The Pentagon 3,460 recipients of the Medal of Honor, the United States' highest military decoration. The Hall is also used for promotions, retirements, and other ceremonies. Notes Bibliography The Pentagon The Pentagon, in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase "The Pentagon" is often used as a metonym for the Department of Defense and its leadership. The building was designed by American architect George Bergstrom and built by contractor John McShain. Ground was broken on September 11, 1941, and the
Construction of the Virginia approaches to Arlington Memorial Bridge employ out-of-work, unskilled laborers on construction projects. To take advantage of the offer, Arlington County officials began work to fix the route for the approach to Arlington Memorial Bridge. A joint CFA/NCPC group studied the Lee Highway and other approaches to the bridge on November 15, and on December 4 the CFA said it would approve any approach that Virginia and Arlington County did. But the Wilson Boulevard extension ran into trouble with rights-of-way. On November 25, the county learned it had failed to obtain title to a small strip of land needed for the bridge approach. This meant that