Damage Looks Worse Than War, Powell Says
By Dean Yates
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (Reuters) - Secretary of State Colin Powell voiced shock at the devastation of tsunami-hit Asia Wednesday, saying it was more horrible than the war he had witnessed in his decades as a soldier.
"I have been in war and I have been through a number of hurricanes, tornadoes and other relief operations, but I have never seen anything like this," America's former top soldier said after flying down the ravaged northwest coast of Sumatra.
Powell served two combat tours in Vietnam, where he was decorated for pulling troops to safety after his helicopter crashed and burned during a 35-year military career that ended with his service as the country's military chief.
"I cannot begin to imagine the horror that went through families and all of the people who heard this noise coming and then had their lives snuffed out by this wave," he said.
After his helicopter tour Powell, 67, left for Indonesia's capital Jakarta where U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and other world leaders were arriving for a global relief summit on Thursday.