, set him on the path of becoming the national icon who has dominated the pages of the world's newspapers this decade. From those early life lessons, he constructed a compelling vision, a crusade, to bring those resources to every child in America. Led by this conviction and buoyed by considerable research in child and community development, America's Promise begins its fourth year, and is taking hold in numerous areas, most prominently in San Diego, Kansas City, Kan. and the state of Texas.

"I will work for the future of the nation as long as there is a child I can help or a problem I can solve."

Q: What is your vision for America's Promise?

I want to see the entire country make young people the national priority. America's Promise was born to do just that. Our mission is to mobilize all sectors of American life to build the character and competence of youth by fulfilling these Five Promises:

1. Ongoing relationships with caring adults - parents, mentors, tutors or coaches.

2. Safe places with structured activities during nonschool hours.

3. Healthy start and future.

4. Marketable skills through effective education.

Q: How does education contribute to achieving your goals for America's Promise?

Educational institutions - schools, colleges and universities - are valuable partners in our great crusade. Hundreds of schools across the country have already become "Schools of Promise" dedicated to fulfilling the Five Promises for all their students. Nearly 40 institutions of higher education are official "Universities of Promise." Rich in human and academic resources, they are fertile grounds for developing young people and are assets to the communities.

Q: How do you see technology helping to achieve those goals?

We live in a complex, information-driven, high-tech economy. Technology is crucial to spreading our message to the public; we rely on computers, the Internet and our Web site to engage Americans from all walks of life in our crusade.

Our future success as a nation depends on how prepared our young people are for the challenges of the 21st century. Many America's Promise partners are using technology to fulfill the Five Promises for youth across the nation. For example, PowerUP, a nonprofit organization chaired by AOL co-founder Steve Case and funded by many computer companies, is providing the Five Promises through technology. PowerUP computer labs provide a safe, supervised site where young people can participate in structured activities, obtain online health information, gain technology skills and engage in community service activities. The sites are staffed with volunteers from the AmeriCorps*VISTA [Volunteers in Service to America] program and trained staff from other volunteer organizations to provide ongoing relationships with technically skilled adults and students.

I don't call it the Digital Divide. I call it Digital Apartheid. There is a huge gap between those who have access to the wonders of digital technology and the Internet and those who do not. I call them the "haves" and the "have-nots." If we don't bridge the gap between the two, the "have-nots" will be poorer and more resentful of progress, and the "haves" will find themselves lacking the skilled workers and potential customers they need.

Q: What role should the technology industry play in providing technology-enhanced education? What are some specific examples where industry is fulfilling the responsibility of such partnering with education?

Technology companies can give young people the training and the resources to make it in this high-tech world. We're seeing that happen: Oracle Corporation put up $100 million to provide network computers and training to students and teachers nationwide. America Online created a Web site to help tap into the education resources of the Internet. Cisco Systems established Networking Academies in high schools and colleges to teach students about computer network design and maintenance. IBM is providing $10 million in technology and technical services. These are all great solutions and a strong start toward bridging the gap.

Q: If you were to create an education program for students today, how would you incorporate technology into your program design?

Technology should be an integral part of any education program. It should be used to teach all of the necessary basic skills and assist young people in obtaining the resources they need to be successful in life. For young people to travel from successful childhood to successful adulthood, we must give them access to cutting edge tools and skills, so that they can gain access to the high-wage jobs in this competitive economy.

Q: You are a hero to millions of individuals worldwide. Who was your personal hero and why?

My mother and father serve as heroes to me. Both of them loved and cared about me. My parents traveled to this country from their homeland, Jamaica, to start a better life for themselves. After they met and were married, they passed on that better life to my sister, Marilyn, and me. I was fortunate to have adults who cared so dearly for me. They worked very hard to ensure that I would become successful and not drop through the cracks of society.

Sometimes young people may not have parents on whom they can count in their lives. This is why all of us must do our part and get involved in the life of a young person as a parent, mentor, tutor or coach.

Noticiero Latino Highlights for February 2003

Monday, February 3rd, 2003