Battle Dress Uniform jacket worn by General Colin L. Powell
date: label: Date
content: ca. 1982-1993
name: label: Manufactured by
content: Edgar Industries, Inc., American
label: Worn by
content: General Colin L. Powell, American, 1937 - 2021
label: Subject of
content: United States Army, American, founded 1775
label: Subject of
content: United States Armed Forces, American, founded 1775
label: Subject of
content: United States Department of Defense
notes: label: Caption
content: Colin Luther Powell was born in Harlem, New York, on April 5, 1937. He graduated from Community College of New York in 1958 and earned his commission through the ROTC as a second lieutenant in the Regular Army. After a distinguished and highly decorated military career, Powell was promoted to four-star general in 1989. That same year he became the first African American Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), serving under President George H.W. Bush and President Bill Clinton. General Powell retired from the Army in 1993 after 35 years of service. In 2001 he became the first African American Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush before resigning in 2004. General Powell died on October 18, 2021, at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. After a funeral service at Washington National Cathedral in D.C., General Powell was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
label: Description
content: A U.S. Army Battle Dress Uniform (BDU) jacket worn by General Colin L. Powell. This long sleeve camouflage BDU jacket is a boxy construction of a cotton and nylon blend and closes at the center front with at least four (4) hidden olive green plastic buttons. There are two (2) square breast pockets, one at each front side, with flat-edged flaps. The flaps are tacked down with two (2) plastic hidden buttons. There are two (2) front waist pockets, one at each front side. Each pocket has a flat-edged flap tacked down by two (2) hidden plastic buttons. The sleeves are full-length straight cut with one (1) green plastic button tacked to a pull tab on each of the front hems, and two (2) green plastic buttons attached on the backside of each outer hem. A green “RANGER” patch is attached at the proper left sleeve just below the shoulder seam. A green 23rd Infantry Division patch is attached at the proper right sleeve just below the shoulder seam. On each side of the neck collar is one (1) green four-star general stripe. One (1) green Combat Infantry Badge patch and one (1) green Army Parachutist patch are attached above the proper left breast pocket. Below the patches is one (1) light green “U.S.ARMY” service branch strip and below it, one (1) green U.S. Army Airborne patch, attached at the top center of the breast pocket flap. One (1) “POWELL” name strip is attached above the flap of the proper right breast pocket. At each side waist of the jacket are two (2) green plastic buttons with one button tacked by a pull tab. The interior body of the jacket is unlined and features a fabric manufacturer's tag with printed text reading “COAT, COMBAT, WOODLAND / CAMOUFLAGE PATTERN” and “EDGAR INDUSTRIES, INC.”. There are also manufacturer’s specifications with fiber, style, and care information and instructions.
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Clothing and dress
label: Topic
content: Military
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Clothing - Military Uniforms
label: Exhibition
content: Double Victory: The African American Military Experience
label: On View
content: NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Community/Third Floor, 3 053
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Alma J. Powell
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: A2022.101.1.104.1
objectType: label: Type
content: jackets
label: Type
content: uniforms
label: Type
content: military uniforms
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: No known copyright restrictions
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: cotton and nylon with plastic
label: Dimensions
content: Chest: 26 3/4 in. (68 cm)
label: Dimensions
content: L x W: 36 13/16 × 24 in. (93.5 × 61 cm)
label: Dimensions
content: Waist: 21 5/8 in. (55 cm)