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In the army

morelight323

Registered User
I'm entering the army an I was wondering how will I advance while away from my lodge idk how this works I would really like to know


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dfreybur

Premium Member
First ask your lodge if you can make it through your degrees before you go to boot camp. Then ask about between A school and deployment.

Next preparing for deployment ask about degrees by courtesy. That's when a different lodge confers one of your degrees while you are in their territory as a favor to your mother lodge.

if the process takes a long time, whatever. We're Masons for life. Patience is one of the first lessons taught us at lodge and one of the harder ones to learn.
 

Michaelstedman81

Premium Member
Patience is one of the first lessons taught us at lodge and one of the harder ones to learn.

He has it right there. For one thing, if you haven't petitioned a lodge yet, you may want to think about doing it after you have left and competed all your training. Especially if you are going Active Duty. And I say that because you don't really want to join the lodge in your hometown and then suddenly ship off to training and then get stationed across the country. However, if you for sure have the time to complete all of your degrees and the proficiencies before you ship to training, it might be worth it so that you have a membership in your hometown and are a Master Mason wherever you go.

It just would be a bit more of a hassle for you if you got initiated at home, then left for training, then got stationed somewhere, and tried to finish your FC and MM degrees in the new place. For one thing, the work varies from state to state. You would also have to get the degrees done by "courtesy" of a lodge that is in another Grand Lodge jurisdiction, which would require some requests and approvals.
 

morelight323

Registered User
By advance I mean to FC I'm a EA right now an thank you brothers for this light I'm going to try my hardest to get to MM before I go to basic


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cemab4y

Premium Member
Your lodge can sign over a "power of attorney" to the lodge near your duty station. The distant lodge can perform the degree(s) on behalf of your home lodge. Your membership will be with your home lodge. This procedure is often used for military, college students, any man who will be away from his home lodge for a period of time. If you are due to leave for military service, your home lodge may be able to accelerate your degree work, I suggest you ask your lodge. During WW2, when thousands of men were being sent overseas, some lodges worked "around the clock" pushing men through the degrees on an assembly line.

I wish that I had been a mason, when I was on active duty.
 

cemab4y

Premium Member
You will see that the US Army and Freemasonry, have a long and splendid history. George Washington, founder and first soldier of the US Army was a Freemason. Audie Murphy the most decorated soldier of WW2 was a Mason. General Douglas MacArthur was a Mason. General Patton was a Mason. If you ever go to the Pentagon, you will many officers and NCOs who are Masons. Military courtesy is suspended in lodge, and all men meet as brothers. I once met a gunnery Sergeant, who supervised the degree work, on a Major general.
 

dfreybur

Premium Member
I once met a gunnery Sergeant, who supervised the degree work, on a Major general.

I read a story of some degrees during WWI I don't know if it's historical or apocryphal. General Pershing called up a driver from the motor pool and instructed the Private driver to go into town. The driver was very nervous about his military duties at that moment. As luck would have it the General instructed the Private to drive him to the location the private wanted to go. General and private were Initiated as Brothers that same evening.
 

Brother JC

Moderating Staff
Staff Member
Sounds like an urban legend. Pershing was Raised in 1888 in Lincoln, NE, was promoted to General in 1905, and had (obviously) been a Mason long before WWI.
 

acjohnson53

Registered User
Like he said the military and Free Masonry go way back...I recommend that you try and get raised as soon as possible...
 

Matt L

Site Benefactor
We had a young man receive his 1st, was passed to his 2nd. He turned in his 2nd degree lecture before leaving for Parris Island. When he was home for his 10 day Leave he was raised before leaving for Camp Lejeune
 
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