Backward Is The Way Forward: Touring the Pentagon

BACKWARD IS THE WAY FORWARD

Touring the Pentagon

By Eric Tegler

Pentagon tour guides are hearty people. Selected competitively from the ceremonial guards of all five branches of the services, they not only have to know a startling array of facts about the Pentagon, they also have to be able to walk backward without a second thought.

When you take a Pentagon tour, your military guide will face you the entire time, walking backward as you walk forward through the halls of one of the world’s most recognizable buildings. Pentagon tour guides give several tours a day and in the process, walk 2 to 3 miles backward using lighting fixtures and fire extinguishers as guideposts.

All that rearward locomotion is worth it. The Pentagon tour program hosts more than 106,000 visitors annually, and gives seven tours every weekday. Despite the strict security requirements necessary, the popularity of taking a tour of the iconic building is evident not only from the numbers but from their testimony by word of mouth and online. Pentagon tours are among the highest rated on the popular travel site TripAdvisor.com, whose reviews give the visits four out of five stars.

Most reviews single out the tour guides for their professionalism, knowledge, and humor. As the guides walk you though the corridors, relating one interesting tidbit after another, it becomes obvious that their unconventional gait is just another form of progress. As has been the case for 75 years at the Pentagon, the direction is always forward – even if that sometimes means going backward.

THE SHAPE OF A PENTAGON TOUR

If asked what a Pentagon tour is like, you could be snarky and say “pentagonal.” True, the structure is five-sided, but that won’t be your focus as you wend through portions of one of the world’s largest office buildings. Even though you certainly won’t be walking all 17 miles of hallway therein, you’ll get an impression of the immensity of the place.

For reference, the Pentagon has three times the floor space of the Empire State Building in New York. The national Capitol Building could fit into any one of its five wedge-shaped sections. That doesn’t even convey the impression one gets of the broader Pentagon Reservation. You can arrive via nearly 30 miles of access highways, including express bus lanes. Alternately, one can visit by using the Washington D.C. Metro – one of the most extensive subway systems in the country.

The Marine Corps Reserve Centennial wall display stands completed at the Pentagon, Sept. 28, 2016. The exhibit was installed at the Pentagon in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the Marine Corps Reserve.

Photo by Guinnery Sgt. Elizabeth Inglese

The vista above ground includes 200 acres of lawn and pavement on which approximately 8,770 cars park in 16 parking lots. Then there are the thoroughfares inside the building. Some 131 stairways and 19 escalators link the corridors along which a beehive of offices occupies 3,705,793 square feet.

Size has always struck visitors to our national defense headquarters. Surprisingly, the formal public tours program wasn’t launched until May 17, 1976. A June 1, 1976 article in The New York Times laconically announced that, “with a lack of fanfare, the Pentagon has relaxed its security for the first time in four years to let Bicentennial tourists visit the famous office building.”

About 200 visitors per day were accommodated. It was supposed to be a merely temporary feature, expected to run through July 4 of that year. But prospective tour groups just kept coming. A snippet in the June 1977 edition of the Marine Corps magazine Leatherneck reads:

“Approximately 55,000 American and foreign visitors toured the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., during the 1976 Bicentennial year. As a result of the enthusiastic response from visitors, the tour program will continue.”

Support for the tours, both from within and without the Pentagon, was so strong that they were made a permanent fixture. By July 1996, the Pentagon had welcomed its 2 millionth visitor and broken an all-time annual visitor record in December of that same year. By 2012, 3 million had toured the building.

The tour format has changed somewhat over the years. A 1982 article in The New York Times explained that contemporary tours began with a film detailing some of the early history of the Pentagon.

Today, the tour begins at the Pentagon Visitor Center, which includes a gift shop and restrooms you’ll likely want to avail yourself of before setting off with the tour group and guide. Visitors cannot return to the Visitor Center once the tour has finished. The tour route is approximately 1.5 miles in length and takes about 60 minutes to walk, with the group constantly in motion.

Contrary to what you might imagine, there is no set route. Tours vary with security considerations, construction, or time restraints. Guides are aware of these factors and tailor the tours to suit whatever constraints may exist. However, they have the latitude to take visitors through such a multitude of sections that there’s always something interesting to see. Naturally, there are common highlights. One of these is the America’s Heroes Memorial, which commemorates the 9/11 attack of 2001. The damage done by the airliner that was flown into the Pentagon required demolition and reconstruction of the three outer rings of five floors on the west side of the building. The memorial is located in the vicinity of 1E438, the pinpoint location where American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the structure.

It opened in September 2002, and includes a book of photographs and biographies of the victims. It also includes five large black acrylic panels that honor the 184 victims of the crash. One panel displays the Purple Heart medal awarded to military members killed in the attacks; another shows the medal given to civilians. Two back-wall panels are etched with the victims’ names and a center panel bears tribute statements. Pencils and commemorative tracing paper are available, so that visitors can make rubbings of the names. A small chapel adjacent has stained glass windows with patriotic designs.

Visitors will likely see the Hall of Heroes. Located on the main concourse, it was opened on May 14, 1968. Along the walls of the room the names of each of the 3,400-plus recipients of the Medal of Honor from all service branches are arranged for recognition. Some have an asterisk denoting service members who received two Medals of Honor for two separate acts of bravery. Ceremonies for new recipients of the Medal of Honor are held there, as are other award ceremonies.

The Navy Reflection Room may be on the tour as well. Before 9/11, it was the site of the Navy Operations Center, destroyed during the attack. Opened on Sept. 11, 2003, the memorial features a large stone monolith, donated by the Pentagon Renovation Program, bearing the header “Lest We Forget” and the names of the Navy family members being commemorated. Inscribed in an adjacent wall is an excerpt from World War I poet Laurence Binyon’s “For the Fallen.” Nearby is a limestone reflection bench, also donated by the Pentagon Renovation Program.

Navy Seaman Shakeem Serville gives a guided tour to USS Arizona survivors, seated, at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, July 17, 2017. The Arizona was attacked at Pearl Harbor at the beginning of World War II.

DOD Photo by U.S. Army Sgt. James K. McCann

The corridors of the building are chock-full of smaller exhibits that you’ll pass as you stride along behind your agile guide. The corridor exhibits typically showcase various aspects of military life and history. Some highlight U.S. military cooperation with the militaries of other countries. One example is the Australia, New Zealand, and United States (ANZUS) corridor, which focuses on U.S. military cooperation and security friendship.

Corridor exhibits change routinely, but you’ll generally come across exhibits associated with a particular service branch (Air Force, Coast Guard, etc.) or more broadly with the Office of the Secretary of Defense or Joint Chiefs of Staff. A sprinkling of these might include subject matter ranging from the Buffalo Soldiers to important career civil servants, defense humanitarian relief, the Korean War 60th anniversary, or the last-known veterans of World War I, Army flags and streamers, Air Force art, or presidents in naval service.

You’ll hear bits about each of these as well as other pieces of information about life and work in the Pentagon from your guides. They know the subjects well, having had to pass stringent tests, including memorizing 33 pages of information verbatim. All volunteers, the guides come from military units across the National Capital Region like the Army’s “Old Guard” 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment. They give tours to the general public, corporate and veterans groups, or high-strung school children. They also take celebrities and dignitaries through the Pentagon, from the stars of TV’s Duck Dynasty to the prime minister of Australia.

They literally keep it moving, walking the group through the exhibit spaces (with an occasional pause) throughout the tour. The motion makes for an efficient tour and aligns with the tour mechanics visitors should know beforehand.

Professional mixed-martial artist Paige VanZant pauses for a moment in the Pentagon 9/11 America’s Heroes Exhibit during a visit to the Pentagon before departing on the annual Vice Chairman’s USO Tour, April 20, 2018.

DOD Photo by EJ Hersom

THE PRACTICALITIES OF A PENTAGON TOUR

Every tour starts well in advance of actually showing up at the Pentagon. To take a tour, you must book reservations between 90 and 14 days in advance of the tour date. U.S. citizens can reserve a tour online (https://pentagontours.osd.mil/Tours/ tour-selection.jsp) or by contacting their congressional or Senate representative. Foreign residents must contact their embassy to reserve a tour.

If you’re booking a group, keep in mind that group size cannot exceed 60 people. Tours are free and conducted Monday through Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Friday from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Tours are not given on weekends or federal holidays.

When you submit your reservation request, you’ll have to provide information and identification. The name of the group, the number of persons in it, the date and time the tour is requested, and the name and phone number of the person requesting the tour will be required.

For visitors 18 and over, one form of current I.D. with photograph is necessary. Acceptable types of identification include:

• U.S. Passport

• U.S. Passport Card

• Driver’s license or identification card issued by a state or outlying possession of the United States, provided it contains a photograph and meets the REAL ID standards

• Identification card issued by federal, state, or local government agencies, provided it contains a photograph

Then-Secretary of Defense Ash Carter speaks with Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx as he gives him a tour of the Pentagon during a visit July 1, 2016.

DOD Photo by Senior Master Sgt. Adrian Cadiz

• U.S. government Personal Identity Verification (PIV)/Common Access Card (CAC)

• DOD-affiliated identification cards (retirees, dependents, and inactive reservists)

• Native American tribal document

• U.S. Border Crossing Card

• Permanent Resident Card or Alien Registration Receipt Card (INS Form I-551)

• Foreign passport with a temporary (I-551) stamp or temporary (I-551) printed notation on a machine-readable immigrant visa

• Foreign passport

If a visitor is 17 years of age or under, no identification is necessary when accompanied by an adult with a DOD building pass or one of the above forms of identification.

Getting to the Pentagon is possible either by car or mass transit. The latter is most convenient, because there is no public parking at the Pentagon. Taking the Washington, D.C. Metrorail to the Pentagon Metro Station – via either the blue or yellow lines – is relatively straightforward. The security check-in for Pentagon Tours is adjacent to the Metro station exit at the Pentagon Visitor Center. Bus lines service the Pentagon as well, dropping passengers in the vicinity of the Metro station/Visitor Center.

By car, you’ll need to drive to Arlington, Virginia, across the Potomac River from downtown Washington, D.C., and just to the south of Arlington National Cemetery. Visitors can park at the Pentagon City Mall and walk approximately 10-15 minutes to the entrance through a pedestrian tunnel. The area can be confusing, so it’s wise to allot plenty of time to find your way to the Visitor Center.

Pentagon Tours would like you to arrive at the Pentagon Metro entrance 60 minutes prior to your scheduled tour to allow time for your group (or the group you find yourself with) to process through building security. Mid-day is generally a good time to schedule a tour, with less demand and attendant traffic congestion.

You’ll need to present a copy of your tour confirmation email and identification for each group member to the Pentagon Police personnel. Once you have cleared security, proceed into the building and turn left to find the Pentagon Tours window, located inside the Pentagon Visitor Center in the visitor waiting area.

All tours check in at the Pentagon Tours window, and if your group neglects to do so prior to your scheduled time, your tour may be canceled. At the conclusion of the tour, all guests will exit the building. Comfortable clothing and shoes are highly recommended. There is ramp access for visitors with disabilities, and visitors in wheelchairs must be accompanied by someone who will assist them.

Sign language facilitators can be added to tours to assist hearing-impaired visitors, provided that two weeks’ notice is given. Special tours can be arranged for visually impaired visitors with the same notice. The Pentagon Tour is presented in English. However, translation is permitted for tour groups that bring approved translators with them.

Plan to etch the tour in your mind, since no photographs are permitted and recording devices, video, or audio, are prohibited. There’s a security briefing prior to the beginning of every tour, and all visitors must pass through a security scanning device similar to those found at airport security checkpoints. Mobile phones are allowed, but can’t be used for photos or recording.

There are extensive commercial food/eatery facilities in the Pentagon, but visitors are not allowed to partake unless formally sponsored by a Pentagon civilian or military employee. Better to have a bite before or after you leave. Once you do exit the building, there’s more to see on the Pentagon Reservation, including the outdoor National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial, which is open 24/7 free of charge. Visitors commonly attest to how moving it is.

There’s also the Air Force Memorial honoring the millions of men and women who have served in the U.S. Air Force and its predecessor heritage organizations, from the U.S. Signal Corps to the U.S. Army Air Forces.

FORWARD

You also join a much larger group of notable, and notably curious, people who took it upon themselves to get a first-hand look at the icon that is the Pentagon. If its past is prelude, many millions more will come forward to visit in the future.