Coast Guard · Coast Guard Recruit Training
How to Address a Letter to Coast Guard Boot Camp at Cape May
Training Center Cape May is the Coast Guard's only recruit training center, so every enlisted Coast Guard member starts here. The address uses a company letter and a class number, and the street is the same for everyone at the installation.
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 TRACEN Cape May 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 TRACEN Cape May
Company is a letter, class is a number
Coast Guard recruit companies are designated by letter, and the class number identifies the training group. Both belong on the unit line and both come from your recruit.
One street for the training center
Cape May uses a single street address for recruit mail, which is filled in for you. Your recruit's name, company, and class are the parts that change.
A small service means a small mailroom
The Coast Guard is the smallest of the six branches and Cape May is its only recruit training center. That generally works in your favor for routing, as long as the company and class are correct.
Would rather not mail it yourself?
Write your message and we will put it on paper, address it to TRACEN Cape May 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 TRACEN Cape MayCommon questions
What is a company letter at Coast Guard boot camp?
Recruit companies at Cape May are identified by a single letter. Your recruit will tell you theirs, and it belongs on the unit line with the class number.
Is Cape May the only Coast Guard boot camp?
Yes. All enlisted Coast Guard recruit training happens at Training Center Cape May, New Jersey.
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.