US Army green service uniform worn by General Colin L. Powell
date: label: Date
content: 1989-1993
name: label: Manufactured by
content: Weintraub Brothers Company, Inc., founded 1917
label: Manufactured by
content: Martin Manufacturing Company
label: Worn by
content: General Colin L. Powell, American, 1937 - 2021
label: Subject of
content: United States Army, American, founded 1775
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 completing Infantry Officer Basic, Ranger, and Airborne schools, Powell was assigned platoon leader of the 3rd Armored Division, 48th Infantry Regiment, in West Germany. He later went on to complete two tours in Vietnam, earning both the Purple Heart and the Soldier’s Medal. In 1968, Powell graduated from the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, and in 1971 he received his MBA from George Washington University. Powell served as National Security Advisor under President Ronald Reagan from 1987-1989. He was promoted to four-star general in April 1989 and was named Commander in Chief of Forces Command at Fort McPherson. In October 1989, General Powell became the first African American Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), serving under President George H.W. Bush. He was also the first ROTC graduate to hold this position. Powell continued to serve as Chairman of the JCS under President Bill Clinton. He retired from the Army in 1993 after 35 years of service. In January 2001, Powell was sworn in as the first African American Secretary of State. He served as Secretary of State 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 US Army green service uniform worn by Colin L. Powell as General and as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff comprised of a jacket with service awards and insignia attached (.1a-v), dress pants (.2), a short-sleeved dress shirt (.3), a necktie (.4), and a belt (.5).
place: label: Place used
content: Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Clothing and dress
label: Topic
content: Local and regional
label: Topic
content: Military
label: Topic
content: Persian Gulf War, 1991
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Clothing - Fashion and Historical
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret)
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2016.14
objectType: 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: Dimensions
content: H x W x D (on form): 64 1/2 × 23 1/2 × 15 in. (163.8 × 59.7 × 38.1 cm)