we are back here in carlstadt, new jersey, where we re talking jobs and the economy, but this morning, we also have news out of the nation s capital and i want to toss over to my colleague, garrett haake for that. reporter: hey, steph. thanks. good morning, everyone. in a few moments, the doors will open at the national cathedral here in washington for the funeral of former secretary of state and chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, colin powell. joining me from outside the cathedral is nbc news chief white house correspondent, kristen welkwelker. and with me is justin honore. what can we expect to see in today s service? well, garrett, this is going to be a day to pay tribute to the man who serves as the nation s first black secretary of state, first black joint chiefs chairman. so this will be family, friends, and former presidents who will be here to honor colin powell. just to give you a sense of the
one person said, character above all, garrett. kristen, thank you. having three presidents in the front row alone is quite the tribute. general honore, what can you tell us about the lasting impact that general powell had on the military. particularly, i think about him as the singular person with so many firsts as an african-american leader in the military. > well, he s a general of our time and he lived the american story. son of immigrant parents from jamaica rose to the highest level of our military as well as a diplomatic core. he set the standards for the 21st century for war fighting, with taking the complex and making it simple. if you go to war, you need to figure out how to get out.