Howard University Commencement Address

Former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Colin Powell delivered the commencement address at Howard University in Washington, D.C. General Powell grew up in the South Bronx and graduated from the City College of New York. In 1958, through the reserve officers training corps program he has commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. Thirty-five years later, he retired from his military career a four-star general, after having served as chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff. In 1989, President George H. W. Bush appointed General Colin Powell the 12th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As chairman, he served as a principal adviser to the president, the Secretary of Defense, and the National Security Council. Last year, he retired from his military career after 35 years of service. close