For 8 1/2 weeks these recruits have been prisoners of their MTI's & the rigorous demands of BMT. At
the conclusion of the Coin Ceremony, most were granted a base pass which gives them access to the
BX and other places here-to-fore unknown. These recruits & their families descend upon the BX like locusts & head for the candy aisle & the electronics section where they strip the shelves clean.

The really "big" day arrives on Friday and Saturday when these new Airmen are given "town pass" to go to San Antonio & real freedom ( but on a clock ).
Everywhere you go in the malls or along the Riverwalk you see these new Airman. Many are with family, but some are simply getting out to experience something other than the base. The folks in San Antonio are
very familiar with this weekly process ( a graduation occurs most every week of the year ) & the people here are gracious hosts.