Colin Powell :: essays research papers

My Written Report is a Short Biography of Colin Luther Powell. He was natural on May 5, 1937 in Presbyterian Hospital. He was born, and grew up, in the South Bronx, New York. There was a big influence of drugs and gangs where Powell lived but, he seemed to steer away from each of that (source 1, page 23). Powells parents were immigrants from Jamaica. His mothers name is Muad Ariel McKoy. In Jamaica the McKoy fammily watched over sugar plantations. She came to America with her mother (Colins grandmother). Powells fathers name is Luther Theophilus Powell. In Jamaica the Powell families were peasant farmers. Muad and Luther while in New York not in Jamaica (source 1, page 20, 21). Colin Powell is a smart man. Surprisingly when he was in fourth grade he was in the slow class. When he attended Junior graduate(prenominal) schooldays, he went to an all male school. He did well academically but he was over looked by his parents because his sister, Marilyn Powell, always did better. He a ttended Morris naughty School in 1950. He was good in high school he never got into any fights or any sort of trouble. He completed High school in 1954 (source 1, page 29, 30, 32). Powell applied to two colleges City College of New York (CCNY) and New York University (NYU). Both accepted him but he went to CCNY because it only ten dollars a semester as opposed to seven hundred and fifty dollars a semester at NYU. Powell majored in Engendering. He finished college in 1958 (source 1 pages 32, 36). While in college Powell conjugated the Recruit Officer Training Corps (ROTC). Powell said he joined ROTC because of the discipline and "The sense of comradery among a group of young men who were in addition motivated. Maybe it was the uniform." Another reason he said he joined is because of the association with the military source 2 (interview page 1) (biography page 1). While Powell was in ROTC, he was in the Pershing Rifles. The Pershing Rifles showed that a cadet was more serio us about ROTC than a regular cadet. The Pershing Rifles had to stay in ROTC their whole college career. They were distinguished through a lily-livered wrap worn on their right shoulder (source 1, page 40). In 1987 Powell was the Nation Security Advisor to Ronald Regan. Two years later in 1989 he became the first black officer and the youngest officer to hold the nations highest military office, the Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff.