The Pentagon

On Wednesday, October 16, 2011, Di Yin and I took a tour of the Pentagon. Though it required making reservations in advance, the only information requested was our names (no social security numbers or anything) so I can't imagine they did much of a security check other than perhaps looking to see if we were on the do-not-fly list.

It's definitely a high-security place. Two different people checked our IDs as we entered. This makes the "I Made It Inside" t-shirt for sale in the gift shop more humorous.

It's also not surprising that cell phones and cameras are prohibited for visitors. But it's interesting that these aren't allowed for anyone else either. Indeed, not only can one not take pictures inside (minor exception: within the visitors/press center it's okay), one cannot take pictures of the outside of the building either. There's even no photography allowed inside the nearby metro station!

In addition, visitors aren't allowed to use the bathroom or even dispose of garbage in a trash or recycling bin.

Furthermore, the Pentagon tries to limit the information one can acquire and transit to others. It prohibits note-taking on the tours! I think this is the first place I ever been that's done that. Thus, the majority of this entry comes from my memory with no assistance from notes.

Finally, a sign by the tour's starting location lists four rules, some of the aforementioned ones plus more. One rule is no translating allowed. I guess the Pentagon is worried about people coming on the tour and talking all the way through (under the pretense of translating) while plotting how to blow up the Pentagon. The sign listing rules was translated: it was posted in six languages.

But how about the tour and the Pentagon itself?

What struck me the most was how much more the Pentagon is than simply an office building. It's like a mall inside: a pharmacy, a bank, a chocolate store, a flower shop, a video rental shop, a cobbler, etc., and even something as large as a grocery store! All of these are only accessible to Pentagon employees. I asked the tour guide if I could buy something in the chocolate shop--I already knew what I wanted from the shop, and it's the only location of this chain in the Washington D.C. area--but the guide said no. The Pentagon also has restaurants, both fast-food and upscale. I glanced at a nicer restaurant we passed and the prices were reasonable. I guess all this support structure makes sense--twenty-five thousand employees work in the complex every day.

I glimpsed a map while walking around. It looks like the Pentagon has a complex address system. It's big enough to deserve one! I found a description of the system online.

Tidbit: despite its size, the Pentagon was built in about a year (in the early 1940s).

Many of the halls we walked through have exhibits. We didn't have time to read any of the displays, but the tour guides described each exhibit briefly as we walked. One hallway, for instance, honors General McArthur; another recognizes people missing in action.

Some hallways have paintings, including one with some by John Trumbull that have his self-portrait in them. Congress commissioned paintings of historic events but told the painter that he couldn't sign his paintings. Hence, he instead painted himself into the scenes in subtle ways. An example is Trumbell's Declaration of Independence. As the tour guide explained, Congress eventually got wise to this strategy and Trumbell's likeness became more camouflaged in his later works for Congress.

We spent the last third of the tour visiting the indoor Pentagon memorial. To get there, we walked down the corridor where the plane hit. Interestingly, although the plane damaged twenty percent of the building, it killed only about a hundred employees, not twenty percent of the building's population which would be several thousand. The hit section of the Pentagon was under renovation and most people had been moved elsewhere. Furthermore, the Pentagon was built originally without steel reinforcement, but this area under renovation fortuitously got steel reinforcement before the attack. Without the steel, the plane probably would've penetrated into the center of the building, not merely the outer three rings. This section was also the only area of the Pentagon with a sprinkler system.

By the way, the tour guides loved a story about the restaurant in center of the grassy area in the center of Pentagon. (They loved it so much that each of the two guides told the story, not realizing the other guide already did.) During the cold war, the Soviets, watching from their spy satellites, saw so many people entering and leaving the small central building that they assumed it must be the entrance to a secret underground part of the Pentagon and that the rest of the building was merely a distraction/cover for this section. In reality, the building was a hot dog stand.

Other interesting facts:

• The Pentagon has a speed limit: brisk walk. I bet this becomes significant during a crisis. It probably also prevents military folks from running loops for exercise.
• The Pentagon microwaves its incoming mail to eliminate pathogens.