A Soldier's Story...Meet Sergeant First Class (SFC) Glenn W. Powell
My Last Baggage Call Aboard Air Force One, is Sergeant First Class (SFC) Glenn W. Powell’s memoir chronicling his amazing life journey filled with sacrifices, service and life-changing miracles.
Glenn W. Powell, a beloved son of Toledo, Ohio envisioned his future, then set about to make it a reality. Yet, even in his wildest dreams, Glenn could have never imagined the life that would eventually be his. SFC Powell has served not one, but three Presidents of the United States, and had the honor of meeting some of the world's most notable leaders during his travels around the globe with the Presidents.
My Last Baggage Call Aboard Air Force One is Powell’s story about the childhood he left behind in Toledo, Ohio, and the new world he found as a young soldier in the U.S. Army, and finally his years in service to his country at the most important address in the world, the White House. His story is about his journey, and the unforgettable men and women he met along the way; how their lives impacted his journey. About the friendships that were forged and cemented for life.
It was the middle of the civil rights era, the mid-60’s when Margaret Powell gave birth to her last child, a beautiful son with a smile that melted his mother’s heart. Glenn W. Powell grew up on Toledo’s north side. He poignantly recalls the Dorr Street of his childhood. The place where, in spite of the racial and social turmoil of that time, he was buffeted by the cocoon that was his village - his parents, grandparents, cousins, two sisters, and one brother, and so many others who simply cared. Everyone, it seemed, doted on the small boy with the big smile.
Glenn Powell remembers a happy childhood. His siblings still amazed that he was blessed with the unlikely privilege of a nanny and housekeeper who cooked his favorite meals and doted on him, as most grownups did.
Glenn’s childhood, however, was a non-conventional one; not a typical Beaver Cleaver existence. He unabashedly recalls the nontraditional father-son role with his father, a doting father who lived across town, yet remained a constant in his four children’s lives. He shares with deepest emotion, the mother who worked so hard to care for him and his four siblings. A working mother, Margaret Powell spent most of her waking hours at Toledo’s Kroger Store. Her hard work and dedication paid off when she broke the store’s racial barriers, becoming its first African American manager.
These images were also lessons for life that would remain with Glenn. Lessons like the power of dreams, of keeping one’s word, and the rewards of hard work and focus. The teenage Glenn Powell, though, was restless, always seeking more than what was in front of him. He surprised family and friends when he skipped his high school graduation and dunned a military uniform - in search of “something.” He was convinced that becoming a soldier could lead to that something. And, he was right. The teenage boy took his life in his hands, transporting himself from the pampered “baby” of the family to a much-admired leader.
Glenn Powell’s first book, My Last Baggage Call Aboard Air Force One, is a memoir, a book of inspiration, a book that shares struggles, and one man's answers as to how to overcome those struggles. This is a story of one young man’s belief in himself and his belief in the goodness of humankind.
A Journey in Photos (L to R): 1. President Clinton’s Last Radio Address, with Glenn, Ronda, Darius and Warren Powell, 2001; 2. Glenn Powell’s grandparents Tom and Fannie Powell; 3. School photo: Glenn Powell, age 5 (1967); 4. Glenn’s 3rd birthday party with siblings Eileen, Mike and Lauren(1965); 5. Margaret Powell’s retirement celebration with children: Glenn, Eileen, Lauren and Mike(1999) ; 6. Glenn, Ronda and Darius celebrate Warren’s 18th birthday; 7. Glenn and Ronda at AF One Christmas Party (1993); 8. Powell Family Christmas vacation(2012); 9. Presidential Asia Trip with: John Henderson, Houck O’Neal, Rudy Cunningham; 10. Glenn on Presidential Africa trip, at Senegal’s “Door of No Return.” 1999; 11. Glenn Powell with Transportation Team; 12. Glenn and Ronda with Sec. Clinton, Ambassador McLarty and military officials at Retirement Ceremony,2002; 13. Glenn and News Anchor Connie Chung, Haiti; 14. Glenn and President’s Personal Aide Kris Engskov aboard C-17, departing Bosnian 1999; 15. Glenn with President Clinton and senior Clinton aides on AF1: Pres. Clinton, Sec. R. Slater, B. Nash, Terry McAuliffe, T. Powell, and Col. Jake Simmons, IV.