How does Othello understand the power that he holds and where does he express this in Shakespeare's play Othello?

In Shakespeare's Othello, Othello understands that he has held great power in the military, and he calls on this power in order to have himself heard after it becomes clear to all that he has murdered his wife.  Near the very end of the play in Othello's last few lines, he tells the men that "[he has] done the state some service," and rather than haul Othello off as a prisoner, the men allow him his last few words.  Othello is thus able to ask the men to, in the future, speak the truth about him and his character and about how much he loved Desdemona yet was tricked into confusion.  The men hear Othello's words out of respect for the power that he has held as their leader in the military, and even Cassio, who was wronged by Othello, is able to recognize that Othello was a man "great of heart."