By Maj. Michele Sutak
Third Army/USARCENT Public Affairs
CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait - Retired Gen. Colin L. Powell, the 65th United States Secretary of State, made a surprise visit to service members stationed in Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, Sunday.
Powell, escorted by Maj. Gen. Dennis E. Hardy, Third Army/United States Army Central deputy commanding general, was greeted by the thunderous applause of hundreds of service members.
In his remarks, Powell told service members that he was proud to have served as a Soldier and that in June he would be celebrating 50 years from when he began his service in the military as a second lieutenant.
He also referred to his time in the service as some of the best years of his life.
Powell ended his motivational speech by telling those in the room, "There is no generation greater than the one I'm looking at now. Keep doing what you are doing, God bless you, thank you for all that you do."
After addressing service members, Powell stepped over a barrier separating the crowd from the stage so he could stand side-by-side with the service members and posed for pictures and shook hands.
The service members reached out to greet him and he reached out to meet and greet everyone that he could.
Powell was in Kuwait on a speaking engagement.
As a general in the United States Army, Powell also served as national security advisor and as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, holding the latter position during the Gulf War which liberated Kuwait.
Powell became former President Ronald Reagan's national security advisor. After his tenure with the National Security Council, Powell received his fourth star under President George H.W. Bush and served as commander-in-chief of the U.S. Army's Forces Command, overseeing all Army, Army Reserve and National Guard units in the Continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.
| Date Taken: |
11.20.2007 |
| Date Posted: |
11.20.2007 08:55 |
| Story ID: |
14059 |
| Location: |
CAMP ARIFJAN, KW |
| Web Views: |
333 |
| Downloads: |
307 |
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