Can I Visit my Soldier at Army Basic Training?

It’s hard enough saying goodbye to your loved one.  But when the question of if you’ll ever see them again begins to swirl in your mind…it can be tough not to worry.  You will definitely see them again.  Will you get to see them while they are training at bootcamp?  The most simple, most likely answer is: probably not.  🙁

In most cases, you will not get to visit your soldier until they complete Basic Training.  (10 weeks of bootcamp.)

That being said, families are always invited to the graduation weekend activities!  So you can absolutely count on seeing your soldier at that time (if you choose to go).  Almost every single graduation weekend will be a 2-day event, so expect to get to spend time with your soldier the day before his/her graduation day (also known as Family Day).

While it is a standard rule that, in most cases, you will not see your soldier until their graduation weekend, there are 2 exceptions:

1. OSUT at Ft. Benning, GA
2. Holiday block leave at Christmastime

If your soldier is training to serve in an infantry or armor unit, then he/she will be attending OSUT (One Station Unit Training).  This simply means that your soldier’s bootcamp and AIT (Advanced Individual Training) will take place in the same training camp.  If they have told you that their “bootcamp” is 14 or 16 weeks in Fort Benning, GA, instead of the usual 10, then it is safe to say they are going to OSUT.

 OSUT Trainees Exception

If your soldier is heading to Fort Benning, GA to attend OSUT (One Station Unit Training), then you will have an extra opportunity to see him/her before graduation.  While most soldiers have their Family Day the day before graduation, OSUT soldiers’ Family Day falls a little after the halfway point of OSUT.  I wrote a post all about Family Day here.  But just as a quick synopsis: it’s a weekend off for your soldier and you.  And I highly recommend going!

The reason that these soldiers get an “exception” in seeing their families halfway through Basic Training is because they would have to wait longer than most trainees to see their families again.  A soldier who trains at OSUT will spend all 14 (or 16) weeks of Basic Training at the same training camp.  This is the case for all future armor soldiers and infantryman.  All other MOS’s (meaning not armor and infantry) will conduct 10 weeks of Basic Training at one bootcamp, and then will move on to train in their AIT (Advanced Individual Training) at another training site.  Their families get to see them between Basic and AIT, at the 10 week mark for graduation.  For OSUT soldiers, they would have to wait 14-16 weeks before they saw family again.  Hence, Family Day at the halfway mark!

Don’t worry about the graduation being effected by this–you still get a 2-day celebration.  Your soldier will have a day before graduation which is a pass day (a day off), just like all the other bootcamp soldiers.  If he/she is attending Infantry OSUT, then the day before his graduation will be his Turning Blue day.  You can read all about that here.  If he is attending Armor OSUT, then the day before graduation could include a meet and greet, but will often simply be a pass day.

Holiday Block Leave

The US Army has scheduled time off during the holidays, known as “Holiday Block Leave”  (HBL).  It is a chance for the soldiers in training, as well as the cadre, to reconnect with their families during a special part of the year.  So, if your soldier leaves for Basic Training in the late fall, don’t be afraid that he/she will be training during Christmas, or “stuck” in bootcamp during that holiday.  Your soldier won’t get to take Thanksgiving off (don’t worry, the DFAC makes a Thanksgiving dinner!) but he/she will definitely “be home” for Christmas, and New Year’s.  Participation in HBL is not based on rank or MOS, so if your soldier is training during December, you can count on them having time off for Christmas.

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Besides those two exceptions though, there is no other break or time off that a soldier in training will have to visit with their families.  Even if you are a local family member, you won’t be able to visit your soldier while they are at Basic Training.  And while it may be disappointing you can’t see each other before graduation weekend, it only makes graduation that much more special!  Again, I truly recommend attending if you can.  It will be a memorable occasion neither of you will ever forget!

A special note: if you needed to see your soldier for an emergency reason, whether that’s the birth of his child or the death of a close family member, the Red Cross will have to relay the message for you.  You can find information about calling them here.  Please note that they will only be able to relay messages that pertain to emergency information: birth, death, serious illness, etc.

I hope that covers everything on the topic of Basic Training inter-visitation!  If you’ve already said goodbye to your soldier, at least you can go circle his/her graduation date on your calendar!  10 weeks will pass eventually, even if they don’t pass “before you know it.”  (<– sometimes I don’t know how I feel about that phrase.  I always know how long he’s been gone.)  Thanks for stopping by and I hope you’ll come back for more later!

*Read next: Army Basic Training: Phone Call Rules*