Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) Underway

Marshall Center Participation Provides Federal Employees a New Way to Support Our Mission

The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) solicitation period is now open! The Office of Personnel Management’s recent approval of the Marshall Center as a charity in the CFC has created an opportunity for current and future backers to support our work to educate and inspire leaders of today and tomorrow to live out General Marshall’s enduring example of ethical leadership.

Federal employees and retirees can make recurring or one-time donations through the CFC’s online giving system by entering our CFC number: 51415.

We hope you will join us in spreading the word and encouraging your friends and colleagues in the federal workforce community to support the Marshall Center through the CFC.

The CFC solicitation period runs from September 1, 2023 – January 15, 2024. Whether you plan to support the Marshall Center or another worthy cause close to your heart, your generosity is appreciated!

Book Club is Back!

Discussion of “The Orientalist” by Tom Reiss this Wednesday, Sept. 6

Join us on Wednesday, September 6 from Noon-1pm ET for a Zoom discussion of “The Orientalist: Solving the Mystery of a Strange and Dangerous Life” by Tom Reiss.

“Part history, part cultural biography, and part literary mystery, The Orientalist traces the life of Lev Nussimbaum, a Jew who transformed himself into a Muslim prince and became a best-selling author in Nazi Germany.”

“As he tracks down the pieces of Lev Nussimbaum’s deliberately obscured life, Reiss discovers a series of shadowy worlds–of European pan-Islamists, nihilist assassins, anti-Nazi book smugglers, Baku oil barons, Jewish Orientalists–that have also been forgotten. The result is a thoroughly unexpected picture of the twentieth century–of the origins of our ideas about race and religious self-definition, and of the roots of modern fanaticism and terrorism. Written with grace and infused with wonder, The Orientalist is an astonishing book.”

Join us this Wednesday on Zoom – RSVP Today!

September 21 Off Duty Event with David Robarge

Chief CIA Historian to Discuss “The Soldier-Statesman in the World”

Join us Thursday, September 21 from 5:30-7 p.m. ET for an in-person “Off Duty” speaker event at Dodona Manor featuring David Robarge, Chief Historian of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Robarge will lead an engaging discussion of “The Soldier-Statesman in the World.”

Through his Army leadership role in World War II, his post-war diplomatic mission to China and his service as head of the State and Defense Departments, George C. Marshall grappled with difficult questions concerning national security, intelligence capabilities and authorities, as well as political and bureaucratic conflicts. Marshall’s approach to navigating these enduring challenges offers valuable insights for contemporary intelligence leaders and practitioners.

David Robarge joined the CIA in 1989 and worked as a political and leadership analyst on the Middle East. After earning a Ph.D. in American history from Columbia, he moved to the History Staff in 1996 and was appointed Chief Historian in 2005.

Rain or Shine – In the event of rain, the event will be moved indoors.

RSVP to: ckoester@georgecmarshall.org

September 21 Foreign Policy Forum with Don Camp

Reflections on a Foreign Service Career

Join us Thursday, September 21 from Noon – 1:30 p.m. ET on Zoom for a foreign policy forum featuring Donald Camp, who will discuss insights gleaned from his career as a foreign service officer in South and Central Asia.

Peace Corps service in India (1970-72) prepared Camp for his later work on South Asia at the State Department and with the National Security Council (NSC), which included stints as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia and NSC Senior Director for South Asia in the Obama White House.  

Two years of Mandarin language training prepared him for six years of service in greater China (one year in Taiwan, two years in Beijing and three years as Consul General in Chengdu). After his retirement from the State Department, Camp served for three months every autumn as Senior Advisor for South Asia at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations during its General Assembly. He is a graduate of Carleton College and lives in Falls Church, Virginia.

Veterans Day at Dodona

Marshall Center to Co-Host Annual Veterans Day Commemoration on November 11 at 10:30 a.m.

Join us for our 19th annual Veterans Day Commemoration on Saturday, November 11, 2023, at 10:30 a.m. This event, cohosted by The George C. Marshall International Center, the Town of Leesburg and Loudoun County, will take place on the grounds of Dodona Manor in Leesburg.

Brig. Gen. Adam C. Volant, Director of Operations for U.S. Army Information Warfare Command, will be our keynote speaker, reflecting on the meaning of the day and the remarkable contributions of veterans to our community. Vintage military vehicles will be on site for exploration, and Dodona Manor will be open for free tours.

Rain or shine. Free and open to the public (no RSVP necessary).

Bumper Crop!

Renaissance: Wood from 300-Year-Old Dodona Oak Tree Finds New Life

In 2016, when a mammoth white oak anchoring the front lawn at Dodona Manor had to be taken down due to disease, then-board member Joe May vowed to save the resulting wood.

After carefully measuring the radius of the trunk and counting the rings in a 12” section, he deduced the tree was more than 300 years old. The tree had stood so long, a revolutionary war era bullet was found nested deep inside.

Mr. May arranged for the timber to be milled into planks, which later were crafted into handmade pens for Marshall Center donors by John Hare. In the years since, Mr. May has been the caretaker of this historically significant wood, keeping it safe and dry until a new project could be found worthy of it.

On Aug 30, some of the wood made its way back to safe storage at Dodona Manor, where it can be used in the right project when it presents itself.

The Marshall Center extends heartfelt thanks to Mr. May for being the preserver of this important piece of Dodona Manor history. Thanks also to Dan Beckett and Doug MacLean for donating an afternoon to this effort!