Army Block Leave Mailroom Closures

Each year during the holiday season, the Army temporarily suspends training operations at Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training (AIT) locations. The Army is unique in this tradition—it is the only military branch that provides Holiday Block Leave (HBL) to all recruits currently in basic training.

This scheduled break allows recruits, drill sergeants, and instructors to step away during the Christmas and New Year period, rest, recharge, and return ready to continue the training cycle.

Below, you’ll find answers to common questions about Army Holiday Block Leave and the associated Sandboxx mailroom closures.

Sandboxx Holiday Print Schedule

December 12 – Final print time is 5:00 p.m. EST to ensure holiday delivery to all Army bases

December 30 – Printing resumes. Any letters submitted after 5:00 p.m. EST on December 12 will be printed and shipped for delivery when recruits return from Block Leave.

ARMY BASE MAILROOM CLOSURES

Beginning December 12 at 5:00 p.m. EST, Sandboxx will hold all outgoing Army mail at Headquarters until training resumes.

The Sandboxx mailroom will resume fulfilling Army letters on December 30, with delivery scheduled for January 5.

*All mail submitted after 5:00 pm EST on December 12th will be scheduled for delivery on Monday, January 5th, at Fort Benning, Fort Jackson, Fort Leonard Wood, and Fort Sill.

BASE | DATES CLOSED | MAILROOM REOPENS
Fort Benning | 12/18/25 – 1/2/26 | 1/5/25*
Fort Jackson | 12/20/25 – 1/3/26 | 1/5/25*
Fort Leonard Wood | 12/19/25 – 1/4/26 | 1/5/25*
Fort Sill | 12/20/25 – 1/3/26 | 1/5/25*

Want to learn more about Holiday Block Leave? Sandboxx answers some of the most common questions in this post. If you have additional questions around Holiday Block Leave, check your recruit’s training company Facebook page or army.mil for more information.