70 Foreign Officials on Field Trip to Leesburg

Their Assignment: Observe U.S. Values at July 4th Parade

By Arianne Aryanpur (Contact)

Thursday, July 3, 2008

About 70 military and civilian officials from Eastern Europe and central Asia are visiting Leesburg tomorrow to watch the town's Independence Day parade and learn about American values.

The officials are participating in an advanced security studies class at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, where they learn about human rights, democracy and terrorism.

They range in age from 25 to 35 and come from 32 countries, including Afghanistan, Mongolia, Tajikistan and Ukraine. The purpose of the 12-week program is to prepare participants to become leaders in their home countries.

Photo: Rich Lipski

The Dodona Manor and the George C. Marshall International Center in Leesburg. The manor is the former home of George C. Marshall who was secretary of state from 1947 to 1949.

"This is a wonderful tool to help break down barriers between men and women of different cultures, of different experiences, and bring them together to better address the very different and complex issues we address today," said John Rose, the center's director.

The program includes a one-week trip to Washington to tour the Pentagon, FBI and State Department. Tomorrow, the group will visit Dodona Manor in Leesburg, the home of former secretary of state George C. Marshall, watch the town's Independence Day celebrations and participate in a picnic on the grounds.

Ambassadors and military attaches from the students' embassies in Washington have also been invited.

"Most of our students have never been to the United States or seen anything like this," Rose said. "We're trying to show them a little American hospitality, a little about what the U.S. is all about, and give them an impression of the United States outside the Pentagon, the State Department and Congress."

Frederick L. Morefield, president of Dodona Manor's board of directors, said he suggested a few years ago that the group visit Leesburg because of its small-town atmosphere. He said he also thought it would be a good opportunity for the students to learn about Marshall, who was secretary of state from 1947 to 1949 and lived in Leesburg from 1941 until his death in 1959.

The program, which is named after Marshall, was initiated by a young U.S. officer stationed in Germany after the Cold War, Rose said.

"He wanted to do something to establish a relationship with the men and women in countries that we didn't interact with much" during the Cold War, Rose said. The program was established in 1993 through a partnership between the German and U.S. governments.

To participate, officials must be nominated by their home country. More than half are nominated by their countries' ministries of defense, and the rest are nominated by ministries of justice, border security officials or parliaments.

Tagged: Fourth of July, Leesburg

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