Secretary of State Colin Powell testifies at a hearing of th

UNITED STATES - MAY 15: Secretary of State Colin Powell testifies at a hearing of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee. Born in Harlem on April 5, 1937, Powell was an average student, but found his calling at City College of New York, where his leadership abilities made him a success in the ROTC. After graduation, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. Wounded in Vietnam, he received a Soldier's Medal for rescuing several men from a burning helicopter. After getting a Master's degree from George Washington University, he worked at the Pentagon, then went to work for Caspar Weinberger at the Office of Management and Budget. Powell moved steadily up the ranks to become President Reagan's secretary of defense in 1983 and then national security adviser in 1987. In 1989 President Bush nominated the four-star general to be the first African-American to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Powell was awarded a congressional gold medal for his role in the Persian Gulf War, and in 2001 he was confirmed as the Secretary of State. (Photo by Harry Hamburg/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)