Fort Jackson is one of the major draws of visitors to Columbia. Essentially, there are three types of visitors to Fort Jackson: 1. the miserable private going through Basic Combat Training, 2. friends and family of graduating basic trainees, 3. A.I.T. (Advanced Individual Training) students. For those visiting for B.C.T graduation, graduation will be held at Hilton Field or, in the case of inclement weather, the Solomon Center. A word of advice is that you should not surprise the soldier you’re visiting, because he/she will need to report whether he/she is going home with a family member or by government expense. Failure to alert your soldier will cause him/her to be required to leave on government transportation. Furthermore, leave contact info with your soldier, so his/her drill sergeants can alert you to any changes in plans.