and he was all the time. she didn't like being away from him. at least partially because they contributed in a major way to each other's way of thinking about absolutely everything in their lives. career, children, home life, relatives, friends and so on. when you got colin powell and got alma too and vice versa and a good thing because the whole is much greater than the sum of the giant parts. a really dedicated family man. everybody learned from him. how to deal with the difficulty of being a soldier. busy all the time. away from home most of the time. and still be a good parent. a lot of us learn how to do that from him. he was a genuine pragmatist and he said you have to do the things that are important first but it doesn't mean that you have to ashoe doing the one thing in favor of another if they're both important. you have to be good at being who you are. and if you do that you're going to wind up being a good soldier and a good father at the same time. >> colonel jack, thank you for that. it is an important point here. we want to pause for a moment here as the secretary's hearse is removed or casket i should say is removed from the hearse. a somber moment at the national cathedral. there are people lining the area here. let's listen. ♪♪ >> the congregation may stand as you are able. with faith in jesus christ we receive the body of our brother colin luther powell for burial. let us pray with confidence to god, the giver of life, that he will raise him to perfection in the company of the saints. deliver your servant colin, sovereign lord christ from all evil and set him free from every bond. that he may rest with all your saints in the eternal habitations, where with the father and the holy spirit you live and reign, one god, forever and ever. amen. >> let us also pray for all who mourn, that they may cast their care on god, and know the consolation of his love. almighty god, look with pity upon the sorrows of your servants for whom we pray. remember them, lord, in mercy; nourish them in patience; comfort them with a sense of your goodness. lift up your countenance upon them and give them peace, through jesus christ our lord. amen. >> the memorial service for secretary colin powell set to begin formally in just a moment. you just saw reverend curry and others deliver that prayer here. an emotional day, an emotional afternoon here in washington with some of the most important dignitaries from the country here today to pay respects and to honor the life and legacy of secretary powell. we have seen beautiful images, his wife alma taking her seat. his children michael, linda, ann marie. i want to bring back in peter and helene as the choir begins to sing here and the relationship as you talked about, colonel jack, between colin powell and his wife so special, that relationship between his children was special, as well. i want to think about that here as we listen to the choir at the national cathedral in a moment after this. we'll see the service begin. ♪♪ [ bell tolling ] [ bell tolling ] [ bell tolling ] >> i am the recognize recollection and the life, sayette the lord. he that believette in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. and whosoever livette and believette in me shall never die. i know that my redeemer liveth. and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. and though this body be destroyed, yet shall i see for myself and mine eyes shall behold and not as a stranger. for none of us liveth to himself, and no one dieth to himself. for if we live, we live unto the lord. and if we die, we die unto the lord. whether we live, therefore, or die, we are the lord's. blessed are the dead who die in the lord. even so saith the spirit, for they rest from their labors. >> good afternoon. my name is randy holler itth, the dean of washington national cathedral, and michael curry, the presiding bishop welcome. welcome to this house of prayer for all people. it is indeed an honor for us to host this service for colin powell. to mrs. powell, michael, ann, linda and the entire powell family our hearts are with you and with all those across our country and indeed around the world who grieve the loss of this great american leader and patriot. today we give colin luther powell back to the god who gave him to us. while we mourn his death our faith tells us that there is indeed life beyond the grave and that god never lets us go. so as the old prayer says we gather to give thanks for all the goodness and courage that have passed through colin powell's life into the lives of others. for his loyalty to his country and his love of the good and for all those noble qualities of mind and soul that endeared him to so many, he lived a life of service and he was a great blessing to all who knew him. in the words of st. paul he fought the good fight and kept the faith. may the god of love bless him and keep him always. thank you. ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ joyful joyful we adore thee ♪ ♪ god of glory lord of love ♪ ♪ hearts unfold like flowers before thee ♪ ♪ praising thee their sun above ♪ ♪ melt the clouds of sin and sadness ♪ ♪ drive the dark of doubt away ♪ ♪ deliver of immortal gladness fill us with the light of day ♪ ♪ all thy works with joy surround thee ♪ ♪ earth and heaven reflect thy rays ♪ ♪ stars and angels sing around thee ♪ ♪ center of unbroken praise ♪ ♪ field and forest, vale and mountain ♪ ♪ blooming meadow flashing sea ♪ ♪ chanting bird and flowing fountain ♪ ♪ call us to rejoice in thee ♪ ♪ thou art giving and forgiving ♪ ♪ ever blessing ever blessed ♪ ♪ well spring of the joy of living ♪ ♪ ocean-depth of happy rest ♪ ♪ thou our father, christ our brother ♪ ♪ all who live in love are thine ♪ ♪ teach us how to love each other ♪ ♪ lift us to the joy divine ♪♪ >> well, good afternoon. i'm going to break protocol just a little bit and acknowledge alma powell, michael and jane powell, linda powell, ann marie and francis and the grandchildren. we are here for your father, your husband, your grand daddy. and quite a turnout it is. if i may, president biden, dr. biden, thank you very much for your attendance particularly after the arduous trip. president obama, mrs. obama, thank you for being here and for leading our country for eight years with wit, digny. president biden and mrs. thank you for being here. you led our nation through the horror of 9/11, did not let us take counsel of fears and brought us out on the other side. thank you. mrs. clinton, so what do i say? first lady or do i say secretary clinton? or senator clinton? i think i just contend myself by saying we thank you for your years of service to our nation and you know of colin's affection for you. eleanor roosevelt wrote, if it at the end one can say this man used to the limit the powers that god granted him, he was worthy of love and respect, and of the sacrifices of many people, made in order that he might achieve what he deemed to be assessed, then that life has been lived well and there are no regrets. does that sound like somebody you know? seems like the husband, the father and the grandfather of the powell family right here. people asked me how did you develop a 40-year friendship with secretary powell, general powell and then colonel powell? well, you have two disgruntled, multi-tour combat vets who are not happy with the war and the way we left. and delighted to be part of a new administration which was coming in to develop not only the weapons systems we needed but redevelop the morale that our nation needed so much. that was a natural bonding thing. one day i asked general powell, i think major general at the time, i said what's the secret to leadership? how do you know a good leader? he said, you see some people and they look great, strapping in the uniform. but the fact of the matter is that they can't lead a horse to water. there are other people who look like an unmade bed. and yet they can lead people anywhere. and he said the trade i guess you want to see in a leader is somebody who -- whose troops would follow him or her anywhere. anywhere. but if only out of curiosity and somebody who would follow him and her just to see where the heck he's going. asked general powell one day what did he learn in the army? he said most important thing he learned is in rotc when he learned ant the first general order which cautioned a sentry to take charge of this post, ail government property in sight and stand this point until properly relieved. but in his interpretation that didn't mean you stood at the px which was warm, friendly faces going by. you did that. that was part of the duty. how about the motor pool? how about the repair shops? they are part of the duty, too. you don't get to pick and choose. he extended it to people. he would say, i extend the first general order to people. so we're all human. some people we like better than others but if you're in charge you can't show it. colin could end that comment by saying we need to treat everyone with more kindness because we don't know what's going on in their lives. you know, i'm going to quickly throw out three anecdotes for you. this is a celebration. it is a celebration of a life. but i want to fill that picture of colin powell out a little bit. i'm going to try to tie together his sense of humor, his insatiable curiosity and his comfort in his own skin. one day i was upstairs in the pentagon, two floors above then chairman powell and he buzzed me and asked could i come down? sure. i would be right down. i rolled down the two flights of the stairs into his floor. nancy hughes at the door said go right on in. they're expecting you. i wasn't expecting a them. but i went on in and there was a boom box playing. it was a circle of very tall gentlemen that included general powell. it was the harlem globetrotter and playing "sweet georgia brown" and passing the ball around. i'm not unfamiliar with the basketball court when i could really walk. i won't run but walk and asked me to join the circle. i did. every time a globetrotter to pass the boll to secretary powell he'd fumble it. he'd drop it. it would fall to the floor. so finally one of the globetrotter switched off the boom box and said, bro p, what's up with you? we throw you the ball and you drop it. without a grin, without a grimace, he looked straight at that globetrotter and said while you were shooting hoops i was stealing hub caps. globetrotter said that's all right and "sweet georgia brown" time again. i said he had an insatiable curiosity. nothing made him happier than to sneak away from the secret detail. does that sound familiar? in the state department, it would generally be followed with a call to me on the cell saying, i'm free. i broke out. and then he would tell me where he was because it wouldn't be long before security is going crazy. this day found him down in the parking lot of the state department which is a huge underground parking lot and he walked up to an attendant and not sure he knew if this was the secretary of state. and secretary said i've wondered. how do you figure out who gets in the front row or the second row to egress on the time he thought you were going to egress and who's in the back row taking 40 minutes? he said, very easy. he said people come in, say, good morning, or it's snowing out there or traffic is bad today, we put them in the front row. the second row. if they come in with a window wound up, won't look right or left, drive right on past, 40 minutes and then they can get out. back row. this nugget was so enlightning to secretary powell that it made bold to ask about certain members of the hierarchy in the state department. you'll have to guess. i'm not going to tell you who. the majority of them got through with first and second row but an actually ended up time and again in the back row. well, the third anecdote that i was going to say had to do with secretary powell, general powell, colin, cp, however you knew him, as secretary of state. and visiting foreign minister of sweden. anna lind was in. she knew of secretary powell's affection for abba and she knew of the affection for volvos and opened up a full cd set of abba and presented it to him. colin immediately went down on one knee and sang the entire "mamma mia" to a very amused foreign minister to sweden and to gobsmacked u.s. delegation who had never seen anything like it. well, our taste in music were not very similar except for one. every saturday afternoon at 5:00 we would listen to wpfw in washington. this is the people's radio. don't tell anybody who investigates us for security clearances because this is liberation radio if you will. there was a show at 5:00 in the afternoon hosted by mrs. vaughn martin and it's called "caribbeana" and that's something we like. ee marley. the swallow. any number of people and had great -- one music taste. colin loved the church. he loved the ceremony. he love ds the liturgy and the high hymns. as alma knows that every day at 7:00 or 7:05 we would call each other and get the days ready except or sunday. on sunday i'd call at 9:30. and he would answer, the same way every sunday. he would say, i was at church and in the state of grace. i would answer the same way every sunday. colin, if you're not in the state of grace, who among us is? that was every day for almost 40 years. the same opening remarks. i grew up in the south and my taste in hymns is different from secretary powell's. and my favorite hymn is one by fc barnes. he sings with his wife and called "coming up on the rough side of the mountain." three verses and two choruses. i submit you to the third verse. this old race will soon be over. there will be no more race to run. and i will stand before god's throne, all my heart aches will be gone. i'll hear my savior say, welcome home. shh, be real quiet. listen real carefully. and you might hear our savior say, colin, welcome home, and here's your starry crown. and finally, a message to alma and the kids. he's a very busy husband and father, huge responsibilities. i talked to him once, sometimes 15 times a day for 40 years. never in 40 years do i recall his ever failing to either start or end his day by telling what alma was doing, what michael and jane were doing, what linda and ann marie and francis were doing, what the grand kids were doing and the reason i mention this is because i think as a husband, as a father, as a friend, i don't think we share often enough how we really feel with our families. sometimes i think we take it for granted but i want you to know that he didn't take it for granted every morning or evening i heard about it. so god bless colin and the powell family and god bless us all. thank you. >> president biden, president obama, president bush, secretary clinton, distinguished leaders and guests, my heart is sad for i have lost a friend. alma, michael, linda, ann marie, i'm grateful to you for inviting me to share my thoughts in this hour of celebration and remembrance. in 1993, when i began serving as america's ambassador to the u.n. general colin powell was already in his final months as chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. at white house meetings, i came equipped with a yellow pad. he brought a laser pointer and an array of multicolored slides. i wore a pin. he wore a lot of medals. i was a mere mortal female civilian. in the wake of "operation desert storm" he was the hero of the western world. on policy the general and i didn't always reach the same conclusions and in fact he would later recount that one of my comments almost gave him an aneurysm. although we were the same age we were shaped by difference experiences and had different ideas and represented different departments but over the past quarter century we became very close friends and experienced i know i have in common with many of you. the reason is beneath that glossy exterior of warrior statesman was one of the gentlest and most decent people any of us will ever meet. as i grew to know him i viewed colin powell as a figure who almost transcended time for his vir chus were loyalty and an unshakable commitment to the calling and word. these were the same traits he sought tirelessly to instill in the soldiers under his command, the diplomats he led, the colleagues with whom he worked, the reeders of his books, the audiences that flocked to the speeches, the stunts of the powell school for civic and global leadership and the thousands of young people who benefited from the america's promise alliance that alma and he championed. he relished the opportunity to connect with other generations. and it's always the right time he told us and i quote to reach out to someone who's wanting to look up and to each in our own way to help put that fellow american on the road to success. a first listener and in government the ultimate team player, colin was nevertheless always true to himself. he could not be moved by any threat or tempts promise to depart from what he felt was right. he had a code, instilled by his immigrant parents honed by army tradition and nurtured by more than half a century of marriage. he was also guided by conscience that unlike many never slept. colin would be incredibly cool. people in government life we open our mouths and the sucherlative gush worst. the biggest deal ever. the biggest disaster ever. as if there's a choice between utopia and predecision. over the decades i sat in many meetings with colin where i could almost hear his eyes roll. when it was his turn to speak he was brill i can't want at bringing over the moon claims down to earth and distilling what truly mattered from what did not. his effectiveness is magnifying by or improving how macho he could be. he cared only about achieving results and somehow through the strength of the personality he made pragmatism charismatic. colin powell's legacy of service to the country he loved will long survive his passing, from rescuing soldiers in combat to presiding over the roll back of aggression in the middle east to orchestrating after 9/11 a global alliance against al qaeda to modernizing the practice of diplomacy. he devoted the full measure of the energy and skills to advancing national interests and to the common good. hold on. and he did so in the right way. which is why the army loved him, why his adversaries respected him and why within the state department he was far more popular than his predecessor. i remember the day his nomination as secretary of state was announced because colin drove himself having escaped the service over to my house so we could begin planning a smooth transition. amid the ran kor over the 2000 election he was determined to set the right example. there's a photo taken a few days later which shows him arriving at the state department and we are laughing and on the cusp of a warm embrace. i treasure that picture because it captures our relationship and had grown from one of mutual respect to one of mutual affection. it did help that we both had a sense of humor. in his memoir he recalled that a session on bosnia where i was advocating the use of force he felt compelled to explain to me patiently the military's proper role. when the book came out he sent me a copy inscribed partily yours colin. and when i replied i signed my note of thanks forcefully yours, madeline. in time we really did become the closest of friends. traveling to together for speeches, trading frequent phone calls and having lunch at his beloved cafe. we talked a lot about the gratitude to the country. our pride in our families. and our distaste of aging. he offered me plenty of advice. the last time i saw him he instructed me to count each step in order to avoid tripping or falling down the stairs. i now do that several times a day and each time i think of colin. this morning my heart aches because we have lost a friend and our nation one of its finest and most loyal soldiers. yet even as we contemplate the magnitude of our loss we can almost hear a familiar voice asking us, no, commanding us to stop feeling sad, to turn our gaze once again from the past to the future and to get on with the nation's business. while making the absolute most of our own days on earth. one step at a time. to that command we can only reply, yes, sir. ♪♪ ♪ and i saw a new heaven ♪ ♪ for the first heaven and the first earth ♪ ♪ were passed away ♪ ♪ and there was no more sea ♪ ♪♪ ♪ and i john saw the holy city ♪ ♪ new jerusalem ♪ ♪ coming down from god out of heaven ♪ ♪ prepared as a bride adorned for her husband ♪ ♪♪ ♪ and i heard a great voice out of heaven saying ♪ ♪ ♪ behold, the tabernacle of god is with men ♪ ♪ and he will dwell with them ♪ ♪ and they shall be his people and god himself shall be with them ♪ ♪ and be their god ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ and god shall wipe away all tears from their eyes ♪ ♪ and there shall be no more death neither sorrow ♪ ♪ nor crying neither shall there be any more pain ♪ ♪ for the former things are passed away ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ my sisters and i were raised under the stars. the stars of the story general we eulogize today. dad was famous for his 13 rules but our family life was unregimented. no morning revly of marching drills. it was a warm, and joyous and loving home anchored by our strong and graceful mother, alma. our parents taught us right. they taught us wrong. and they taught us to take responsibility for our actions and never to blame others. disappointing them was the worst punishment you could imagine. my father is frequently remembered as a problem solver. while his solutions to world problems may have been elegant, his fixes around the house were a bit more cloojy. he believed he could cheaply fix anything with a little duct tape, some wire, and a can of spray paint. he'd over even propose a solution for a nonexistent problem. in high school he decided that my cherished 1962 chevy impal la was making a noise. it definitely was not making a noise. nonetheless, he pursued the phantom sound by pulling the engine, something he had never done before. he spent a whole weekend hanging chain and hoisting the engine and messing with who knows what. when he put it back together and started it, the car whopped like a helicopter. we rushed to the door and saw him book out of the driveway with a big proud smile on his face. but that smile faded quickly when he shifted the car into drive and it would never go into forward again. he was always thanking -- to get it there, he literally drove the car backwards on public roads for three miles, smiling at astonishes drivers along the way. he liked tinkering. when he was a one-star general living in fort carson, colorado, he became fascinated with mechanical adding machines. he would buy them by the palet at auction and try to get the machines to work. at one point there were so many adding machines, he had to store them in the garage refrigerator. i suppose every general needs a signature -- colin powell had adding machines. his zest for life derived from his endless passion for people. he was genuinely interested in everyone he met. he love a hot dog vendor, a banker, and a student as much as any world leader. not long ago he was driving his corvette on the beltway. with the tire fixed, the young vet asked if he could take a quick selfie. my dad took time to ask about his family and his friends and his life. something no instagram moment could ever uncover. a few days later to thank him for his help, my father invited the vet and his entire family over to the house for dinner. colin powell was a great leader because he was a great follower. he knew you could not ask your troops to do anything you are unwilling to do yourself. one time i was walking into the px with my dad. we came upon a corporal saluting a captain over and over again. my father walked up and asked this captain what he was doing. the captain repied sir, this corporal failed to salute me, so i'm making him salute me 100 times. my dad said that's fine. but you make darn sure you salute him back every single time. the exchange of salutes is a sign of mutual respect. he loved the troops with all his heart. the morning i was flying to germany for my first assignment as a new army officer, he came into my room to say good-bye. he leaned over and kissed me on the cheek and whispered gently, take care of our soldiers. countless people have benefitted from his leadership. he could offer wading wisdom in a few choice words. when i was in the fcc and having a rough go in the press, i asked maybe i should asking stepping down. the response was swift. powells don't quit. people will long forget the issues you're dealing with. they will never forget how you conduct yourself. then he quoted a passage from thomas jefferson's second inaugural address which reads i have learned to expect that it will rarely fall to the lot of imperfect man to retire from this station with the reputation and the favor which bring him into it. in other words, public service comes at a cost if you're committed to doing the right thing. he was proud of his jamaican immigrant heritage and loved his wig best indian family. family was the foundation of his beliefs and the source of never-ending comfort. bringing shame to the family was the cardinal sin. he frequently said, don't forget where you came from. words that call us to remain grateful to stay humble, and to be brave. in the road to character david brooks draws a distinction between virtues and eulogy virtues. resume virtues are achievements and skills. eulogy virtues are those discussed at your funeral, the ones that exist at the core of your being, whether you are kind, brave, honest, or faithful. this person has a quiet but solid sense of right and wrong, not only to do good but to be good. he wants to love intimately, to sacrifice self and the service of others and to live in obedience to some transcending trust. his example does not call on us to emulate his resume. it is to emulate his character and example as a human being. we can strive to do that. we can choose to be good. we walk through this life holding hands with the ones we love. they guide us. they pull us out of harm's way. they touch and caress us with love and kindness. one of my most powerful memories comes from holding my dad's hand. i was hurt very badly and lying in an icu bed following a bad accident. it was the middle of the night yet, my father was by my side after a long day of work. i was squirming in pain and anguish. without a word he just took my hand and squeezed it with a father's love. it instlant relaxed and put me at peace. the last night of his life, i walked in to see him. now he was the one lying in an icu bed. he could not see or speak to me. so i took his hand just as he had taken mine decades before. i knew everything was not going to be okay. i wanted him to be at peace. but again, i felt my father's love in that hand. that hand that took my mother's hand in matrimony, that hand that held me as a baby, that hand that signed report cards, tossed basketballs and fixed old cars. the hand that saluted service members and just for joyfully