COLUMBIA, S.C. — Family Day and graduation at Fort Jackson will be a little different moving forward, according to a tweet from the base Monday evening. The changes come as the base considers the safety of those on base and those visiting, according to Brig. Gen. Milford H. Beagle Jr.
Going forward, Family Day activities are cancelled. Instead, graduating soldiers will get supervised visits to make purchases in preparation for their travel to Advanced Individual Training (AIT) instead of having a pass to spend with visiting family members.
Graduation Day ceremonies will occur only on Hilton Field, weather permitting, with all graduates returning by government vehicles to their battalion area to prepare to move toward AIT.
No personal vehicle travel with family members will be allowed after this week's graduation.
"While these changes disrupt the plans many people have made, I believe that the family and friends of our graduation soldiers trust that we do not make these decision lightly and only to implement the precautions outlined as prudent decisions designed to protect our Army Team and further prevent opportunities to introduce or spread COVID-19," Gen. Beagle writes in a memo posted on social media.
He goes on to add that currently there are zero confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Fort Jackson now.
Fort Jackson is the U.S. Army's main production center for Basic Combat Training (BCT). The installation trains roughly 50 percent of all Soldiers and more than 60 percent of women entering the Army each year. More than 45,000 go through basic training at the base each year, with an 12,000 additional soldiers in advanced training every year.