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Memorial to honor Colin Powell set for Nov. 5

Obit Powell
Posted at 4:01 PM, Oct 22, 2021
and last updated 2021-10-22 17:01:36-04

A memorial service to honor Colin Powell is scheduled for Nov. 5 at the Washington National Cathedral, The Associated Press reports.

A spokesperson said the memorial will be invitation-only.

The former secretary of state, who suffered from a type of blood cancer, died on Oct. 18 from COVID-19 complications.

Powell, a retired Army general, leaves behind a complicated legacy.

He was the first African American to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and secretary of state.

However, his reputation took a hit when he stood before the U.N. Security Council and said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. The faulty information was used as a basis to go to war with Iraq.

Powell would later blame the speech on a "great intelligence failure."

Powell was 83 years old.