Graduation is the first time you will see your son or daughter in weeks, and for many families it is the reason to cross the country. It is also the part of boot camp where small paperwork mistakes cost the most: a missed guest-list deadline or the wrong ID can keep you outside the gate.
Every branch runs graduation differently. This guide walks through each one, using the training commands' own published instructions, then covers the rules that apply everywhere.
For the day itself, including what to wear, what gets through security, parking and where to stay, see our companion article on what to wear, bring and expect on graduation day.
Where this comes from: each training command's graduation and visitor pages, an Army battalion's January 2026 letter to families, and the Air Force and Coast Guard FAQs. Schedules shift for holidays and weather. Your recruit and their unit's official page are always the final word.
At a Glance
| Branch | Where | Days to be there | How you get in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Army | Fort Benning, Fort Jackson, Fort Leonard Wood or Fort Sill | Family Day, then graduation the next day (Wednesday and Thursday at the Fort Jackson battalion we reviewed) | Visitor pass for adults, applied for online by U.S. citizens |
| Navy | Great Lakes, Illinois | Thursday, Pass-In-Review at 9 a.m. Central | Guest names submitted by the Friday before; tickets picked up off base |
| Marine Corps | Parris Island, South Carolina, or San Diego, California | Thursday Family Day, Friday graduation | Individually vetted at the gate with valid ID |
| Air Force and Space Force | Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas | Wednesday and Thursday | Passes mailed home by your trainee |
| Coast Guard | Cape May, New Jersey | Friday, normally 11 a.m. | Up to four guests invited by the recruit |
Army
Army basic combat training runs at four posts: Fort Benning, Georgia, Fort Jackson, South Carolina, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, and Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Each training battalion publishes its own Family Day and graduation details, and its welcome letter to families gives the dates for that class.
As an example, a Fort Jackson battalion's January 2026 letter scheduled the week like this:
- Wednesday, Family Day: a 30-minute ceremony at 9 a.m. on Hilton Field, after which soldiers get an on-post pass to spend the day with family.
- Thursday, graduation: a one-hour ceremony at 9 a.m., live streamed by the battalion, followed by an off-post pass for the rest of the day.
- Friday: soldiers ship to Advanced Individual Training. That letter also allowed families to drive their soldier to a training school east of the Mississippi, leaving right after graduation.
Fort Jackson's visitor guide adds the rules that trip families up. Every visitor 18 or older needs a visitor's pass, and U.S. citizens from the 50 states can apply online, choosing "Visitor Pass" rather than "Special Event Pass." IDs must be physical, not digital. A REAL ID is not required on Family Day and graduation day themselves, but is required to get on post on any other day. On Family Day your soldier must stay on post; on graduation day they usually may leave with you, in uniform and within 25 miles, though Fort Jackson notes this varies by battalion.
Navy
Navy boot camp graduation, called Pass-In-Review, is held every Thursday at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Illinois, starting at 9 a.m. Central. The process has more steps than any other branch, and missing one means missing the ceremony.
- Submit your name on the guest ticketing app by the Friday before graduation. The Navy says names submitted the Monday or later will not be processed, and those guests will not be able to get on base. Make sure the division number is right, or the request will not be processed.
- Only your recruit can change the list. RTC staff cannot edit it or tell you who is on it. If a name needs fixing, tell your recruit by mail well in advance.
- Pick up your ticket off base. Every guest collects a ticket in person at the Recruit Family Welcome Center at the Navy Exchange in North Chicago, open 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. the day before graduation and 5:30 to 8 a.m. on the day. Do not go to the base without it.
- Arrive early. The Navy suggests at least an hour and a half before the ceremony. Doors close at 9 a.m., and no one is admitted after that.
Adults need a REAL ID, a passport, or another acceptable combination of ID. Large bags, backpacks, signs, flowers and gift bags are not allowed in the ceremony. If you cannot be there, the Navy streams it live on its Facebook and YouTube pages. Afterward, sailors staying at Great Lakes for their follow-on "A" school usually transfer immediately, while those going to schools out of state may leave the next day, so ask your recruit about their liberty and travel during their calls home.
Marine Corps
Marine recruits train at Parris Island, South Carolina, or San Diego, California. Both depots run the same two days: Family Day on Thursday, when new Marines see family for the first time on base liberty, and graduation on Friday.
- Parris Island: Thursday's motivational run starts at 7 a.m. and the Family Day ceremony at 9:30 a.m. on the Peatross Parade Deck. On Friday the optional Morning Colors ceremony is at 7:45 a.m. and graduation at 9 a.m. The depot asks families to arrive at the gate at 5 a.m. on both days.
- San Diego: Gate 5 on Washington Street opens at 6:30 a.m. Thursday's motivational run starts at 8:30 a.m., followed by a welcome brief at 9:30 and liberty formation at 10:20. On Friday, Morning Colors is at 7:30 a.m., guests should be seated by 9:45, and graduation begins at 10 a.m. on Shepherd Field.
Parris Island describes itself as a closed federal installation where every visitor is individually vetted and searched. Adults need valid, unexpired, physical ID, and digital or photocopied IDs are refused. San Diego asks for a REAL ID compliant license or an approved alternative, such as a passport, for guests 18 and older.
Watch for scams. Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego warns families to consider any advertised live stream of its graduation fraudulent, and to rely only on its official website and social media pages.
Air Force and Space Force
Air Force and Space Force trainees both graduate at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, over two days. On Wednesday, the Airmen's Run and the Coin Ceremony and Retreat are held at the Pfingston Reception Center. On Thursday, graduation is held on the parade field. Graduates leave for technical training on Friday.
Your passes come from your trainee, who mails them home, usually in the third week of training, so expect them by about the fifth. The Air Force counts arrival week as week zero. Basic training lasts seven and a half weeks, and if nothing delays your trainee, graduation is normally the seventh Thursday after they arrive.
The Air Force gives one piece of advice every family should follow: book refundable travel. A trainee who is recycled for discipline or for not meeting standards graduates later, and they will be given the chance to tell you if that happens. If anyone in your party needs an American Sign Language interpreter, request one from 37th Training Wing Public Affairs at least two weeks before graduation.
Coast Guard
Coast Guard recruit graduations are normally held on Fridays at 11 a.m. at Training Center Cape May, New Jersey, outdoors on the parade field from about May to October and indoors in the gymnasium the rest of the year. The ceremony is streamed on the training center's official Facebook page.
- Guests are capped at four per recruit, invited by the recruit in the last weeks of training, and guest slots cannot be traded between recruits.
- The main gate opens at 8:15 a.m. Do not try to enter earlier. Every guest 18 or older needs a valid state or federal ID, and the Coast Guard asks you to leave bags of every kind in the car.
- Optional family meals: a breakfast on base at 8:30 a.m. for $10 a person, and a Thursday evening dinner at 6 p.m. for $15 for adults and $10 for children under 12, registered through a link your recruit sends. Recruits do not attend either one. Your first chance to see your recruit is the ceremony itself.
After graduation, new active duty members may take local leave within 100 miles of Cape May from noon Friday until 8 p.m. Saturday, then travel as a company on Sunday to Training Center Yorktown, Virginia, for the five-day START program before heading on leave or to their first unit.
Rules in Every Branch
- Bring physical ID for every adult. Check before you travel that it is unexpired and, ideally, REAL ID compliant.
- Leave weapons and marijuana at home. These are federal installations. Fort Jackson's guide notes that marijuana is illegal to possess on post even if your state has legalized it.
- Expect to be searched, and allow far more time at the gate than you think you need.
- Book refundable travel until graduation is certain.
- Use only official pages for schedules and live streams.
Thinking about what to bring your graduate? Our guide to gifts for someone in boot camp includes graduation gifts that are actually useful, and the Branch Comparison Tool shows how each branch's training compares if a younger sibling is already asking questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Bottom Line
Graduation runs on paperwork your recruit controls, so the most important step is to make sure they have your full legal name and that you know their deadlines. After that it comes down to ID, an early start, and refundable plans.
Then go. However long the drive or the flight, being there when your son or daughter marches past is the moment the whole family has been waiting for.