The Pentagon
Recently I heard a TV hype about something called "The E-Ring." I knew immediately it was a reference to the Pentagon, specifically the outer of five 'rings,' A, B, C, D, and E. Turns out it's going to be a drama series. I know information about the Pentagon is all over the internet but I've resisted all of it to stay subjective. All you need to know is here.
You have to work there a year or two to appreciate what a wonder it is, and what a horror it is as well. The five rings are corridors with single offices on both sides. And there are five floors of them. 25.000 people work there. You have to walk up to a mile to get to it from the main parking lot, after a murder drive in the worst possible traffic. There are 'small car' parking areas. Seeing eleven VW's in a row wasn't really hard to understand. The era of compact cars was just beginning.
The place was built fast in 1941 to consolidate military offices scattered all over Washington. But make no mistake--the military grew and is still all over Washington. A trifle disguised--officers wear uniforms one day a week. So multiply the number of uniforms you see by five to get an idea of how many military officers there really are.
The Pentagon is .2 miles long on a side, a mile around. The total area is .0687 square miles. But there are five aboveground floors, so multiply that by five, getting .3435 square miles, about 220 acres. An acre is exactly 90 and 3/4 yards of a football field. A lot of territory.
The Pentagon is relatively flat. For profile and protection purposes, but moreso for efficient movement of personnel from point to point. The longest possible distance--a corner of the top floor of the E-ring to either corner of the bottom floor of the E-ring, on the side opposite--can be walked in less than three minutes. You can't get lost. There are directions all over, like B2-141--the second floor of the B-ring, office 141.
If you work in a sensitive area you never see the light of day--windows are blacked out. It is a dark, gloomy, dreary place to work even if your windows are clear. No one who works there much likes working there--it is a nuisance. If you see a TV production showing cushy plush offices like the set of 'West Wing,' that's just TV and not at all what The Pentagon is about. There are a lot of small cafeterias, all standup. If you want to go out to lunch, you'd better hurry--10 minutes to your car, 10 minutes to your favorite restaurant, 20 minutes to eat and drink, and another 10 minutes back to your park and still another 10 minutes to your office. Few leave to have lunch elsewhere. Keeps the place sober, much unlike most other military work places.
There is one bright spot--'The Concourse'--a large area on the ground floor with various private concessions, a barbershop, bookstore, food places, and a lot of free space for the daily 'parade:' About a half of Pentagon employees are women, and half of them 'babes,' who come to see and show off for the uniforms. And that's why the men all come too. I don't recall going to The Concourse for a haircut or a book. There is also a courtyard you can walk out to in the center of the building. Benches, shrubs, flowers, etc. All very nice especially in contrast to the stark inside. It always looked like a 'bull's-eye' to me.
If you go to Washington, don't even bother making arrangements to visit this place. It's just a crashing bore! Yuh, you'll see all kinds of Admirals and Generals and Chiefs of Staff--all very thrilling if you're a 10-year-old.
I want to stay away from politics, sex, religion, and sports on my blog, but must mention the terrorist crash into The Pentagon. Very suspicious. Film shows the fireball--quite the wrong color for jet fuel (gasoline and kerosene) explosions. Also, the stall speed for a loaded Boeing 747 is over 200 mph. If that building was hit the way we were told, the plane would've easily plowed through three or more rings, not the first and a bit of the second. Did they show us that it crashed into ground and then slid into the building? No. Did it? I don't know. That's that!
A word about Top Secret messages: We got them all directly from Vietnam. In a one word description: Boring! I remember one of thousands. It was from a loony U.S. ambassador in SE Asia--and his really ridiculous plan for a solution to a problem. It circulated among us for its humor value.
Finally, The Pentagon is not in Washington, but across the river in Arlington VA.
You have to work there a year or two to appreciate what a wonder it is, and what a horror it is as well. The five rings are corridors with single offices on both sides. And there are five floors of them. 25.000 people work there. You have to walk up to a mile to get to it from the main parking lot, after a murder drive in the worst possible traffic. There are 'small car' parking areas. Seeing eleven VW's in a row wasn't really hard to understand. The era of compact cars was just beginning.
The place was built fast in 1941 to consolidate military offices scattered all over Washington. But make no mistake--the military grew and is still all over Washington. A trifle disguised--officers wear uniforms one day a week. So multiply the number of uniforms you see by five to get an idea of how many military officers there really are.
The Pentagon is .2 miles long on a side, a mile around. The total area is .0687 square miles. But there are five aboveground floors, so multiply that by five, getting .3435 square miles, about 220 acres. An acre is exactly 90 and 3/4 yards of a football field. A lot of territory.
The Pentagon is relatively flat. For profile and protection purposes, but moreso for efficient movement of personnel from point to point. The longest possible distance--a corner of the top floor of the E-ring to either corner of the bottom floor of the E-ring, on the side opposite--can be walked in less than three minutes. You can't get lost. There are directions all over, like B2-141--the second floor of the B-ring, office 141.
If you work in a sensitive area you never see the light of day--windows are blacked out. It is a dark, gloomy, dreary place to work even if your windows are clear. No one who works there much likes working there--it is a nuisance. If you see a TV production showing cushy plush offices like the set of 'West Wing,' that's just TV and not at all what The Pentagon is about. There are a lot of small cafeterias, all standup. If you want to go out to lunch, you'd better hurry--10 minutes to your car, 10 minutes to your favorite restaurant, 20 minutes to eat and drink, and another 10 minutes back to your park and still another 10 minutes to your office. Few leave to have lunch elsewhere. Keeps the place sober, much unlike most other military work places.
There is one bright spot--'The Concourse'--a large area on the ground floor with various private concessions, a barbershop, bookstore, food places, and a lot of free space for the daily 'parade:' About a half of Pentagon employees are women, and half of them 'babes,' who come to see and show off for the uniforms. And that's why the men all come too. I don't recall going to The Concourse for a haircut or a book. There is also a courtyard you can walk out to in the center of the building. Benches, shrubs, flowers, etc. All very nice especially in contrast to the stark inside. It always looked like a 'bull's-eye' to me.
If you go to Washington, don't even bother making arrangements to visit this place. It's just a crashing bore! Yuh, you'll see all kinds of Admirals and Generals and Chiefs of Staff--all very thrilling if you're a 10-year-old.
I want to stay away from politics, sex, religion, and sports on my blog, but must mention the terrorist crash into The Pentagon. Very suspicious. Film shows the fireball--quite the wrong color for jet fuel (gasoline and kerosene) explosions. Also, the stall speed for a loaded Boeing 747 is over 200 mph. If that building was hit the way we were told, the plane would've easily plowed through three or more rings, not the first and a bit of the second. Did they show us that it crashed into ground and then slid into the building? No. Did it? I don't know. That's that!
A word about Top Secret messages: We got them all directly from Vietnam. In a one word description: Boring! I remember one of thousands. It was from a loony U.S. ambassador in SE Asia--and his really ridiculous plan for a solution to a problem. It circulated among us for its humor value.
Finally, The Pentagon is not in Washington, but across the river in Arlington VA.
posted by Tom at 1:58 PM
1 Comments:
good piece!
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