Although it had been assumed that Powell was killed in action during
the fighting on Tinian Island in the South Pacific, author James Wise
examined Powell's Marine Corps files and spoke to ex-Marines who were
in Powell's unit at the time. The files do not mention anything about
Powell being killed in combat but state that he died of poisoning. It
turned out that Powell's unit had survived a particularly bloody
encounter with attacking Japanese forces, and after the battle they
celebrated their victory by drinking a "homemade" brew concocted by
some fellow Marines. Powell was taken ill and later died, another
Marine with him was hospitalized and temporarily blinded for several
weeks - a sure sign that Powell's death was caused by acute alcohol
poisoning from the concoction they were drinking.
