Hooah! You – and your Soldier – have done it. You have finally made it to graduation week!
Week 22 Expectations
CONGRATULATIONS! The day you have been waiting so long for has finally arrived! Your Soldier has successfully navigated the rigors of Infantry One Station Unit Training (OSUT). Infantry OSUT is designed to lay a strong foundation for your Soldier. They will draw upon the lessons and instruction they have received here for the rest of their Army career. Now they are ready and prepared for any challenge that comes their way.
Preparation
In their last week in Fort Benning, Soldiers will have a great deal of independence in comparison to the weeks prior. Your Soldier will spend their final week cleaning their equipment and preparing for the graduation ceremony by conducting drill and ceremonies training and final uniform, barracks, and lay-out inspections.
Graduation
At the end of the week, all of the new Soldiers’ family and friends will make the journey to watch and attend graduation activities. The first formal activity is the Turning Blue Ceremony. This is a ceremonious occasion that marks your Soldier’s accomplishment of earning the prestigious title of Infantry Soldier. After the Turning Blue Ceremony, Family Day will commence. Family Day takes place the day before graduation, and will be the first time that you’ll see your Soldier since they left for Fort Benning.
Graduation will take place the following day, and is a culmination of all of your Soldier’s hard work over the past 22 weeks. Make sure to have your camera charged and ready to go, and take some time to stop and enjoy each and every moment on this particularly memorable day.
The feeling you get when you see your new Soldier for the first time will be more than you could ever imagine. They’ve accomplished a lot and you should be proud of their achievements. Don’t worry, the week will go by quickly, and you’ll see them in no time. For those headed to graduation, safe travels. I wish your Soldier the best of luck throughout their career in the Army.
The Making of Your Soldier
On behalf of all of us at Sandboxx, congratulations! We’re honored to have been a part of your journey, and are so excited to welcome you all into the military community.
You can always find me via chat in the Sandboxx app or happiness@sandboxx.us — just ask for Kris, and myself or another teammate will get back to you as soon as we can.
Hooah!
SGM Kris Broadus, U.S. Army (Ret)