SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — A former colleague of General Colin Powell spoke with KRON4 after his family announced Powell’s death due to COVID-19 complications on Monday.
Former assistant secretary of state Robert B. Charles worked under Powell while he was serving as U.S. secretary of state from 2001-2005.
“It is a privilege I will be forever grateful for to have known Colin Powell,” said Charles. “He took me under his wing.”
Charles praised Powell for his calmness, his passion and his humility, among other traits that Charles said made him a great leader.
Powell made history as the first Black person to become the U.S. secretary of state, appointed by President George W. Bush. However, his service in the major role was tarnished when he addressed the U.N. Security Council in 2003 with an incorrect claim that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.
Still, President Joe Biden said Powell was “a patriot of unmatched honor and dignity,” adding his sentiments to the outpouring of grief for Powell on Monday.
The general was 84 years old.
The Associated Press contributed to this report