Colin L. Powell - a Thumbnail Sketch

OCCUPATION: Retired military officer, author, lecturer. BORN: April 5, 1937 in Harlem; youngest of two children PARENTS: Luther (shipping clerk) and Maud Ariel Powell (seamstress). Jamaican immigrants who found work in New York's garment industry. MARRIED: Alma Vivian Johnson Children: Michael, Linda, Anne Marie EDUCATION: City College of New York, BS in Geology 1958; George Washington University, MBA 1971; National War College 1976. CAREER: * Army ROTC in college * 1958. Joined US Army, commissioned as second lieutenant. * Served in West Germany. * 1962-63. First Vietnam tour as adviser to Vietnamese infantry battalion. * Awarded Purple Heart, Bronze Star. * 1968-69. Second Vietnam tour of duty as infantry officer. * Awarded Soldiers Medal, Legion of Merit * 1972. White House fellowship in Office of Management and Budget * 1973-74. Served in Korea * 1976. Assistant division commander 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo. * 1976-77. Brigade commander 101st Airborne Division * 1977. Military adviser to assistant deputy secretary of Defense, under President Carter. * 1983. Senior military assistant to Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger. * 1986. Commander of V Corps, West Germany * 1987. Head of National Security Council under President Reagan * 1989. Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff. First black and youngest to serve as the president's chief adviser on military affairs. * 1993. Military retirement Sources: My American Journey, Gale Research