General Colin Powell: My American Journey

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Academy of Achievement

Film, Politics, Arts, Self-help, Sports, Society & Culture, Success, Literature, Humanitarian, Military, Social Justice, Technology, Podcast, Achievement, Music, Science

4.6 • 943 Ratings

🗓️ 11 September 2017

⏱️ 58 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Colin Powell has worn many hats, among them: Secretary of State, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and National Security Advisor. He was the first African-American to hold each of those positions. When he joined the Army in the 1950's, though, his only ambition was to be a good soldier. It was beyond the realm of possibility for the son of working class Jamaican immigrants to aspire much higher. In this episode, you'll hear Powell's stories about his journey from the South Bronx, to the jungles of Vietnam, to the Jim Crow South, to the highest reaches of government, and about the decades of American history he helped shape. (c ) American Academy of Achievement 2017

Transcript

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0:00.0	I get asked the question all the time, do you know?
0:04.0	Gee, when you were a young kid growing up in the South Bronx section of New York,
0:08.0	did you realize that you were going to grow up to be the Secretary of State of the United States of America,
0:14.4	the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
0:16.7	I just kind of smile and say, yeah.
0:20.8	That was. I was. I believe I was about 10 years old. I was standing on the corner of
0:28.6	a hundred sixty-third of Kellyn. And I said to myself, self, you're going to grow up and be chairman of the joint chief of staff.
0:35.0	This son of the South Bronx is of course Colin Powell.
0:41.0	His story is almost beyond belief, but at the same time it is the all-American
0:46.8	tale, a tale about how a child of working-class immigrants, a pretty meh student, found his calling in public service and rose to the very, very top.
0:59.1	Colin Powell is the subject of this episode of what it takes, a podcast about passion, vision, and
1:05.4	perseverance from the Academy of Achievement. I'm Alice Winkler.
1:10.8	Had a name, This child is gifted.
1:15.0	And I heard that enough that I started to believe it.
1:17.0	If you have the opportunity, not a perfect opportunity, and you don't take it, you may never have another job.
1:23.4	It all was so clear.
1:24.9	It was just like the picture started to form itself.
1:28.1	There was no way in which a lie could prevail over the truth, darkness over light,
1:34.6	birth over life.
1:36.0	Every day I wake up and decide.
1:38.7	Today I'm going to love my life.
1:41.4	Decide. My advice is, if they're going to break your leg once when you go in that place, stay out of there.
	...

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