Colin Powell, former secretary of state and four-star general died at age eighty-four on October 18 due to COVID complications. Since he received the COVID vaccine, Powell’s death has become a political debacle on whether or not said vaccine works. What many fail to realize is that during Powell’s last moments, he was battling blood cancer. 

Powell had a few health problems following COVID, including Parkinson’s and myeloma (a type of blood cancer). To jump to the conclusion that the COVID vaccine does not work simply because of his death is inaccurate, because of his many health problems. It is also unclear if Powell ever received his booster shot, which affected his recovery from COVID. 

Per the CDC, “Studies show that after getting vaccinated against COVID-19, protection against the virus may decrease over time and be less able to protect against the Delta variant.” The CDC also stated, “Data from a small clinical trial show that a Pfizer-BioNTech booster shot increased the immune response.” 

While the shot did help protect Powell it did not stop the virus completely, not because it does not work. The main reason, many believe, is because of his myeloma, and Powell suspected of not having his booster shot.

While doing more research, more was uncovered about Powell and his past ‘errors’. Which many news sites seem to skip over while commemorating him on his life’s journey. 

According to Al Jazeera, “In 2011, Powell told Al Jazeera he regretted providing misleading intelligence that led to the US [Iraq] invasion, calling it a ‘ blot on my record.’” 

Powell admitted in the quote above that he provided misleading information in 2003, during a UN speech, which led to the Bush administration coming into Iraq. During his speech, Powell held up a teaspoon of simulated anthrax and said that Iraq had “tens upon tens upon tens of thousands of teaspoons.” unaccounted for. This speech that Powell gave, resulted in the death of a myriad of Iraqis, or as he referred to it, a blot on his record. 

In 1989, just 14 years before the ‘blot’, Powell oversaw the bombing of Panama or the US operation known as ‘Just Cause’. Where many poverty-ridden Panamanians were, as Al Jazeera put it, “slaughtered by the US military.” Ambulance drivers in Panama called the neighborhood of El Chorrillo after it was reported to be pulverized beyond repair, “Little Hiroshima.”

Al Jazeera also stated that “Powell criticized then-US President Donald Trump as being someone who “lies about things, and he gets away with it because people will not hold him accountable,” Powell himself admitted to lying about providing misleading information, so for him to criticize then President Donald Trump for lying, is a statement that was found humorous.

After reading more and more about Powell, he should be respected for being the first black secretary of state, there are many things he has done that do not command respect.