11 Photos: Remembering Gen. Colin Powell's Storied Career

ACROSS AMERICA — Gen. Colin Powell, 84, who died Monday morning from complications of COVID-19, had a long and storied military career that took him from the battlefields of Vietnam to the position of the fourth-highest ranking Black public official when he became President George W. Bush's secretary of state in 2001.

He was not only the first Black secretary of state, he was the first African American to be named chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as well as the youngest. As chairman, Powell oversaw the invasion of both Panama and Kuwait. Powell received criticism in 2003 when, as secretary of state, he advocated for war with Iraq to the U.N. Security Council in claiming Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.

“We have lost a remarkable and loving husband, father and grandfather and a great American,” Powell's family said while announcing Powell's death on social media. Powell's family also stated he had been fully vaccinated.

Related: Former Joint Chiefs Chairman Colin Powell Dies At Age 84

See below for photos from Powell's career.

Secretary of State Colin Powell looks on as President George W. Bush addresses State Department employees at the State Department in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 15, 2001.

Gen. Colin Powell, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., at a House Armed Services subcommittee on Sept. 25, 1991.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell (front right) reaches out to German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer (second left) as Greek Foreign Minister Petros Molyviatis (center) looks on during a group photo of NATO foreign ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Dec. 9, 2004.

Lt. Gen. Colin Powell, commander of the 5th U.S. Corps, salutes while his wife Alma stands at attention during a farewell ceremony in Frankfurt, Germany, on Dec. 30, 1986.

Secretary of State Colin Powell receives a pat on the cheek from National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice in the Oval Office during the meeting between President George W. Bush and Prime Minister of Israel Ariel Sharon at the White House in Washington, D.C., on May 7, 2002.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel (left) smiles next to former Secretary of State Colin Powell during a reception at the German Embassy in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 12, 2006.

President Barack Obama talks with reporters after his meeting with former Secretary of State Colin Powell (left) on the importance of ratifying the New START Treaty, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 1, 2010.

President George W. Bush meets with secretaries of state and defense in the Roosevelt Room at the White House on Jan. 5, 2006., From left to right are Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld, Vice President Dick Cheney, Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former Secretary of State Colin Powell.

President George W. Bush (center) speaks on Aug. 2, 2004, at the White House about his plans to implement the Sept. 11. Commission's recommendation to create a national intelligence director. From left are Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge, Secretary of State Colin Powell, Bush, Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld and FBI Director Robert Mueller.

Secretary of State Colin Powell talks with reporters during a news conference at the Department of State in Washington, D.C., on May 21, 2001.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.