A small slice from my masters thesis research – On the site of the former U.S.Berlin Brigade’s McNair Barracks in West Berlin, the Free Evangelical Congregation – Lichterfelde throws a 4th of July party every year as they honor the legacy and former congregants of their chapel. It is so interesting to observe what spaces and structures can mean to people. The cheerleaders are a German group, organized to perform on the 4th for the mixed crowd of Berlin Brigade veterans (U.S.) and Evangelisch Church members (German) as a show of something ‘from home.’ Leaders of the congregation are committed to preserving the history of the chapel, built during the Cold War and occupation of Berlin by U.S., French, British and Soviet forces. McNair Barracks is one of a dozen or so areas just here in Berlin that are in different stages of being re-purposed. McNair itself is only about 35% in use at the moment.