— Graduation guides · Navy
What families should know before graduation at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Great Lakes, Illinois. Checked against official sources in September 2026.
— The basics
Official information: Graduation information. Schedules and rules change, so check there before you travel.
— Upcoming classes
Each class has its own page with a countdown to share with your group.
— Getting on base
— On the day
— Questions families ask
The Navy does not provide or endorse any hotel or shuttle, and there is no official lodging for graduation guests. Naval Station Great Lakes MWR works with the local community and keeps a graduation resource page at navylifegl.com/rtc with hotel, transportation and restaurant help. The base is about 35 miles north of Chicago in North Chicago, Illinois, and the Wisconsin line is about 16 miles further north. Hotel shuttles drop guests at the lot beside Gate 8 next to the Metra station, so ask your hotel if it runs one. Source
Your recruit picks who attends. Submit guest names in the RTC guest ticketing app no later than the Friday before graduation; names sent Monday or later are not processed and those guests cannot get on base. You must enter the recruit's exact division number or the request is rejected. Only your recruit can change the list, so send corrections by mail well ahead. Every guest then picks up a free ticket in person at the Recruit Family Welcome Center inside the Navy Exchange at 2650 Green Bay Road, North Chicago, open 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. the day before and 5:30 to 8 a.m. on graduation day. Do not go straight to the base without a ticket. Source
First get your tickets at the Recruit Family Welcome Center inside the Navy Exchange at 2650 Green Bay Road, which is off base. Then, if you are driving, show license, registration, insurance and the ticket at the gate and you are directed to the parking structure beside the RTC Visitor Center, the USS Yorktown building. Walk-ins and hotel shuttles use Gate 8 next to the Metra station, then walk about a quarter mile to the visitor center. Everyone clears security again at the visitor center before the drill hall. Source
Everyone 18 and older must show a REAL ID, a valid passport, a military ID or another combination the TSA accepts, both at ticket pickup and at the gate. RTC staff cannot advise on REAL ID rules, so check the TSA REAL ID FAQ before you travel. Minors show a student ID, driver's permit, Social Security card or birth certificate. Drivers also need license, registration and proof of insurance or a rental agreement. An expired passport is not on the accepted list. Source
The gate opens to guests at 6:30 a.m. and the ceremonial drill hall doors open at 7:00 a.m. All guests must be seated by 8:45 a.m., when the doors close and no further entry is allowed. Pass-in-Review starts at 9, the divisions arrive at 9:20, and it concludes at 10:30. That is the schedule printed on the guest ticket for the September 24, 2026 ceremony, so check the one on your own ticket at pickup. RTC says to arrive at least an hour and a half before the 9 a.m. start because security screening at the gate and at the visitor center takes time. It is indoors, so weather does not change the schedule. Source
Allowed: a small purse or personal bag, a small diaper bag, a small camera bag, and a personal wheelchair or walker. Strollers and car seats are allowed but discouraged. Not allowed: large bags, backpacks, luggage, posters, signs, banners, large tripods, gift bags of any size and flowers. Alcohol, drugs, knives and weapons are confiscated and the person is refused entry. Everyone passes through metal detectors and may be searched more than once. New graduates may not drive or ride a motorcycle. Source
Recruits get a short call on arrival to say they made it, may get one call halfway through, and otherwise write letters, answering only on Sunday mornings and federal holidays. That silence is normal. RTC's public information line is 833-330-6622 and general questions go to askmncc@navy.mil, but staff cannot release a recruit's status. For a true family emergency, contact the American Red Cross Hero Care line at 877-272-7337, which passes the message to your recruit through the command. Source
Yes. RTC livestreams Pass-in-Review on Thursdays at 9 a.m. Central on its official Facebook page and YouTube channel, free. Anyone asking for a card number to watch is not official. Source
Request your Official Military Personnel File free from the National Personnel Records Center at vetrecs.archives.gov or by mailing Standard Form 180 to 1 Archives Drive, St. Louis, MO 63138. It lists your training command and dates, which give you the company or division number. With that, scanned Great Lakes yearbooks, called The Keel, are searchable on the Internet Archive and volunteer sites, and many companies have Facebook reunion groups named by year and company number. Source
— The photos
Every photo from Great Lakes 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.