Remembering Colin Powell

Floor Speech

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Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, today, we learned that America has lost a trailblazing leader with the passing of Colin Powell.

It is hard to imagine a more quintessentially American story: A son of Jamaican immigrants who learned Yiddish from his boyhood neighbors in the Bronx becomes a four-star general in the U.S. Army and serves four Presidential administrations, including as National Security Advisor, the youngest ever Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the first Black Secretary of State.

As a young officer, General Powell rendered brave and distinguished service on the frontlines. As a senior leader, he helped four Presidents protect our Nation, represent us on the world stage, and chart our course through uncertain and turbulent times that included the dawn of a new century and the beginning of our global war on terrorists, who will not leave America alone even if we leave them alone.

Today, we remember and honor a man who truly dedicated his entire life to serving his country.

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