A visit to Capitol Hill is a "must" during SPEP-visits to Loudoun County. Photo: Geoirge C. Marshall Int'l Center

16 students from MTK have recently visited Loudoun County under the shield of this year's SPEP program. The young people stayed in host families, visited schools, and had to do workshadowing in various companies and institutions to get a first-hand impression of daily life in the US. Furthermore they developed lots of personal friendships.

As the newly elected County Executive of MTK, Michael Cyriax, puts it: "The Atlantic does not divide - it brings people together".

In November, Loudoun students will make their way to MTK to make, thanks to SPEP, the same experiences on the German side.

The Marshall Library in Lexington, VA. Photo: MTK

The George Marshall Society, in cooperation with the George C. Marshall International Center in Leesburg, VA, offers a George Marshall Stipend for students and young scientists doing research on transatlantic relations and the Marshall Plan. The Stipend covers a field trip from Germany to Dodona Manor in Leesburg, and the Marshall Foundation Library in Lexington. Candidates have to live in the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main area, if they wish to apply for the grant.

A new extension building at the Konrad Adenauer School in Kriftel, MTK, has been named "George-Marshall-Haus" (George Marshall House). As County Executive Berthold Gall announced, the new building will also serve as a location for Marshall Society events. A Marshall bust, financed by the County Main-Taunus, shall encourage students to learn about Marshall's historic achievements. The Konrad Adenauer School, a vocational school, has links with CS Monroe Technology Center in Loudoun County. (Photo: MTK)

For many, the Civil War (1861-65) still is the crucial war in US history. In 2011 its 150th anniversary is recalled in various events in Loudoun County and throughout the Washington DC region. Loudoun itself was split between the North and the South in those days, with the front line sometimes criscrossing the center of the villages. In the town of Waterford a parade was performed to remember a battle there and to honor the fallen soldiers on both sides. (Photos: MTK)

Visiting a Hospital training unit at George Washington University. (Photos: MTK)

A delegation MTK-Delegation mit Gall im Partnerkreis Loudoun County

A delegation from Main-Taunus Kreis has explored further fields for partnership activities during a visit to Loudoun County. Also during the visit MTK County Execuitve Berthold Gall's elected successor Michael Cyriax, who will take office on October 1, 2011, introduced himself to various representants and institutions in the partner county.

Beside talks with representatives from various businesses in Loudoun, the delegation also met with Senator Mark Herring (VA). Also the group discussed tourism development opportunities with the Loudoun County Visitor's Association. A further stop was at the George Washington University, where nurses are being trained in simulated hospital rooms.

At the CS Monroe Technological Center they discussed the school's partnership with MTK's Konrad Adenauer school - a unique transatlantic link between two vocational schools. Under the shield of the student exchange program SPEP and various school-to-school links already around 300 students have been traveled between the two Counties.

An open-air concert of the American Originals Fife and Drum Corps at Capitol Hill in Washington DC to honor the German visitors demonstrated that the partnership is not only a connection between Counties, but also between friends.

The Sistership Main-Taunus Kreis - Loudoun County, VA has been awarded the most active town/county partnership by the Frankfurt-based Steuben-Schurz Society. The oldest German-American friendship organization especially recognized the engagement of the George Marshall Society.

In a ceremony in the city of Frankfurt The Steuben-Schurz President Dr. Ingrid Gräfin zu Solms-Wildenfels (top, left) handed over the award to MTK's County Executive Berthold Gall, also Chairman to the Marshall Society (top, right). In speeches, US Consul General to Frankfurt, Edward Alford, and the State of Hessen Minister Michael Boddenberg referred to the crucial roll of good US-German relations.

By invitation of the George Marshall Society the Band of the US Air Forces in Europa has performed in the City of Eschborn on Dec 8, 2010. The Band's program with Christmas songs in various styles was a highlight for the audience. The concert was made possible thanks to the cooperation with the City of Eschborn whose Deputy Mayor Matthias Geiger spoke a few greeting words.

Delegation members at Frankfurt's public transport control center. (Photo: MTK)

A delegation of the Northern Virginia Regional Commission headed by its Chairman Hal Parrish and its Executive Director Mark Gibb explored the public transport network during a visit to the Frankfurt region. The visit provided insights in the local transport management, ticketing systems and links between air and rail.

Members of the George Marshall Society were involved in the preparation of the visit, which was a result of a delegation visit to the DC region in May 2010.

The NVRC delegation relied on public transport during their stay which gave the travelers an opportunity to get first-hand experience about the rail network in the region, especially while the onset of winter brought lots of snow to Frankfurt's streets.

Loudoun County's Chairman of the Board of Supervisors Scott York was joining the NVRC delegation visit.

At the event speakers looked on US-German relations from different perspectives: While Professor Alsheimer (right, in the above picture) gave an contemporary witness account on the early days of the Marshall plan US Consul General Alford (center) underlined which lessons modern policy and especially the Obama administration has learned form the Marshall-Plan. The Marshall Society's Chairman, County Executive Gall (left) welcomed both speakers in the presence of around 250 guests in the Session Hall of the Main-Taunus County government seat at Hofheim. (Photo: MTK)