Before finishing his position at the Pentagon, our good friend Sam offered to give us a tour of the Pentagon building. The Pentagon is essentially its own little city, employing up to 44,000 people and having several of its own zip codes. Each branch of service is represented here along with plenty of civilian contractors and Department of Defense employees.
We Metro'd there and back, and the ride home was quite crowded. When people leave the Pentagon for the day, it is a mass exodus down the escalators to the train/bus stops! There was quite a bit of security to get into the building...as there should be.
The hallways are almost museum-like in that there are displays of the various missions that the US has been involved with. There are displays focused on our allies, tributes to those who have given their lives in the line of duty, and explanations of the various branches of service. They also have a really sweet food court, barber shop, nail salon, shoe store, best buy, post office, and other small shops.
It is an immense building and it felt like we walked miles inside there! Abby used a water fountain on every floor and at each corner. At one point a General stopped us in the hallway and gave Alex and Abby each an Air Force Memorial pin--they loved that! Abby kept referring to it as her "medal". There is also a memorial wing set up for the victims of the 9/11 attack, complete with photo quilt squares and a chapel. I didn't realize the area hit on 9/11 had been under construction. Had it been fully occupied, hundreds more could have lost their lives in that tragedy.
Such a treat for us to get to see this incredible building.
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