Air Force · Basic Military Training
How to Address a Letter to Air Force Basic Training at Lackland
Joint Base San Antonio Lackland is the Air Force's only Basic Military Training location, so every enlisted Airman starts here. The address is built from a training squadron number and a flight number, and the street is the same for everyone, which makes this one of the simpler basic training addresses to get right.
The address format
Everything in brackets comes from your recruit. The city, state, and ZIP are the same for everyone training here, and so is the street address.
Build the JBSA Lackland address
Fill in what your recruit told you and copy the finished address. Free, and nothing you type here is sent anywhere.
Pre-filled with the usual starting rank for this branch. Change it if theirs is different.
Fill in the fields above to see the finished address.
What families get wrong at JBSA Lackland
Trainee, not recruit
The Air Force officially calls people in Basic Military Training trainees rather than recruits, and they become Airmen partway through the course. The rank field below is pre-filled with the usual starting rank and can be edited.
Squadron and flight are both required
The squadron identifies the training unit and the flight identifies the specific group within it. A letter with only one of the two is missing what the mailroom needs to route it.
One street for the whole installation
Basic Military Training mail at Lackland uses a single street address, so it is filled in for you. Only the squadron, flight, and name change from trainee to trainee.
Would rather not mail it yourself?
Write your message and we will put it on paper, address it to JBSA Lackland in the format above, and mail it for you. Pen on paper. Never a printed font. Letters from $5, cards from $9, no account needed.
Send Mail to JBSA LacklandCommon questions
What does TRS mean in an Air Force address?
Training Squadron. A line like 321 TRS/FLT 482 means the 321st Training Squadron, Flight 482. The builder assembles this format for you.
Is Air Force basic training the same place as Space Force?
Both train at JBSA Lackland, but Guardians are assigned to a different squadron. If you are writing to a Space Force trainee, use the Space Force guide instead so the unit line comes out right.
Should I put a return address on the envelope?
Always. Unit assignments can change during training, and without a return address a misdirected letter is simply gone instead of coming back to you. This is the single most recommended habit in basic training mail guidance, and it is why a return address is required rather than optional on anything we send.
Can I send a package or put something inside the envelope?
Most basic training installations restrict packages, especially early in the cycle, and many prohibit enclosures like food, electronics, or anything bulky. Letters and flat photos are the safest thing to send. Check your installation's current guidance before mailing anything else.
How long does mail take to arrive?
Transit time depends on where you are mailing from, plus a few days on the installation for the mailroom to sort and distribute to the training unit. Mail is not usually handed out daily, so a letter that seems slow is very often just waiting for the next mail call.
What happens if the unit information changes during training?
It happens regularly. If mail stops getting through, ask for a current address rather than assuming anything was lost. A return address means older letters find their way back to you rather than disappearing.
Other basic training addresses
See the mailing address format for every branch and installationAddress formats here are compiled from published basic training mail guidance and are a strong starting point, not an official directory. Unit assignments change during training. Always check against whatever your recruit has actually sent home. Boot Camp Letters is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the United States Department of Defense or any branch of the armed forces.