Pentagon - Katie Mas

Waking up at 6:30 in the morning on Friday was not exactly fun, but our visit to the Pentagon made it all worthwhile. The most stimulating part of the trip was being able to sit through a Pentagon press briefing. I always assumed that there would be more people at the briefing, but I was proved wrong. Besides our group, there were only about five reporters. After asking questions to reporters from NBC, CNN, and Voice of America, I learned about “good” and “bad” news, and how producers and reporters decide which is more newsworthy.
The tour after the press briefing was my favorite part of the trip. We got to see the where the plane hit on 9/11 and the memorial for those who died that day. I learned that the pentagon is becoming environmentally conscious. The high-tech green windows in the memorial room are bullet proof and plane proof, according to our tour guide, and most importantly, they help save energy by eliminating the need for air conditioning or a heater. I was surprised by the fact that the Pentagon contained several restaurants and shops, even a dentist’s office, so that the workers in the Pentagon would not have to leave the building if they needed something. In the end, contrary to my assumptions, the Pentagon proved to be a normal office building — except that it’s a lot bigger, cooler, and more convenient that any other office building I’ve been to.