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CNN Live Event/Special
Funeral Service for Former Secretary of State and Retired General, Colin Powell. Aired 1:30-2p ET
Aired November 05, 2021 - 13:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[13:30:00]
REV. CANNON STUART KENWORTHY, RETIRED PRIEST, EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF WASHINGTON: No ends nor beginnings but one equal eternity in the habitation of thy glory and dominion.
Colin, may you gaze upon our Lord face to face. May angels surround you and saints welcome you in peace. And may your heart and soul ring out in joy to the living God in whose presence you are held forever.
May God bless you all.
(SINGING)
[13:35:00]
(SINGING)
REV. MICHAEL CURRY, PRESIDING BISHOP AND PRIMATE, THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH: Amen. Amen.
As you are able, please stand.
In the assurance of eternal life given at baptism, let us proclaim our faith and say I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of Heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried.
He descended to the dead. On the third day, he rose again. He ascended into Heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the regulars rex of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
And now as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to say our Father, who art in Heaven. Hallowed by thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is Heaven.
Give us this day, our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
REV. RANDOLPH HOLLERITH, DEAN, WASHINGTON NATIONAL CATHEDRAL: In peace, let us pray to the Lord. Almighty God who has knit together thine elect in one communion and fellowship, in the mystical body of thy son, Christ, our Lord, grant we beseech these to thy whole church in paradise and on earth, thy light and thy peace. Amen.
Grant that all who have been baptized into Christ's death and resurrection may die to sin and rise to newness of life. And that through the grave and gate of death we may pass with him to our joyful resurrection. Amen.
Grant to us who are still in our pilgrimage and who walk as yet by faith, that thy Holy Spirit may lead us in holiness and righteousness all our days.
CONGREGATION: Amen.
HOLLERITH: Grant to thy faithful people pardon and peace, that we may be cleansed from all our sins and serve thee with a quiet mind.
CONGREGATION: Amen.
HOLLERITH: Grant to all who mourn a sure confidence in thy Fatherly care. That casting all their grief on thee, they may know the consolation of thy love.
CONGREGATION: Amen.
HOLLERITH: Help us, we pray, in the midst of things we cannot understand to believe and to trust in the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins and the resurrection to life everlasting. Amen.
[13:39:59]
Grant to us to entrust Colin to thy never-failing love. Receive him into the arms of thy mercy. And remember him according to the favor which thou barest unto thy people.
CONGREGATION: Amen.
HOLLERITH: Grant that increasing in knowledge and love of thee, he may go from strength to strength in the life of perfect service in thy Heavenly kingdom.
CONGREGATION: Amen.
HOLLERITH: Grant us who have died in the hope of the resurrection to have our consummation and bliss in thy eternal and everlasting glory.
And with all thy saints to receive the crown of life, which thou does promise to all who share in the victory of thy son, Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with this and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.
(SINGING)
REV. JOSHUA WALTERS, RECTOR, ST. JOHN'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH: Give rest, oh, Christ, to thy servant with thy saints.
CONGREGATION: Where sorrow and pain are no more, neither sign but love everlasting.
HOLLERITH: Thy only art immortal, the creator and maker of mankind and we are mortal, formed of the earth and unto earth shall we return.
For so thou did ordain when they createth me saying dust thou art and unto dust shall return to earth. All we go down to the dust. Yet, even at the grave, we make our song, alleluia, alleluia our song, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
CONGREGATION: (INAUDIBLE)
REV. MARIANN BUDDE, BISHOP, EPISOPAL DIOCESE OF WASHINGTON: In thy hands our merciful savior, we command thy servant, Colin. Acknowledge, we humbly beseech thee, a sheep of thy known fold, a lamb of thine own flock, a sinner of thine own redeeming.
Receive him into the arms of thy mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints in light.
Amen.
CURRY: Now go forth into the world in peace. Be strong and of good courage. Hold fast to that which is good. Rend it to no one evil for evil. Love the Lord, your God. Love your neighbor. And love yourself.
The blessing of God Almighty the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit beyond you and the entire human family and all of God's creation, this day and forever more. Amen.
[13:45:10]
CONGREGATION: Amen.
HOLLERITH: Let us go forth in the name of Christ.
CONGREGATION: Thanks be to God.
(SINGING)
[13:50:21]
UNIDENTIFIED MILITARY OFFICER: (INAUDIBLE)
(MUSIC)
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Right now, you're seeing President Biden and former Presidents Bushes and Obama, as well as the current and former first ladies, approaching, talking to, comforting Alma Powell, the widow of former secretary of state and retired general, Colin Powell.
There's former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
A tough day for all.
(MUSIC)
TAPPER: And they're wheeling out Alma Powell, widow of General Colin Powell. She is recovering from COVID herself. Although her illness was not as severe, obviously, as her late husband's.
Commander Johnson, one could not help but be moved by so much of the ceremony.
But really Michael Powell, General Powell's only son, and his voice cracking, and the love and admiration he felt for his father so clear. He really, I think, was the most compelling speaker of the day.
TED JOHNSON, FORMER U.S. NAVY COMMANDER: I absolutely agree. It is a beautiful ceremony. But the words of Michael Powell brought home the man Colin Powell was when the uniform came off.
He talks about he grew up under the stars but then doesn't mention that part of his life. Only talks about dad.
And that is one of the most under-appreciated parts of American military strength is the military family.
[13:54:59]
And to have his son be able to eulogize him and to have his grandkids present is a testament to the strength that those who serves are often families and the sacrifices that those families make.
Every promotion is a family disruption. Every move that is a new opportunity is a disruption for the family. And they are the rock that keeps our military together.
TAPPER: And, General Hertling, that was some humor, obviously, that we heard from Deputy Secretary of State Armitage, as well as Michael Powell.
Michael Powell making it very clear that there was not a military style order to their family life at home. They were not awakened in the morning by revelry. There was some chaos like any family, I suppose.
LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: I could understand that. I've lived that with our own family.
You know, Jake, the interesting piece of this, I'll agree with the commander, this was a ceremony that not only brought various aspects of government together but it also showed how he was the perfect person for the time he lived in.
The back and forth between the military and government approach made him a true soldier/statesman at critical times in our nation's history, in the '80s and '90s and early 2000s, Powell was there.
He had the strength of the family but he also had the background of bouncing back and forth from a battalion command in Korea, a brigade command in the 101st, corps command in Germany, four-star command in the United States where he put together the active Reserve and National Guard.
And then he was asked to -- asked to act in Desert Storm, which was the critical event of his life early on that made him so successful.
And those of us knew and served with him in the desert that first time knew he was applying that Powell doctrine, which was built on scar tissue and scabs and understanding of the government.
Just really brought it home today how each one of those factors contributed to the person he was.
TAPPER: And the Powell doctrine legendary, obviously. State a clear objective if going to go to war, build public support, and use overwhelming force.
A doctrine that was used when he was chairman of the Joint Chiefs in Panama and in the first gulf war and has not really been seen since.
TIM NAFTALI, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: I think one of the key elements of greatness is learning from mistakes. And General Powell learned from Vietnam. He was responsible for -- with Vietnam.
But he learn the mistakes and he saw what happened. And when he had power and influence, he tried to shape our military and more importantly how our civilians viewed our military so that Vietnams would be less likely in the future.
Of course, he then has a later term in government. And I've often wondered whether that last term, as a serve about our nation was most difficult for him. Because he saw many of the lessons that he taught people about Vietnam unlearned in the War on Terror.
GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: I just want to say something about the service today, which I think reflected him in so many ways.
Because if you look at these pictures, it is grand. It is a grand service. But it wasn't grandiose. It was -- the presidents were sitting there but they weren't speaking. His best friend spoke. His colleagues spoke.
And you know, I think that -- and obviously, his son. But I think that it was reflective of somebody who was a true public servant but didn't want to be on a pedestal.
And he was a soldier. He was a father. And he was devoted to the country. And he didn't need to be eulogized by presidents, but he was eulogized by people who meant so much to him.
HERTLING: Right. BORGER: And you look at this now and, of course, it is at the
Washington National Cathedral, where we do eulogize presidents. But it was a very different kind of service here.
HERTLING: It gets back to what you said, he was apolitical throughout his career. He bounced back and forth between the Republican and Democratic Party. It wasn't about who he was serving, other than the nation.
[13:59:49]
TAPPER: Let's listen in.
(BELLS TOLL)
UNIDENTIFIED MILITARY OFFICER: (INAUDIBLE).
