Graduation weekend is the first time most families see their recruit as a soldier, Marine, sailor, airman, Guardian or Coastie. You want to bring something. Here is what actually works, by branch, and the two mistakes we see every graduation season.
Two rules before you buy anything
- Size up, or wait a week. Recruits lose fat and add shoulders. The size that fit in June does not fit in October. If you must buy ahead, buy one size up in a unisex cut; our tees are true to size with the measurements on every product page. Better: give a card at graduation and ship the shirt to their first duty station.
- Ship to home or the first duty station, not the training base. Recruits cannot receive most packages during training, and graduation day luggage is already a problem. Everything Mil Apparel makes is printed to order and ships from the USA, so plan 2 to 5 business days of production plus transit. Holiday dates here.
Army (Fort Jackson, Fort Moore, Fort Sill, Fort Leonard Wood)
Family Day is usually the day before graduation and the first time they can wear civilian clothes. The one-word Veteran Tee is a little early; give the Hooah Tee instead, and save the Army Ranger bottle for the one who earns the tab. See the Army collection.
Marines (Parris Island, MCRD San Diego)
Family Day on Thursday, graduation on Friday, and a new Marine who has been told for 13 weeks not to call themselves one. The Semper Fi Tee is the right first gift. Parents who want something for themselves: Improvise. Adapt. Overcome. reads as a mindset, not a claim. See the Marines collection.
Navy (Great Lakes)
Pass-in-Review is the ceremony; liberty afterward is short. The embroidered Navy Anchor Cap solves the sizing problem entirely, and Smooth Sailing Never Made Skilled Sailors is the tee a new sailor will understand better each year. See the Navy collection.
Air Force and Space Force (Lackland)
Basic Military Training graduates both airmen and Guardians at Lackland. Airmen get the A-10 Warthog BRRRRT Tee, which every maintainer will respect. Guardians get the Space Force Rocket Launch Tee, because the newest branch is the hardest to shop for. See Air Force and Space Force.
Coast Guard (Cape May)
The smallest service, the busiest ops tempo, and families who drove a long way to New Jersey. The Coast Guard Cutter Tee wears the racing stripe a new Coastie will see every day of their career. See the Coast Guard collection.
What not to bring
- Anything with an official seal, rank they have not earned, or a unit they have not joined. It is a bad look and, for some insignia, a licensing problem.
- Giant boxes. Graduation day luggage is a duffel and a carry-on.
- Food that will not survive a bus ride to the next school.
For the family
You served too, in your own way. The Those Who Serve Tee covers every branch and every era without claiming anything you did not do. Browse the full gifts collection. Free U.S. shipping over $50, and we ship to APO, FPO and DPO addresses once they are posted.