Desk of the Battalion Commander
Dear Family Members:

Your Soldier is assigned to the 1st Battalion, 13th Infantry Regiment, Fort Jackson, South Carolina, for Combat Training. Fort Jackson provides an excellent environment for training and has all the Soldier support facilities required to ensure a first rate experience for each Soldier while providing for their welfare. Our battalion will do our very best to take care of your soldier throughout this transition from civilian to warrior.

Basic Combat Training is a very intense experience. There are new physical and mental challenges every day as your Soldier progresses through this first phase of service to our nation. Supportive cards, letters and pictures from family members and friends help Soldiers overcome anxiety and offer encouragement. If you have not already, you will receive a letter or a phone call from your Soldier providing the mailing address.

Soldiers are not able to store food or other perishable items and are prohibited from using tobacco products so we ask that you refrain from mailing these items. We would ask that you stop sending mail 2 weeks prior to graduation, unless the mail is of an urgent nature. This will help prevent the delay of mail going to your Soldier as they move on to their Advanced Individual Training location. Training requirements keep your Soldier very busy and make routine phone calls difficult. Visits during the cycle are not allowed.

We hope you join us at Fort Jackson for graduation to recognize the significant accomplishment of Soldiers successfully completing this phase of their training. It is your Soldier’s responsibility to keep you informed of any changes in his/her graduation date because of their academic performance.

If the weather on Graduation Day is inclement (i.e. raining or snowing) the ceremony will be moved indoors to the Solomon Center. Due to limited seating capacity we will only graduate 2 companies at a time. The timeline will be published during Family Day.

It is our privilege to prepare young men and women for their role in defending our nation and we are dedicated to accomplishing our mission safely. Thank you for supporting your Soldier during training. You can contact your Soldier’s company leadership by using the phone number listed at the end of this letter. However, we ask that you send all emergencies through the American Red Cross at 1-877-272-7337. To expedite these calls you will need their full name, social security number, and unit (1st Battalion, 13th Infantry Regiment, Fort Jackson, SC).

Sincerely,
Matthew Zimmerman
Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army
Battalion Commander