Turning Blue Ceremony
Once again, CONGRATULATIONS! You and your soldier made it the full 22 weeks of OSUT. This is a huge accomplishment for both of you! Now, you have already experienced Turning Green, and if you didn’t that is okay because this ceremony is way cooler, but you're probably wondering what Turning Blue is.
What Basic Training Turning Blue Is
Turning Blue occurs at the 22-week mark of OSUT. Turning Blue is for Infantry soldiers (MOS 11B) and signifies the becoming of an Infantryman. This is also the end of Basic Training. My husband finished OSUT in December, so after turning blue and graduation (there is a separate post about this) was over they went on Holiday Block Leave. This may be different for your soldier if they graduate at a different time in the year.
Who Can Attend Turning Blue Ceremony
ANYONE! This ceremony takes place on Fort Moore base, so you must have a valid ID to enter. If you are a spouse or a veteran, you can use your CAC card. If you can't make it, the ceremony (hopefully) will be livestreamed on your soldier's company Facebook page. **All ceremonies are FREE! DO NOT pay for any kind of livestream. That is a SCAM**
What The Ceremony Is Like
The ceremony was at Kanell Field on the Fort Moore base. The seating is metal bleachers with overhead covering. My husband's ceremony started at 10AM and they let us know (via company Facebook page) that they were letting people into the bleachers at 9:30AM. If you are anything like me, you want the best seat. I highly recommend getting to the ceremony location 30 minutes to an hour beforehand. They allowed us to line up at the entrance at 9AM. **Make sure you know what platoon your soldier is in. This will determine what side of the field you will sit on.**
The ceremony is about 30 minutes long. This ceremony is very similar to that of Turning Green. My husband carried the guide on (company’s flag) so he was in the center of the field (pretty cool if you ask me). About halfway through the ceremony you will be told to find your soldier and put their blue cord on. The blue cord signifies them as infantrymen. **I will post a separate post about how to attach the blue cord to your soldier's dress uniform** You get about 5 minutes to do this, so it is important to know how to attach it correctly. After that, they will tell you to return to your seats and the ceremony will continue. Once the ceremony is over, your soldier will be released to you for a day pass. This means they must be back at their company by a certain time that night. They only get a day pass because they must prepare for the Graduation ceremony that is the next day.
Congratulations, once again! Enjoy this day and get ready for graduation!!
SIDENOTE: If this is your first time going to Columbus, GA I recommend reading my “In Depth: Turning Green Ceremony” post. This post gives more information regarding flights, rental cars, hotels, and how to navigate the base. It is also very similar to what I did for Turning Blue. It gives a more inside look of how I planned my trip.
