— Graduation guides · Army
What families should know before graduation at Fort Leonard Wood, Maneuver Support Center of Excellence, Missouri. Checked against official sources in September 2026.
— The basics
Official information: Graduation information, Graduation calendar, Visitor access. Schedules and rules change, so check there before you travel.
— Getting on base
— On the day
— Questions families ask
The towns right outside the gate are Waynesville and St. Robert. Rolla and Lebanon are each about 30 minutes away on I-44, Springfield a little over an hour, St. Louis about 2 hours. There are on-post Army hotels, but staying on post requires a pre-approved installation pass. Graduations happen every week and the post tells visitors to pre-register up to 30 days ahead, so book lodging as soon as you have the date. Source
Most U.S. citizen visitors do not need a pass on Family Day or graduation day. Show a REAL ID license or other accepted ID at the main gate (far-left lanes 1 or 2, exit 161 off I-44) and say you are there for graduation. You need a pass if you come on post before Family Day or after graduation, stay at an on-post hotel, or are not a U.S. citizen. Pre-register up to 30 days ahead at pass.aie.army.mil, choose Visitor Pass, not Special Event Pass, and allow up to 24 hours. Everyone 18 and older who needs a pass must register; visitors 17 and under need no ID. Source
Use the Main Gate off exit 161 on I-44 and get in the far-left lanes, 1 or 2, which are set aside for graduation visitors. Tell the guard you are there for graduation and show your ID. The ceremony venue changes by unit, so check the Graduation Calendar for yours: Gammon Field, Nutter Field House, Abrams Theater, Baker Theater, Lincoln Hall or the Mahaffey Museum Complex. Source
A non-REAL ID license is not accepted on its own, and digital driver's licenses are not accepted at all. Bring the license plus one listed document: U.S. passport or passport card, certified birth certificate, original Social Security card, school photo ID, DD-214, VA health card, Permanent Resident Card, or a foreign passport with valid visa documents. Non-citizens, including permanent residents, cannot use the online system and must email the Visitor Center with their details, the graduating unit and the Soldier's name for an escorted pass. Whether an expired U.S. passport works for a citizen is not addressed on the official pages, so bring a second document. Source
Family Day is the day before graduation, usually at 10 a.m. at the same venue as the ceremony. Graduations are listed as one-hour blocks, most at 10 a.m., some at 9 a.m., 2 p.m. or 7 p.m. Venues vary by unit: Gammon Field outdoors, Nutter Field House, Abrams Theater, Baker Theater, Lincoln Hall Auditorium or the Mahaffey Museum Complex. The official Graduation Calendar has the date and place. It does not post an arrival time, so check your Soldier's unit Facebook page and plan to be seated early. Source
The garrison does not publish a list. Soldiers get their conduct rules from their unit before they are released for Family Day, and the Press Center sends families to the unit's official Facebook page for current details. Post-wide, privately owned firearms and marijuana in any form are prohibited. Source
New arrivals spend about 3.5 days at the 43rd Adjutant General Reception Battalion before moving to a training company, and mail sent to Reception may lag. The battalion's listed phone is (573) 596-0648, and the Fort Leonard Wood operator is 573-596-0131. Have the Soldier's full name, date of birth and ship date ready. Not every trainee calls home from Reception, so silence is normal. For a true family emergency, call the American Red Cross Hero Care line at 877-272-7337 any time and they will locate the Soldier through the chain of command. Source
Yes. Graduation livestreams are posted on the official unit Facebook pages and are always free. Do not trust links in comments that ask for payment or personal information; Fort Leonard Wood never charges to watch. Source
Request your Official Military Personnel File free from the National Personnel Records Center, online at vetrecs.archives.gov or by mailing a signed SF-180. Your file lists the training unit. From there, scanned Fort Leonard Wood basic training yearbooks from the 1950s to 1980s are searchable at GG Archives, the Internet Archive and the Military Yearbook Project. Source
— The photos
Every photo from Fort Leonard Wood becomes a numbered keepsake card, front and back, with the unit, the base and the date. You get a video and one page the whole family can open, and every card has a code on the back that opens it. Graduated a while ago? It is not too late.
— Sources
Checked in September 2026 against these official pages. CardMyService is not affiliated with the Department of Defense or any branch.