PENTAGONE

His visit is one of the main reasons for any visit to Arlington. However, be aware of the prior booking deadlines, which cannot be exceeded within 14 days.

Built in 16 months in 1943, the Department of Defense HQ is one of the largest buildings in the world. It employs about 23,000 soldiers, has a surface area of 604,000 m² on ten levels (five of which are underground) and has a maze of 28 km of corridors. Although in the shape of a pentagon, it was not built this way for a particular reason except that the land on which it was built had five sides. On September 11, 2001, an aircraft hijacked by terrorists crashed into the south wing of the building, killing 184 people. A memorial composed of 85 maples and 184 benches was erected in their name.

The 1h30 visit only allows you to discover a tiny part of the building, but it is an opportunity to learn more about American military history and the functioning of the Department of Defense. For the record, the visits set up for the bicentenary of the United States in May 1976 and supposed to last until July of the same year were so successful that they are still scheduled. More than 100,000 people are reported to visit the Pentagon each year.