JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas —

One by one, novice trainees anxiously march into the Pfingston Reception Center, known as the PRC, with anticipation to begin Basic Military Training. After seven and a half weeks, they return, transformed into ambitious Airmen and Guardians.

The doors to the 737th Training Group’s PRC are the first trainees walk into and the last doors they walk out of following their BMT graduation. Established on July 30, 2014, the iconic building that’s in the shape of the Air Force Symbol, serves as a hub for support and guidance for all enlisted Airmen and Guardians throughout their training; and is also the launch pad to usher them into service once they graduate.

The 737th Training Support Squadron, whose motto is “Day One to Day Done,” manages every aspect of the PRC.

“When you take a step back and reflect upon the PRC, you realize, since its inception, there hasn’t been an [enlisted] Airman or Guardian who hasn’t stepped through those doors,” said Lt.

Col. Joseph Harris, 737 TRSS commander. “You get to have a hand in the mission set of generating the next generation of Airmen and Guardians, this is their first touch point … they come in, and they’re just wide eyed.”

Every Tuesday, 48-weeks of the year, 500 to 800 trainees are greeted by PRC staff at the San Antonio International Airport and then load them on to the bus for the 30-minute drive to JBSA-Lackland, where they begin their journey once they step off.

“We have 24-hour operations here, which most people don’t realize. They think, well a lot of times, we’re just a pretty building on the side of the road,” said Master Sgt. Jennifer Dowling, former PRC section chief.

The PRC was designed to centralize support functions for BMT under one roof. PRC in-processing functions include records processing, issuing military ID cards and dog tags, establishing military pay, conducting urinalysis, giving career guidance, processing security clearances and more.

David Cranek, the 737 TRSS flight chief, and Harris, hand-select the Military Training Instructors who work at the PRC to guide, mentor and lead trainees and ensure the building’s operations are running smoothly from sunup to sundown.

“We’ve got a really good staff,” Cranek said. “They do a great job for us to take care of Lt. Col. Harris and I, and the families. When people leave, they’ve got smiles on their faces, they’ve got their graduate on their arm, and off they go.”

The day crew maintains the PRC from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., answering BMT questions from the public and setting up for trainee in processing. The Tuesday and Wednesday night crew, assisted by graduated Airmen and Guardians from the 737 TRSS Raptor Flight, works till nearly 2 a.m. most weeks greeting those who step off the bus with in processing and initial supply issue.

“This building is what creates Airmen. We literally have the first impression for every Airman and Guardian that comes and joins the United States Air Force and Space Force,” said Dowling, who recently moved on to another assignment.

Beginning at 6 a.m. on Wednesdays, the PRC quickly fills up with family and friends of graduating Airmen. Nearly 4,000 guests will attend the Airman’s Run and the Coin & Retreat ceremony held at the PRC each week.

“That experience is like no other, where you see the emotion of the family members being reunited with their loved one who just completed a very significant milestone in their Air Force career,” Harris said. “We get to enjoy that every week. To me, that’s probably my favorite thing about the PRC.”

For most guests, the 737 TRSS is the first contact they have with uniformed personnel. People have entrusted the PRC staff with their loved ones, and Dowling said she wants people to know that their children are in good hands.

“I want them to have a positive experience when they come here. And I want them to feel proud about what their Airmen and their Guardians are doing for our country, and that they are a part of it,” Dowling said. “They’re a part of that support system that’s needed in order for us to be able to be successful.”

While the crowds cheer outside in the Airman’s Arena, it’s business as usual inside behind closed doors as PRC employees are establishing trainees in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) and issuing orders for those shipping out to technical training, among other tasks.

On Fridays, the Airmen and Guardians who just graduated will “fall in” on the same blacktop, as early as 2 a.m., where they had just celebrated with loved ones earlier in the week. Armed with their duffel bags, they wait to board a bus once again that will ship them out to their designated technical training schools.

Often mistaken for an event center, Dowling strives to convey the message that the PRC, and its staff, are here to support BMT trainees, MTIs and the BMT squadrons.

“I hope that people understand what our mission is. I’m always a big advocate for building relationships and communication,” Dowling said. “One thing I want BMT to always know is that we are here to serve, and we’re also here to help. We are the Gateway to the Air Force and Space Force, through these doors walk the future of greatness.”

The PRC is named after Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force #10, Gary R. Pfingston, who served from 1962 to1994. During the Vietnam War in 1973, he arrived at Lackland Air Force Base as a Military Training Instructor, earning the coveted “Blue Rope” in 1975, and the title Master Military Training Instructor. He served in BMT for more than eight years, including as the Chief of the Military Training Division; and in 1979, became the Commandant of the Military Training Instructor School.