Washington Sightseeing the Third

Department of the Treasury

Albert Gallatin, 4th Secretary of the Treasury during the Jefferson and Madison Administrations

Ronald Reagan International Trade Center (my internship/work place)

 John F. Kennedy's goal was to modernize Pennsylvania Avenue and it took another 20 years or so until Congress passed the Federal Triangle Development Act in 1987. Since the law was signed during the Reagan Administration, it was named after President Ronald Reagan who compromised on signing the construction of this highly expensive building if it was named after him. The reason was because Ronald Reagan was known for small government expenses which was not the case regarding the construction of this building.

NEWSEUM

(indicating the First Amendment)

Archives

Georgetown Characteristics - small, vintage and colorful houses

National Gallery of Art 

Library of Congress
(outside)

Inside, Lobby and stairs area

Reading Room

"In Books lies the Soul of the Whole Past Time"

Supreme Court

Entrance area

Court room - I could not enter since I was not part of a group

Union Station 

Arlington Cemetery

John F. Kennedy grave with a flame

Smithsonian Castle 

Museum of Natural History - Unfortunately I was not able to enter the T-Rex room since the skeletons are not exhibited currently due to renovation. 

Museum of Air and Space 

Three weeks of Events Delirium

In the last three weeks my life was all about events. I was able to attend off-site events about the ongoing T-TIP negotiations, and I was actively engaged in organizing and preparing three events from my organization, WITA.

The first event that took place was in the Swedish Embassy in DC. One of the most beautiful embassies I have ever seen! The conference took place in the House of Sweden whose walls are made of glass which brightens up the room immensely, and giving an amazing view to the Potomac River. The atmosphere authentically reminds of being in a summer house on the country side next to a lake in Sweden.
The topic was "T-TIP: Towards Transatlantic Regulatory Cooperation". The panel was pretty big and the two VIP speakers were Dan Mullaney, Assistant United States Trade Representative for Europe and the Middle East at the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), and Hiddo Houben, Head of Trade Section of the Delegation of the European Union to the United States.
Hiddo is a great laid back and extremely humorous speaker. His natural character brought some fresh wind into the usually serious and tight panels. However, even though the event was off-the-record, all of the panelists still stayed general and kind of superficial in their argumentation. I hoped to see some more heat and energy, but that is maybe expected too much since the speakers still have to stay professional.
What I learned from the event is that the regulatory differences between the EU and the U.S. will be one of the biggest challenges to compromise on for the T-TIP negotiations. I even see myself disagreeing to adapt to American standards because I think the European ones are more environmental and consumer friendly.
I feel proud of our regulations, and I feel that the U.S. could actually learn from our policies.
In the end it will be a matter of who is willing to approach the other side first...and then we can talk about finalizing a free-trade deal!

The second event was organized by WITA and we hosted a panel discussing 'Latin America Trade Update'. Latin America is a region that has a lot of potential geographic, and resource, wise. The speakers represented Chile, Peru, Mexico and the U.S. The hot topics were the Transpacific Partnership (TPP) that includes amongst others the U.S., Peru, Mexico and Chile, as well as the Pacific Alliance, also known as the Pacific Pumas, and including Mexico, Peru, Chile and Colombia.
One of the most crucial statements to me was made by the representative of the Economic department of the Embassy of Chile who said that Chile has a lot of copper, but what is missing is the capacity and technology, present in the U.S. or Europe, to produce wires that are sold more expensive than the raw material. Therefore, he concluded that what Latin America needs is technological progress and development in order to produce the more expensive product in the end to make more profit as well.
Regarding the Pacific Alliance I recently read this statement:
"Chile has the climate and infrastructure to make great wine but let's say the Mexicans make the best fertilizer, the Colombians develop a more efficient way of making glass and the Peruvians have found a way to design and produce the best labels and corks. If Chilean winemakers buy the Mexican fertilizer and link up with Colombia's glass makers and Peru's label makers, together, they can produce a better, less expensive bottle of wine. Alliances like this, which encourage countries or states to develop more efficient value chains, are Latin America's best and only chance of competing in Asia."
This situation might be idealized, but the idea seems right. Latin America has great potential, it only needs the right leadership and trading partners to make the best out of it for its own population!

The third event took place in the Finnish Embassy hosting Prof. Alexander Stubb who is in my view the Finnish version of Barack Obama. Stubb is extremely charismatic, very sophisticated and likes to argue with metaphors. Here some of his quotes I found amusing:
"Trade was not sexy three years ago."

“Economic predictions are to make astrologists look good.”

“The EU is a powerhouse.”

“The EU does not need to regulate everything.”

He explained that the EU has become "highly politicized", and he illustrated that "if you give the EU parliament the little finger, it will take the whole hand".

After the event there was a reception and I got the chance to talk a little to Prof. Stubb. He was very friendly and and showed interest in having a short conversation with an annoying and super excited student like me! 

The following event I prepared, organized and attended was again hosted by WITA. It was called "Update on TPP: The End-Game Dynamics Explained". The Keynote Address was given by Congressman Charles Boustany who is highly in favor of completing the Transpacific Partnership (TPP). He claimed that "TPP will create American jobs" and he is convinced that TPP will boost the American economy. He is convinced that "trade is a source of strength and an engine of growth for America". 

I found nice to see that Boustany made the impression to be a very humble person. When he entered the conference room, he arrived by himself without any security or Hill staff clan. I welcomed him and he was very friendly and charming. In the end the so called prominent people also simply cook with the same water like we do. 

My last event that I helped organize with WITA was "Trade 101 on the Hill: Reflection on Current FTA's"(Free Trade Agreements) and it took place on the Hill in the House of Ways and Means room. The panel discussed current free trade negotiations including the TPP and the T-TIP in comparison to already existing ones for instance North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Questions that arose were about the overall impact of FTA's, which FTA's had the best impact on businesses, which reasons there are to oppose FTA's or how we can use current FTA's to shape future ones. The panelists were able to give a good insight on how to define clearly FTA's. They argued that opening up and liberalizing markets does not automatically mean that unemployment will rise and that jobs will be outsourced. They explained that unemployment and outsourcing does not originate from free trade but from economic circumstances.

Hhhmmmmm.....interesting point........?! 

The last event I attended was at the Greek Embassy offering an immense and diverse breakfast buffet. Seeing it I did not feel at all that this country has been suffering from a financial crisis but apparently the Greeks want to keep their reputation of hospitality. 

The panelists were discussing the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Treaty. The panel included amongst others Everett Eissenstatt (Senate Finance Committee), Angela Ellard (House of Ways and Means), Hiddo Houben (EU Delegation) and Dan Hamilton (Center for Transatlantic Relations) who recently published the Transatlantic Economy 2014 Report. 

Dan Hamilton's address focused on facts and numbers and I was surprised when he said that China has accounted for just 1.2% of total global U.S. investment since the start of this century! He compared that U.S. investment in the Netherlands was more than 14 times larger, and in the UK it was more than 10 times larger and even in Ireland it was more than 6 times larger than in China! These are striking numbers!

Angela Ellard and Everett Eissenstatt absolutely argued in favor of T-TIP and free trade agreements in general. I cannot go into detail here since they were off-the-record. The representative of the EU, Hiddo Houben, offered some trouble to the American representatives by insisting on Europe's stance to pass T-TIP only if the EU's environmental, agricultural and consumer protection standards are kept! I was very happy to hear that! 

After the event I got the chance to talk to Hiddo and I told him that I got very relieved when hearing that the EU is not willing to lower its standards. 

Of course he felt flattered :)

T-TIP, US Ambassador and DC Journey the Third

March 11th, I got the chance to attend an event at the Global Business Dialogue, a recognized association for the global business community and trade interested individuals. The association's focus is to educate the public how commerce, business and global trade and investment are interrelated and impact the world's future economy.
The special guest in the panel was John Cridland, Director General of the Confederation of British Industry, a recognized British business lobby organization. The other panelists consisted of Peter Allgeier of the Coalition of Services Industries, and Linda M. Dempsey of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM).
The panelists discussed the current status of the T-TIP negotiations with a focus on the service and business sector. Simultaneously to the assessment, the fourth round of T-TIP negotiations took place in Brussels between March 10th and 14th.

My Thursday Seminars on March 13th, were one of the best and most informative ones we had so far.
The first one was with US Ambassador Lynn Pascoe who convinced with his vast knowledge about international politics due to his experience abroad. He used to be U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia and to Malaysia. Pascoe also served as Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations at the UN Department of Political Affairs where he oversaw the UN's diplomatic efforts to prevent and mitigate conflict around the globe.
We ended up talking about the current Ukraine crisis and about Russia's dominant role. He made clear that he does not think that 'soft power', meaning diplomacy or economic sanctions, is the right way to combat a threat like Russia. Pascoe emphasized that in this case 'hard power', meaning military intervention, is the only way to show the international rule of law.
He criticized the EU's passive stance in the Ukraine crisis, and pointed out that it is not willing anyways use military force. He emphasized that the NATO's power is based on the US's military power. NATO cannot count on the EU's assistance almost at all. I had to take make a statement at this part of the conversation. I pointed out that it is not only the EU which apparently did not change, but it is also the the US that has not necessarily been changing either. It is nothing new that the US puts a lot of money into its military force which could be better invested in education or health care, like most of the EU countries are doing. Obama is the first President who is responsible for huge military cuts. From a European perspective this is finally the right way to approach more violent-free, and rather citizen-friendly policies.
Getting back to the Ukraine crisis, I think that currently both the US and the EU are on the right path to use 'soft power' rather than 'hard power'. Even though the EU is to one-third dependent on Russian oil and gas exports, there will be found a solution soon in order to become energy-independent from the Eastern power.

Our second seminar was with Michael McGill who serves as a Senior Advisor to the Regional Commissioner for GSA's (General Services Administration) Public Buildings Service in the National Capital Region. He used to serve as GSA's representative on the National Capital Planning Commission and the National Capital Memorial Advisory Commission. He told us that he has always been interested in the field of public policy and urban planning, and he emphasized that he has read 1,400 books in his entire life!!!!!
McGill structured the seminar well by having prepared a Power Point presentation. He started by explaining on which idea the construction of Washington DC was based on. After the 13 colonies became independent from the Britisch Empire, and after the United States were established with the implementation of the Constitution, the newly established American government needed a capital city. Due to several practical and geographical reasons, Washington DC was made the capital of the United States of America.
The architecture of the Capitol, the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorial and the White House is based on the oldest democracy and republic in the world: Greece and the Roman Empire. In other words, the US's capital is based on European ideas. It was great to get this historic presentation of DC, and knowing that it has European roots makes me like it even more!!

DC Memorial Sightseeing the Second

Martin Luther King Memorial

Stone of Hope - "Out of the Mountain of Despair a Stone of Hope" 

The MLK Memorial is intentionally left unfinished. The reason was to show that Luther King's mission has not been accomplished yet at the point of his death; he was killed at the age of 39. Besides not being able to finish his anti-separation and anti-discrimination mission towards blacks, he was not able either to accomplish his own personal life. MLK's eyes in the statue look towards South. His view is very serious and seems angry which makes sense since the South was the very racist region in the US.

View to the Jefferson Memorial 

Thomas Jefferson: main author of the Declaration of Independence, one of the Founding Fathers of the American Constitution, and third president of the United States. The quote to his right starts with the words: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, that to secure these rights governments are instituted among men....." This part is taken from the Declaration of Independence. 

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial - FDR Memorial

Below you can see FDR sitting in an almost not noticeable wheelchair suffering from the effects of polio which can lead to partial or full paralysis. FDR was actively engaged by creating the 'National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis', today more known for 'March of Dimes Foundation'. He supported especially water treatments undertaken in Warm Springs. He also funded the research for a cure or vaccine for polio. 

The structure of the Memorial is in a historic chronological order. FDR was the first president who had the right to serve four terms instead of only two terms maximum. Therefore, the memorial consists of "four chambers or rooms" - each room represents one term.

FDR started his presidency in 1932 in the aftermath of the Great Depression of 1929. At that point of time millions were unemployed and suffered from hunger. The monument below represents unemployed people waiting in line to get food. Due to the suffering of the American people, Roosevelt proposed the New Deal which Congress soon enacted. The program incorporated an Emergency Banking Act, the Agricultural Adjustment Act and the National Industrial Recovery Act.

FDR is also famous for his 'Good Neighbor Policy' towards Latin American countries in order to improve relations. He transformed the idea of the Monroe Doctrine from the 19th century stating that further European colonization in both North, and South, America would be seen as aggression and result in US military intervention. FDR re-formulated the Monroe Doctrine by adding the idea to create a bilateral arrangement with Latin American countries to fight aggressors mutually.  

'I HATE WAR'

Even though FDR hated war, he was forced to get involved in World War II after Pearl Harbor had been attacked by the Japanese.

FDR and his dog; his most faithful friend. It is said that he might not have had the perfect marriage with Eleanor like it could be assumed. Roosevelt had a lover and instead of being buried with Eleanor at the same cemetery, he is buried next to his lover. 

Nevertheless, the Roosevelt's marriage did not take away confidence from Eleanor, and she was an admirable First Lady. She stood up for Human Rights, supported Women's, African American's and other minority's rights. After WWII, she pushed to create the United Nations. She served as the first chair of the UN Commission on Human Rights and contributed to the draft of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 

T-TIP article and Kansas Senator the Second, Colonel "Smack" and cracking "popcorn"

On February 26th I attended an event at the American Security Project discussing the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP) from an American and European perspective. Below the link to my article about the event:
http://www.wita.org/en/art/1002/

Last Wednesday I was able to attend another event at the Cato Institute which consisted of three panelists debating if Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) should be implemented into the Transpacific Partnership (TPP), or not. The debate was very interesting and heated up.
I was surprised how emotional scholars can get when not feeling understood by their counter-arguers. One might think that people in academia always behave considerate and deliberate twice before making a statement, but that was not reality at this debate.
The expert supporting to definitely include IPRs claimed that it is a necessity to protect American patents, and that the other countries need to adjust to the American system.
The counter arguer to this statement is convinced that IPs only inhibit the the flow of a free-trade agreement, and make it more complicated to close the deal.
The third scholar, the only female representative, was mainly criticizing the bureaucracy and legislation of IPs stalled on the Hill. While being busy emphasizing the difficulties about protecting copyrights and patents, I had troubles to see her position if IPs should be implemented in the TPP, or not.
However, in the end she suggested to change the American IP legislation process, and clarified briefly to take out IPs entirely of the TPP.
Currently, I am working on the report for this event. I am cooperating with my colleague, and we plan to publish it sometime this week.

On Thursday, I had two seminars with my internship group. Our first one was with Senior Senator Pat Roberts from Kansas who well respected on both sides of the political aisle. He is a serious legislator, a long time fixture in Kansas politics, and a former Marine. 
Pat Roberts made a very casual impression, but unfortunately it also got to a point where he seemed a little boring. The way he answered questions was very monotonous and it was difficult for me to follow his long-drawn explanations. His time was very limited so I did not get the chance to ask him my question in front of the group. 
However, when shaking hands I made the comment that I would have loved to ask him what he thinks about American politics in comparison to European/German politics. Roberts took the time to comment briefly that even though Germany's past was very dark, it does a good job today. 
I countered that the past is the past, and what counts is the present. He changed the topic and said that he hopes for more engagement by the EU and Germany in regards to the Ukraine crisis. 
I answered that a strong cooperation between the EU and the US will definitely be helpful to try to improve the situation for the Ukrainian population. I felt like a politician when I heard myself saying that, and when finishing the conversation with a smile on both of our faces. 

Our second seminar was with Colonel Patrick "Smack" McKenzie. He is a Kansas native, and a F-16 fighter pilot. Currently, he leads the U.S. Air Force Congressional Liaison office in the Rayburn House Office Building. This is one of the most important and prestigious jobs in the Air Force, because it puts him in daily contact with the legislators (and their staffs) who fund that branch of the military. Before he worked on Capitol Hill, he commanded Osan Air Force Base in South Korea. 
"Smack" caught my attention, especially because of not having a lot of knowledge about the military life. He made a mentally strong and hard-boiled impression. 
When I asked him about his most scaring and most dangerous missions, he told us that once when flying over Iraq, he did not even know if the plane will be able to reach its destination due to gas issues. Another example was that he feels the most pressure when knowing that comrades depend on him when bombing territories or other fighters. I got goose-bumps when I heard that. 
When he talked about his missions and his plane flights, and about releasing bombs or firing missiles over Kosovo or Afghanistan, I felt as if he was talking about a video game. In his description he made it seem as if the world and the people on the ground are not seen, but the goal is to shoot at a certain position, no matter if there is civilization underneath, or not. 
Smack explained that pilots cannot see what is happening thousands of feet below your machine, and he illustrated that you only see bombs falling down looking like cracking "popcorn" in the microwave. 
I had the feeling reality was a game for him. However, I guess he simply did his job, and his job was to drop the missiles at a certain point to a certain time, and to fly back to his station. 
When he told us about his stay in South Korea while North Korea was testing its nuclear weapons posing a huge security threat to the world peace, he revealed that the threat was completely exaggerated by the media. He revealed that the situation was no different than any other, and he would "stand on the golf course with a club in his hands" while citizens in the US and Europe fear a third world war. 
However, he also admitted that it is kind of scaring to know that a 29 year old possesses nukes. He emphasized that this is definitely no safe situation in our world, and it is supposed to be taken seriously. 

I learned a lot in the seminar with Colonel Smack. I have great respect for his duties and experiences, but I still think that a safer world does not depend on stronger and bigger military forces in democracies, but rather on better diplomatic skills. 

Events, Kansas Senator, and Missed Obama speech!!!

Last week was full of exciting activities and events!

On Tuesday, I had a personal meeting with an employee from the German Embassy who I got to know at the Atlantic Council event with Karel de Gucht, the EU Commissioner for Trade. I requested this meeting because I wanted to get more information about working for the German Federal Foreign Office, and about becoming a diplomat. Interesting to me was that he is actually working for the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, and temporarily employed as an expert of economic affairs in the German Embassy in Washington DC. I learned that it is pretty simple to apply for the Federal Foreign Office, but it requires stamina since it takes several steps in order to proceed to the next selection process level. However, motivating was that the application selection is supposed to be fair, and is not necessarily dependent on who you know.
Nevertheless, my stay in Washington D.C. is teaching me so far that it is always crucial to know someone who knows someone who might help you with something. Life is just easier then!

On Wednesday, the 26th, I went to another T-TIP event hosted by the American Security Project (ASP) where a British/European and American representative the key elements of the T-TIP negotiations, the 2014 trade-political climate, and key issues the EU and the US will face while going forward, discussed.
Here the link to the event:
http://americansecurityproject.org/event/ttip-trade-and-investment-a-u-s-and-european-perspective/
I will publish another article that I wrote about the event this following week.

On Thursday, our internship group was invited by Kansas Senator Jerry Moran at the Russell Senate Office Building. After going through the security check, we entered a long and wide hallway that offered entrance to senator offices on three levels. Jerry Moran's office reminded me of a 19th century living room containing a vintage couch, chairs and a chimney. It seemed kind of royal. Very nice the work place of the senators!
Moran made a very easy-going and casual impression. I even had the feeling that he was pretty moderate and diplomatic towards the Democratic Party. However, later I was told that his voting record does actually not show this diplomacy, but shows his strong affiliation towards the Republican Party. But I guess that's politics: doing what is expected from you to do even though it might not coincide with your personal and moral ideology.
I got the chance to ask him if he thinks whether the Democratic and Republican Party might be able to 'work together' once instead of working against one another like they have been doing for more than 200 years. I gave as an example Germany that is currently ruled by the Great Coalition consisting of the two biggest and strongest parties in Germany. I felt he did not like my question, and he explained that first of all he actually does not like the labeling of being a 'Democrat' and being a 'Republican'. He continued with some other stuff that was out of context and then he literally admitted that he does not know how to answer my question, but that he is only talking now. (I thought: Typical politician) However, what I understood in the end was that the German model is definitely not possible in the US. It is simply a different culture, and not having this dual party system is not real in 'Merica.
My experience at the Senate Office Building was kind of influenced by the current TV show, House of Cards, that I am watching on Netflix. This show is not allowed on public TV since it satirically criticizes Washington DC politics including its corrupt, fake and deceitful practices.
Here an article about the show when it was released last year:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/25/business/media/for-house-of-cards-using-big-data-to-guarantee-its-popularity.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
(Surprisingly a lot of people in DC watch, and love this show!)

On Friday, my organization was hosting an event in our conference room. It was an International Career Roundtable about Embassy Jobs. The idea of these kind of Embassy Jobs is to apply as an expert in whatever area, for instance trade or energy, to any embassy no matter if one is a citizen of this country or not. I met there a Chinese girl who is working for the Finnish Consulate which I find funny. But obviously everything is possible! Our two American speakers being experts in trade, one working for the British Embassy, and one working for the EU Delegation in DC, were willing to give detailed information on how the application process looks like for those who intend to apply for any embassy.
Both confirmed that it is not about having ties to the specific country, but it is about being an expert in a specific area.

After the event, I thought I would finish my Friday royally because I tried to attend an event by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) where Obama would hold a speech. Two of my friends are currently interning with the DNC and were so kind to try to get me in there somehow. After running in high heels from one metro station to the next one and to the hotel where the event took place, I still did not arrive on time. This meant that I missed to see Obama by 30 min delay to register on time. This is the second time now that I had the chance to see him speaking, but for some weird circumstance I happen to miss him again. Life's tough sometimes, but apparently it is not meant for me to see him now.

In German we say: Third time is a charm!
I believe in it that there will be a third opportunity to see him live!

Getting to hear the EU Commissioner for Trade Karel de Gucht

On Tuesday, I belonged to those honored people who were invited to attend an event at the Atlantic Council where EU Commissioner for Trade, Karel de Gucht, did a keynote address about the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.
The audience included government and business professionals, as well as journalists from American and international newspapers and magazines.
Having in mind that several big guys were present, and having in mind to be able to network, I introduced myself to the Head of Economic Affairs from the Embassy of Germany (correct actually: the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany), and his assistant who is in charge of the industry department. We did the DC business as usual business cards exchange.
We'll see if I get the chance to have a coffee, or lunch, meeting with one of them in order to talk about my career goals.

I am very happy I got the chance to attend this event because it was great. I also got again the chance to write an article about it. Here the link to our website where it is published:

http://www.wita.org/en/art/988/

Snowmageddon the second OVER, Sightseeing the second to be CONTINUED

After getting off from work on Thursday because of around 16 inches of snow according to the Office of Personal Management (OPM), that is legally allowed to shut down government institutions and agencies due to bad weather, I was able to leave safely the apartment today in order to do some more sightseeing.

The day started pretty warm, with sun and light winter clothes. 

However, after lunch the sun decided to say good bye and the temperatures dropped which made it a challenge to take out the hands from the warm and comfortable pockets to take pictures. 

Nevertheless, it is all a matter of attitude and since I wanted to see finally the White House, the Vietnam and Korea Memorial, and especially the famous Lincoln Memorial, I bore up the sightseeing tour. 

The White House 

The President's most famous neighbor - Concepcion Picciotto, Connie, originally from Spain, has been living next to the White House since 1981 and is waiting to be received in audience of the President of the United States of America to talk about peace in the world. This simple camping tent has been her home for about 33 YEARS!! Connie used to work for the UN, and since she does not agree with war politics, and nuclear weapons possessions, she decided to dedicate the rest of her life to peacefully demonstrate next to the White House. The law says that if she leaves her place to go to the "bathroom", to wash herself, or to get something to eat, the police is allowed to remove her tent. 

It is impossible for me to imagine how a life like this feels like..........

U.S. Department of the Treasury is responsible for economic growth and stability. It oversees the production of coins and currency, the disbursement of payments to the public, revenue collection, and the funds to run the federal government. 

In other words: it's the United States' money administration. 

In Memory of the Heroic Women of the Civil War 

Organization of the Americas (OAS)

Oldest House in DC - Lock Keepers House

Washington Monument - still recovering from the 2011 earthquake

World War II Memorial 

Every star counts 500 or more American soldiers that lost their lives during WWII

Vietnam Veterans Memorial - the memorial's design reminds of a scar, and the black wall lists in book format all the names of soldiers who lost their lives; the statue of the three American soldiers stands for the representation of the U.S. Marine and Army Corps, as well as for the soldiers armoring during the Vietnam War. 

Korean Veterans Memorial - there are supposed to be 38 soldiers on the field, but indeed there are only 19 present........

.......the other 19 soldiers are mirrored in the wall to the right.

And last but not least, President LINCOLN!!!! Taddaaaaaaaa!!!! Very Majestic!!!! This statue shows the two different personalities of Abraham Lincoln: looking at the statue, the right leg is tightened to the chair, and the right hand is clenched to a fist which illustrates Lincoln's seriousness and deliberateness; his left leg though, and his left hand seem loose on the chair which illustrates his relaxation and gentleness. Lincoln's Memorial makes almost a religious impression, and especially when reading the words above his head saying "In this temple as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the union the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever"

After the Civil War, Lincoln demonstrated the talent to make a speech saying what was necessary and essential to say within a few minutes, for which other presidents would have needed hours to express what needed to be expressed. 

The famous Gettysburg Address

One more view from the Lincoln Memorial towards the Washington Monument over the Reflecting Pool....