Trainees line up to purchase tickets home for Victory Block Leave Nov. 3 in the Joe E. Mann Ballroom. (Photo by Robert Timmons)

Two tickets to paradise

By Robert Timmons, Fort Jackson Public Affairs

In a few months trainees in Basic Combat Training at Fort Jackson will be taking part in an annual occurrence most of them have waited for: Victory Block Leave.

Victory Block Leave is a time-honored event where Army training comes to a standstill as trainees, drill sergeants and cadre take two weeks off to spend time with their Families. For trainees that means they can doff the Army greens for a few weeks and let their hair grow out slightly before heading back to Jackson to continue training.

Trainees must first purchase tickets home before boarding the flight home. Fort Jackson’s Joe E. Mann Ballroom for the past few weeks has seen lines of trainees queuing up to get those tickets.