Gen. Colin Powell, 56, retired as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at midnight Sept. 30.
When he was appointed in October 1989, Powell was the youngest to serve in that post and the first black.
Powell believed that the United States should never commit troops to hostilities unless they were in superior numbers. His decisive force strategy was successfully tested in the 1991 Persian Gulf War.
Perhaps the most popular general since Dwight Eisenhower, Powell has been the subject of continued speculation about his future plans. Powell repeatedly refused to give his party affiliation. In retiring, he said he wanted to serve the country in the future but would not divulge his plans.
Random House paid Powell $6.5 million for the right to publish his autobiography.
