Page Three
THE TRESTLEBOARD
Whereby the Craft may
pursue their labours
May 2008
The Military and
Freemasonry
We've traveled a
long road together
By Br. Jim Tresner
Editor, The Oklahoma Mason and the Book Review Editor for The
Scottish Rite Journal.
No one knows, of course, when
Freemasonry started. The operative Lodges, at least, seem to have
been formed during the Middle Ages, among the craftsmen who built
cathedrals, castles, and fortifications in Europe. The Master Masons
of the day worked with the fighting men to design stronger and
better fortifications and strongholds.
By the time Freemasonry came to the
American Colonies, it had evolved into a Fraternity, composed of men
from every walk of life, every profession, and every social class.
In Europe, its membership included not only scientists,
philosophers, merchants, farmers, musicians, and men in public life,
but especially the great military leaders. It was no different in
the Americas.
Brother George Washington was the first Commander in Chief of the
American forces. Thirty-three of the men Washington picked to serve
as General Officers under him were Freemasons, as were such Founding
Fathers as Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin, Paul Revere and
John Hancock. And the military connection is especially strong --
each of the Armed Services was either founded or profoundly shaped
by a Mason.
Commodore John Paul Jones -- the father of the United States Navy,
was a Freemason
Baron Friedrich von Steuben -- a
Prussian Freemason who joined Washington at Valley Forge, is
considered by many to be the founder of the U.S. Army as an
effective and fighting force.
Samuel Nichols -- who created the U.S.
Marine Corps, was a Freemason.
General Henry "Hap" Arnold -- who was
with the Air Force from its infancy and developed it into a separate
branch of the Armed Services, was a Freemason.
William F. Reynolds -- the first officer
of the U.S. Coast Guard to become an Admiral, was a Freemason.
Many Masons have outstanding military
records. To list only a few:
General Omar Bradley
Admiral Richard Byrd
General Mark Wayne Clark
General Jimmy Doolittle
General George C. Marshall
General Douglas MacArthur
Audie Murphy
the most decorated soldier in WWII
Eddie Rickenbacker
American Ace of the First World War
General John J. Pershing
John Glenn
Buzz Aldrin (and 11 other astronauts)
General Walter Boomer
It's worth noting that two hundred
twenty-four of the men who have been awarded the Congressional Medal
of Honor were members of the Fraternity.
Masons care about our veterans, too. In 1918, Masonic leaders from
across the nation met to form The Masonic Service Association. The
purpose was to create a central clearing-house for contributions of
time and money to help American's veterans. The Hospital Visitation
Program is in more than 157 Veterans Administration Medical Centers,
26 state-operated Veterans Homes, and a number of military
hospitals. Hundred of Masonic volunteers give more than a
quarter-million hours each year to help America's veterans,
regardless of whether or not they are a Mason.
Many of the world's great civilian military leaders have been
members of the Fraternity. Sir Winston Churchill, President Franklin
D. Roosevelt, and President Harry S. Truman were all Freemasons.
During the height of the Second World War, Truman made a special
appearance in the newsreels being shown in movie theaters all over
America. He said, in part,
"At this very moment, in foxholes and on shipboard, beneath the sea
and in the air, countless hands are being clasped in fraternal
recognition of each other in the darkness as well as in the
daylight. And countless fathers, bravely wishing God-speed to their
departing sons, are saying 'Boy, when your hour of darkness and
loneliness comes, find a Freemason, and you'll find a friend."
General Douglas MacArthur once said:
"Freemasonry embraces the highest moral laws and will bear the test
of any system of ethics or philosophy
ever promulgated for the
uplift of man."
During World War II so many young men wanted to join the Fraternity
before going overseas that Lodges in the larger cities often worked
24 hours a day, six days a week conferring the three Degrees of
Freemasonry.
Why was it so important to these men to join before they went into
battle? For one thing, they knew if they didn't come back, there
would be help for their widows and children. Masons take care of
their wives, widows and orphans. But they also knew it was just as
Harry Truman had said -- anywhere in the world they might be, even
in a hostile country, they would find friends and Brothers.
Often those Lodges, those friends and Brothers were on the
battlefield as well. Masonic tradition says there was a military
Lodge at Valley Forge.
Throughout the Civil War, we have records -- in the diaries and
letters of soldiers -- of Masonry binding brother to brother in
spite of blue or gray. National Zouave Lodge, U.D., a Union military
Lodge, included captured Southern soldiers as equals in their
meetings. After the siege at Vicksburg, the Union Officers who were
Masons invited the Masonic Confederate officers to a meal aboard a
Union gunship, treating them as honored guests. The Masonic monument
on the battlefield of Gettysburg commemorates another fraternal
moment in the midst of strife.
Not everything Freemasonry does is as obvious as holding a Lodge on
a battlefield so men can share in fellowship or mourn their dead. We
know, for example, that one concern a man must face when he leave
his family to go to a foreign country to fight is concern for his
children. What if he has to be gone at a critical time in the
child's life when a male role model is important? What if he doesn't
come back at all?
Freemasonry offers organizations for young men and women. The Order
of DeMolay is for boys. The Order of the Rainbow and Job's Daughters
are for young women. These organizations teach leadership, social
skills, self-confidence, and character. No organization can take the
place of a father, of course. But we can help make sure the young
person is not left without male role models.
The Fraternity supports the military in other ways. Many Lodges
raise funds to send special needed supplies to the troops in the
Middle East (we've bought and send a lot of wipes recently). Other
Lodges have raised finds for the Family Support Groups on military
bases. The youth groups have sent candy and other goodies to the
troops.
Just recently a new program called Operation Phone Home was begun.
America's Freemasons, partnering with the USO, are involved in a
program that provides 100 minute, prepaid, International Phone Cards
so that our military personnel serving in trouble spots overseas may
call home.
It's also true that something else is found in Freemasonry that's
found in the military -- men you can trust. Men who will back you,
no matter what. Men who understand what it means to live lives of
honor and integrity. Men who won't leave you to face the enemy, or
the world, by yourself.
It's been a long time since warriors went into battle on horseback,
armed with lance and battle-axe, and it's been a long time since
masons built castes. The tools of both have changed -- but the
spirit hasn't.
Memorial Day, a time to honor our Brothers who served
our country in war and peace, a time to keep close in our thoughts
and prayers those who are serving today, and on a personal note, a
time to remember a very special Marine, Gunnery Sergeant Stephen P.
Galop, Jr. (1931-2002).
Semper Fi, Dad. Semper Fi.
-Editor
Have Something to Share?
Do you have some news
to share with your brothers? Drop a note
to
editor@acalanes.org.
