Leslie Lautenslager served as an aide for Gen. Colin Powell during the last 25 years of his life. In My Time with General Colin Powell: Stories of Kindness, Diplomacy, & Protocol (Lisa Hagen Books, 248 pp. $45, hardcover; $30, paper; $9.99, Kindle) she tells the story of their working relationship.
Colin Powell was a professional soldier for 35 years, including two tours in the Vietnam War. He went on to serve as the National Security Advisor, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and as Secretary of State. This story is not told chronologically, but through stand-alone chapters based on such themes as “Master Communicator,” “Diplomatic Affairs,” and “Food, Flowers, and Finer Things.” Lautenslager, whom Colin Powell’s son Michael called a “valued member of our family,” says her book is about “stories, lessons, and laughs.” In short; a tribute to the man she calls “my General.”
In 1996, while working for the Washington Speakers Bureau, she became event coordinator for Gen. Powell. In his post-retirement years, he served on several boards, did philanthropic work, and was an in-demand international speaker. Although Powell had been retired from the Army for a few years, Lautenslager fully expected to work mainly with his staff, but quickly learned she’d be in direct contact with him most of the time.
We learn that none of Powell’s thousands of speeches were written out and that he rarely even referred to notes when he spoke. Plus, he was “a strong proponent for writing thank-you notes.” Lautenslager writes about the secret ways they had of communicating during large formal events and about his rules for conducting photo sessions with individuals and groups.
Colin Powell enjoyed quoting from movies, especially Cool Hand Luke. He was never fond of red tape and always “preferred avoiding unnecessary pomp and circumstance.”
For “female readers” as Lautenslager puts it, she writes about how she selected his wardrobe for formal occasions and warns that “one should never ever pack jewelry in checked bags.”
She also describes the difficulties of dealing with seating arrangements at official dinners and shares her expertise on the “finer points of gift exchanges.”
In their last months together, Gen. Powell encouraged Lautenslager, whom he called his “Mama Bear and babysitter,” to write a book about working with him. I’m sure he would be pleased with the final product—a fine tribute to her “beloved General.”
–Bill McCloud
Books in Review II 