during the nixon era in 1972. afterwards, powell returned to his troops, eventually becoming a general, and went back to the white house in 1987 as president reagan s national security adviser. then in 1989, the general became the highest ranking officer in the u.s. military when president george h.w. bush named him chairman of the joint cheechs of staff. our strategy to go after this army is simple. first we re going to cut it off, then we re going to kill it. reporter: powell became a household name during the first gulf war. his policy of overwhelming force against iraq became known as the powell doctrine. i exmy sincere thanks to each and every one of you for being here to share my final day in uniform. reporter: after a distinguished 35-year career, powell retired from the army in 19893.
cannes they re suppresses the body s immune response. powell held a variety of critically important roles in his lifetime of service to the united states secretary of state, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, and four-star u.s. army general. his leadership in several republican administrations helped shape american foreign policy over the last four decades. at one point, he was considered a potential leading presidential candidate. but his story is also a complicated one marked by his speech before the united nations in 2003 to make the case for the invasion of iraq citing faulty intelligence about weapons of mass destruction. he would later call that decision a blot on his record. cnn s wolf blitzer looks back at the incredible life and career of general powell. i will never not be a soldier. reporter: colin powell, a soldier turned statesman made
think the lessons are of general powell that you hope any young military officer with carry with them? first of all, that was very heartfelt comments from general austin, who i know well, on general powell. general powell s legacy is that he came from very humble beginnings. his family emigrated from jamaica, and he was raised in new york city. and with grit, determination, you can do anything. and he was an example of that. in his autobiography, my american journey, he talked about that. doing the right thing always. and he was such a trail blazer, i think that is helpful not to just people of color but all americans, because his story is an american story, an american success story. absolutely. general pittard, than for being here. ja
colonel colin powell. diversity and inclusion and having someone who could champion that was very, very important. jamie, you ve covered general powell extensively throughout the years. robert draper last year, a profile on powell, wrote how he mournfully predicted to others that his obituary s first paragraph would include his authorship of the u.n. speech is how draper put it, right? it s one thing to have read that when that profile, which was very interest, came out, but rereading it this morning it hits so differently. such an amazing american story, a complicated one. absolutely. but i think what may be most important about that complicated time when he made the speech to the u.n. in favor of wmds is what he did afterwards.
ten years later another gulf war and powell played a key role. my colleagues, every statement i make today is backed up by sources, solid sources. these are not assertions. we re giving you facts and conclusions based on solid intelligence. reporter: then secretary of state powell made a case in front of the u.n. security council arguing that iraq posed a grave threat to the world because, he said, they had weapons of mass destruction. the following month the u.s. invasion began. the war lasted more than eight years. no weapons of mass destruction ever turned up. i reget it now because the information was wrong. reporter: after four years as president george w. bush s secretary of state, powell returned to private life. he spent his civilian years empowering youth through his projects, america s promise alliance and the colin powell school for civic and global leadership. we re going to go and educate the kids who are most in need.