Let's Celebrate!

The choice to wear the uniform and serve our nation is honorable and admirable…and worth celebrating! After spending weeks away from friends and family, getting little sleep, and being challenged mentally and physically, service members in training are ready to relax and have some fun. If you’ll be attending family day and graduation to celebrate with your service member, we have some helpful hints and tips that may help make your visit go a little smoother - especially if this will be your first visit to a military installation.

1. Check the weather and pack accordingly. Especially in the spring and fall, the weather can change quickly in Missouri. Most of the time, ceremonies are held outside in the elements. Packing layers, a jacket, a small umbrella, and comfortable shoes will help your visit be a little more relaxing and enjoyable.

2. Know before you go. Familiarize yourself with Fort Leonard Wood’s visitor access policies and prepare ahead of time. The process to access the installation is different for U.S. citizens than it is for non-citizens and there are step-by-step instructions to complete pre-registration on the post’s website.

3. Arrive early. On family day and graduation day, there can be multiple units celebrating meaning even more visitors to the installation. With more visitors, there will likely be lots of cars, long lines to get through the gates, and less parking which could mean you’ll need to walk a little farther. Arriving early can help reduce stress and could help prevent you from not getting a seat at a ceremony or missing the ceremony completely.

4. History and tradition. There are several Army ceremony traditions that most civilians don’t know about or haven’t experienced before. Taking some time to read about these, learn about them, and listen to some of the songs before the graduation events may help you feel a little more at ease.

5. Make friends. As you’ll learn over time, it is a small Army. It is very common to be stationed at multiple locations with the same people throughout a 20-year career. That’s one of the best things about the Army - getting to make friends at every duty station and then seeing those same friends later down the road. Army friends can also become like family. When you’re stationed hundreds or thousands of miles from parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles, friends become family.

Army graduations are patriotic and heart-filled ceremonies. There is a lot of emotion and for many, they never forget this experience. We hope some of these tips are helpful as you begin planning your trip to Fort Leonard Wood.