Pentagon Tours
The Pentagon tours program
was established on May 17, 1976 to support the nation’s Bicentennial
Celebration. Initially, the program was to last through the 4th of
July and then be disbanded; however, internal support and public demand
were so great that the program has been continued ever since.
The program, under the purview of the
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, hosts more than
100,000 visitors annually. In July 1996, the Pentagon celebrated its
two millionth visitor and broke
an all time annual record in December of that same year. A new calendar
year record was set again in 1997, with almost 150,000 visitors.
The tour route is approximately one
and one half miles in length and lasts for approximately 90 minutes.
Each tour consists of more than 20 pages of script that cover 20 items
of interest to include the mission of the Department of Defense and each of its branches of service,
and numerous displays that highlight and depict significant moments
in military history.
The tours program is a joint service
operation consisting of approximately 30 hand-picked, active duty
personnel from the National Capital Region’s military ceremonial
units. Upon arrival, each tour guide must successfully complete a
two-week training course and an additional two weeks of on-the-job
training. Tour guides are assigned to the program for a period of
one year, after which time they rotate back to their respective units.
All guided tours of the Pentagon are free and are available to schools, educational organizations and other select groups by reservation only. Tours are conducted Monday through Friday during normal working hours. Tours are not conducted on weekends or Federal holidays. Groups interested in touring the Pentagon should contact the Pentagon Tour Office at 703-697-1776. Additional information can be found on the internet at www.defenselink.mil/pubs/pentagon/#tour.