Host a trainee from JBSA for Thanksgiving | Operation Home Cooking

SAN ANTONIO — Do you want to share your Thanksgiving with someone in the military who can’t get home? Operation Home Cooking is back this year!

The program began back in 1975 when base chaplains teamed up with San Antonio churches to sponsor basic training and tech school students for dinner on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The tradition gives San Antonians who have an immediate family member in basic training at Lackland – or those who have a current Department of Defense ID card (active or retired) – the opportunity to share their Thanksgiving Day with a trainee. Graduating Airmen that week can also get a “town pass” to celebrate with their friends and families.

Who can participate in Operation Home Cooking:

• 322nd Training Squadron (7 WOT) – Graduating Airmen will have Town Pass with their families.
• Immediate family living in the San Antonio Metropolitan area can submit a “By Name Request;” military members with an active or retired DOD ID that live in the metropolitan area can submit an open request for the following Squadrons, by noon on Nov. 16:
• 321st Training Squadron (6 WOT)
• 433rd Training Squadron (5 WOT)
• 331st Training Squadron (4 WOT)
• 737th Training Support Squadron (Holdover Airmen/Medical Hold).’

Immediate family members are defined as mother, father, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, grandparent, spouse, or legal guardian. The San Antonio Metropolitan area is defined as any city adjacent to Loop 1604 (for example: JBSA-Randolph, Schertz, Helotes, etc.).

All host families must be willing to accept two or more BMT flight members into their homes to support BMT’s Wingman Concept. 

Volunteers must provide transportation from Lackland to the sponsor’s house, and return them to their squadron at Lackland. Pick-up time is 7 to 10 a.m. The curfew time for return is 6 p.m. or 7 p.m., depending on which group is participating.

If you don’t currently have gate access, you must pick up a pass before Thanksgiving, at the Luke East Gate Visitor Center, which is open 24/7.

The Luke East Gate is located at 2602 Luke Blvd, JBSA-Lackland, TX 78236. Detailed instructions will be emailed to the host family.

Requests must be submitted by noon on Nov. 16. Send questions and submissions to both [email protected] and [email protected] and must include the following information:

Subject: Operation Home Cooking

• Last name, first name
• Address with zip code
• Phone number
• Branch of service
• DoD ID number
• (If submitting a by-name request, list name and flight number.)