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30 years after fall of wall, Ronald Reagan statue to be unveiled in Berlin

By Ed Adamczyk
Presiden Ronald Reagan called for the destruction of the Berlin Wall in 1987. On Friday, the 30th anniversary of the wall's fall, a statue will be dedicated in his honor at the U.S. Embassy in Berlin. Photo courtesy of Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation
Presiden Ronald Reagan called for the destruction of the Berlin Wall in 1987. On Friday, the 30th anniversary of the wall's fall, a statue will be dedicated in his honor at the U.S. Embassy in Berlin. Photo courtesy of Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation

Nov. 6 (UPI) -- Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in Berlin to attend ceremonies marking the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, will formally unveil a statue of former President Ronald Reagan at the U.S. Embassy.

The seven-foot statue depicts Reagan walking with a briefcase in his right hand. It is installed on the embassy grounds but is partially visible from the street where he famously called on Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1987 to "Tear down this wall!"

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The statue is one of several historical markers in Berlin honoring Reagan and his speech.

The heavily fortified wall divided East and West Berlin from 1961 until it was demolished in 1989.

Pompeo will dedicate the statue, which was designed by artist Chas Fagan and includes portions of the actual wall in its composition, on Friday, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development announced. The statue was commissioned by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation.

The ceremony marking the fall of the wall on Saturday will include Pompeo, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Berlin Mayor Michael Muller. Events that day will include art and historical exhibits and a "Fall of the Wall" concert by Staatskapelle, the orchestra of the German State Opera, conducted by Daniel Barenboim.

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