A "Complete Soldier" Makes It This time

By Barrett Seaman

General Colin L. Powell has had a tough time staying out of Washington. Since he was first spotted as a bright young comer while a White House Fellow in 1972, Powell has shuttled in and out of Pentagon and civilian desk jobs. No sooner had he finally won command of the prestigious V Corps in West Germany in 1986 than Washington beckoned again, asking him to trade his coveted flag post for duty as Deputy National Security Adviser.

It took a personal appeal from Commander in Chief Ronald Reagan to get Powell to take the NSC job. Powell requested and received permission to retain his Army commission so he could stay on the career track he hoped would lead to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As Reagan's term drew to its close, Powell, by then head of the NSC, anxiously scotched rumors that Bush would ask him to stay on. He gratefully accepted the U.S. Forces Command in Fort McPherson, Ga.

Last week Powell, 52, happily agreed to return to Washington once more, his fears of being sidetracked dispelled for good. George Bush, calling Powell a "complete soldier," jumped him over dozens of more senior candidates and nominated him to replace retiring Navy Admiral William Crowe as JCS Chairman.

. In the end, it was Powell's West Wing experience that took him over the top. Aided by his teddy-bear good looks, Powell projected a relaxed sociability among Reagan-Bush Republicans as effectively as he has done through his 31 years of Army service. But he was also able to slip seamlessly into a cool, no-nonsense demeanor when needed. Subordinates learn not to waste words in meetings he chairs. "Powell has many of the qualities that Bush admires," said a White House aide. "He's a team player, highly capable but modest. And he knows how Government works from the inside."

When he takes the Joint Chiefs job, Powell will need all these skills and more. The Pentagon budget, flat since 1986, is likely to undergo cuts that threaten not only major weapons programs but also the delicate interservice balance that a JCS Chairman must maintain.

The son of immigrant Jamaicans, Powell won his commission after graduating from City University of New York. He served two tours in Viet Nam, where he won a Bronze Star for valor and a Purple Heart. Like all good soldiers, Powell has subordinated his political views. He has never shied from projecting military force and was instrumental in implementing Reagan's controversial naval-escort policy in the Persian Gulf. But Powell is also a realist whose thoughtful analysis helped wean Reagan from overly aggressive support for the Nicaraguan contras.

Colleagues find Powell's strength of feeling on civil rights issues apparent but not obtrusive. At the Pentagon, he kept watch over promising black officers, and he makes a special effort to encourage young black soldiers. He informally advised Jesse Jackson during the past presidential campaign, while maintaining his loyalty to the Reagan national security team.

Some see Powell's nomination as a political salvage job for Bush, since it comes close upon the Senate's rejection of another black nominee, William Lucas, as head of the Justice Department's civil rights division. Yet the honor Powell brings to his fellow black Americans comes from the virtual irrelevance of race to his appointment. Said Tom Griscom, a former Reagan White House colleague: "No one ever thinks of Colin as being black; they think of him as being good."

With reporting by Dan Goodgame/Washington