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I thought readers would be interested in an interaction that occurred years ago between Secretary Colin Powell and a Tryon native.

Jamal Hannon of Tryon was stationed at the White House during the Reagan-Bush years, before his retirement from service. He was a Master Sergeant. One day upon leaving duty there, he encountered a traffic jam nearby, caused by a stalled car. He got out, approached the car and offered to give it a push while the driver steered to a nearby bus stop. This would unblock the traffic jam.

To his surprise, the driver was four star general Colin Powell, Chief-of-Staff to the Joint Chiefs. Both were in uniform. General Powell thanked him for the offer, and then said, “Sergeant, this is my car. You get in and steer and I will push.”

Jamal said he could not disobey, so he steered while the General pushed. I wonder what his thoughts were!

This says a lot about Colin Powell’s character as a man.

 

Wallace DuPre

Columbus, NC