Welcome to The Tyler Place podcast the official podcast of the Scottish right of Freemasonry Southern jurisdiction I am your host Matt Bowers 32nd degree you may recognize me from the Scottish right Journal podcast that’s where I spend most of my time but right now I’m going to be speaking with Brother Bill Turner
33rd degree who’s Brother Bill Turner well you could say he’s a man of many hats brother Bill is a veteran of the United States Air Force he is currently the grand Tyler for the Supreme Council of the Scottish right Southern jurisdiction but he is also a member of
The national sojourners which is an appendant body of Freemasonry centered around military service he is a past National president as well as in the Years 2003 and 2004 a commander of the heroes of 76 that’s a program that we’ll actually discuss during the podcast we’ll talk about the troubles and
Highlights of the national sojourners their mission statement of americanism and Patriot ISM their work with youth organizations and a whole lot more truth be told I didn’t know anything about the national Souljers until a brother at my blue Lodge asked me some questions about him he had just recently joined them and
Wanted to learn a little bit more and I wanted to learn a little bit more and what better way to learn a little bit more than to talk to someone who’s been active in that Organization for a long time and by active you’ll know exactly
What I mean when you listen to them so sit back relax and enjoy my conversation with brother Bill Turner I want to thank you for for doing this today I really appreciate you taking the time to to sit down with us um if you can take a minute
And give us a little bit of your personal background your Masonic and Military as well as a brief history of what the national sojourners are all about well okay I can do that I’m a native to the northern Virginia DC area in fact I was born in the district of
Colombia um but my folks lived out in Northern Virginia and just a situation where my mother decided to go shopping and I decided to be born so that’s why it happened that way sometimes yeah but uh I graduated from Fairfax High School went down to Virginia Tech and wasn’t doing
Particularly good and didn’t want to continue to spend my dad’s money so I went uh I had just gotten a greetings letter from the United States Army I knew what was inside it said DOD on the outside so yeah when I got the letter I
Didn’t even open it I went down to the Air Force recruiter and said here we go so that translated into my military career beginning but get back on my personal part of it first is that I then later on went back to school I graduated from the George Washington University did my part
Of my graduate work at GW live there for fundamental except for my military time lived there for 72 years we moved down here to South Carolina 9 years ago and we’re loving it it’s wonderful I get my four seasons and Patty gets away from 12 degrees masonically ah my mother Lodge
Is John Blair Lodge which meets in the Alexandria Scottish right I’m a late bloomer in that I was raised on my 36th natal birthday so unique situation there where my natal birthday and my Masonic birthday are the same right wow it just happened that way my instructor said
When do you want to stand your examination said that’s up to you you tell me and he said how about the 8th of November and I said sure that’s pretty special he said yeah it’s special all right I said well it’s more special because it’s my birthday
Yeah you got to chuckle out of that yeah I wonder how often that actually happens though that if if a brother gets the opportunity to be to be raised on the the day that he was born that’s yeah be curious to know yeah it would be
Interesting to know but I must admit I have not run into any other brother that’s of the same circumstance in the course of my time I’ve belonged to and am a part of a number of different Masonic organizations Scottish right York right Shrine Etc po seaters Eastern Star you
Get the picture yeah then in addition to that I found myself going to a Scottish right meeting and thoroughly enjoying the meeting and then they had a program and the program inter coincidentally was put on by the national sojourners it was the historical flag program which we’ll
Probably talk about later a little bit anyway but I was so intrigued by that I went down and asked one of the presenters I said hey what organization is this and and is it possible that I can become a part of it and he described that it was the national sojourners and
Um what they do and what they stand for and of course americanism and patriotism and I said yeah I’d like to be a part of that if I can and the rest is history I align myself very strongly very heavily with the Scottish right and with the national sojourners on the national
Sojourner side of things I’ve been the past I am a past National president of the organization in 11 and 12 and then in addition to that uh in 2003 and 2004 I was the national commander of the heroes of 76 which we’ll talk about in a
Little bit as well sure so and and I’m a past trustee I’m a trustee emeritus of sojourners Etc in the Scottish right of course uh you’ve probably already done your research I am a 33rd degree IG which I was very surprised as I’m sure other brothers can say the same thing
But then I had the added honor and privilege of being tapped to be the grand Tyler to the Supreme Council and uh that was distinctly an honor which I continue to hold as Sovereign grain Commander Cole has indicated he wants me to continue at this session that we just
Had so you know I I get myself involved in Scottish right yeah as well that’s pretty much it now the sojourners you want to talk about the history of the sojourners a little bit sure please our Legend has it that we began back in the Spanish American war
But again as I said that’s Legend after doing some research we come to find out that although some of the players that were in the Philippines at the time found themselves in Chicago Illinois in the time frame of 1912 1911 time frame and they decided that they wanted to
Have a sojourners Club fast forwarding then a little bit we found ourselves at uh getting a charter from the city of Chicago to stand up the national sojourners organization which we did that was in 1919 that we actually stood that up the organization and it’s evolved into what
It is today and in the shortest terms we have now about 160 chapters and about 7,000 members we had a Heyday in the 40s and 50s and the organization was up to 9,000 members but a number of reasons have caused that to decline a little bit
Which will also talk on it a little bit I’m sure you know you talked about the Heyday of of the sojourners which I think in fraternal organizations that period um after World War II was there were there was a lot of that in general you know yes there was so we enjoyed
That very same circumstance yeah having having and I mean it favorably not derogatorily we had a glut and the glut of Masons but in addition to that we had the attention of the presidents several of the presidents of the United States in evolving to that time frame yeah
Members such as johnj persing uh for example as as a single example we had the chief of Naval operations we had the chief of staff of the military um just and lots of other dignitaries of the military right right well and you said you’ve you’ve you know
Know back in its Heyday as you said you know with the the the numbers in membership and how it’s it’s declined you know what what do you think is the biggest hurdle today for the Souljers and and is is there a way you know either shortterm or longterm that is
There a best way that can positively affect that membership is clearly the biggest hurdle that we have and I think that’s true for not just Masonic organizations but even civil organizations the Rotary Club and and the like um and the the issue in the American Legion on the military lending
Side of it if you will I think that’s key I think that’s important and we’ve gotten away from back in the late 40s and 50s where typically a family had a wife that stayed home made babies took care of the babies saw to everything was fine and the husband was the breadwinner
Of the family well our economy and our social circumstances have evolved from that to now we even have as you know husbands and wives that are both working and in some cases they have more than one job and they need to have that to be able to keep their economic solvency of
The family unit having said that then what is the key to all of that the key is time that’s the most precious commodity we have in our lives is time and we’re challenged by that the American Legion the Rotary Club these other organizations they’re challenged
The same way we are how do you get a brother to even come into masonry when you tell him hey it’s going to require all of this study on your part on the front end till you become a Master Mason and then we want you to be a meaningful
Part of the lodge and he does he have time and then you run into that same situation of do they have the time to then be a part of the sojourners and if you want to if I may extend on that in in in masonry in general you have to do
The things that are appropriate in masonry to be that better man okay and you have to be able to convince the person that you’re talking to that that’s kind of thing that we are trying to do in masonry is to teach you all of the values that are important to
Being a meaningful and integral part of of society and perpetuate what our country really represents and stands for masonry can do that but you have to convince them of that if they don’t already have that seed planted in their upbringing and I I just that’s that’s
Where I am with it I I feel that you talk to a brother or a potential brother and you tell him what it is that masonry can do and that yeah maybe there are some peripheral benefits but that’s not the reason that you join Freemasonry you
Join fre masonry for love of God for love of country love of flag and all of The Virtuous words that you can plug in at the same time so what is his Focus what is his wish and desire rather you go to Lodge learn something on the degree work be a
Part of the lodge and its Community associations and affiliations and the things that you can do for helping the community but you’re more than likely not just sitting there and staring at a television set you’re more than likely engaging with your brethren and exchanging ideas and what is it that we
Can do for the community and a single example because it’s on the threshold and now something that we are beginning to discuss and that is let’s sell Christmas trees sure as a fundraiser for the law sell sell Christmas trees okay which guys are going to take which
Shifts and who’s going to go by the trees who’s going to help set their yard up ready to put the Christmas trees in the yard they can be seen by the general public because they’re going by those kinds of things likelihood of him falling asleep on his feet are slim to none
Right you see what I mean yeah yeah for sure you lay down and watch Netflix and I guarantee you the average bear has worked so hard he’s going to fall asleep while he’s watching a Netflix yeah and and and that’s just it obviates itself yeah but the side of it is when
He does finally get home after being at lodge he finally does get home when he falls asleep he’s going to be a stone he’s to sleep like a rock and not lay there and flip-flop all night long that’s that’s for sure that is that is definitely for sure well and
And I think what you’re touching upon there is a is a level you know when you talk about bringing new members in is a level of leadership um and and Leadership isn’t necessarily the you know the guy at the top good leaders are are everywhere yes and excuse me some
People don’t want to be necessar necessarily the leader at the top they can they can affect things you know in the middle so and and with that that kind of leads me to what I wanted to ask next are you know what do you find are the good qualities of either a good
Military leader from your military background and and a good Masonic leader I would narrow it down in both of those venues I would narrow it down to two things one is that you are a knowledgeable and intelligent person on whatever the subject matter is whether it’s masonry the military and what
You’re doing in the military or that focus in the Masonic Arena and the other thing is team building the skills and abilities to be a team Builder if you have the knowledge and you have the ability to communicate with your brothers and develop a nice wonderful
Team then you’re going to not only be respected by your peers but you’re going to be followed by those that want to be followers there’s a lot of them that don’t want they they’re participants they don’t want to be the leader but they’re looking for somebody that has
The knowledge about the subject matter whatever it is and then also the ability to bring everybody in and be a team that that that’s that’s it in a nutshell in the Masonic world as well as in the military world Amen yeah I would I would wholeheartedly agree with that
And and and thinking of looking towards the next leaders of the world in in any fraternal organization or just any organization in general what kind of of interaction do the sojourners have with uh you know RC or Junior RC programs is it something you all seek out and and
Think and thinking of something like an a junior ROTC program have have you all ever been invited to speak at groups like The International order of deay for example unequivocally the answer to all of that is yes the national sojourners their mission statement is to do everything possible to cultivate
Americanism and patriotism across the country and in order to do that one of the key things that we feel in sojourners but it’s not necessarily A part of the mission statement in the strictest sense of the word but education of our youth that is our Focus educating our youth we work very closely
We the national sojourners work very closely with the active duty military services to ensure we know what it is that they are doing in the active duty military side of the house and do what we can to develop and make that happen at the early age of the youth in the
Junior Ro C which is the high school side there also the ROC which is the college side and we we have programs that we put on which I can come back to we have programs that we put on that engender an interest in americanism and patriotism far beyond just getting a
Notice in the email for example that Feinstein has just passed away and it’s now time to put the flag at half staff for her a 30-day period of time or whatever it might be depending on the individual and and why do we do that we do that out of respect for that
Individual and their achievements and we explain that to the kids make sure that they know and understand that these people are deserving because of what they have done for our country to help make it what it is so yes we get very in involved in that we have medals that we
Present we present them to the students whether it’s Junior Roc or RC we also have certificates of achievement we uh and in fact what we do that is not again a part of our mission statement in the strictest sense of the word is we have youth leadership conferences and those
Youth leadership conferences sometimes we partner with well and in specific because it’s well recognized uh in that arena is the military order of the world wars we partnered with them across the country in putting on youth leadership conferences and and we in in those youth leadership conferences we’re focusing
Typically on high school kids because the kids in the leadership Arena of Roc they get it at college and when they’re going to their RC classes which are mandatory the other in jrc not necessarily mandatory but in the ROC it is mandatory and they get more than
Their fair share of it there right the youth leadership conferences we are known for ours and and partnering with the military order of the world wars as I said across the country but we also have one that is the Cornerstone of youth leadership conferences it’s called the spirit of America youth leadership
Conference that sojourners hosts and sponsors every year and we’ve been doing this for quite a number of years and we do that at freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge in Valley Forge Pennsylvania okay Patty and I we are we were we started out up there as just being attendees and
Chaperons and the next thing you know it evolved into we ended up where Patty and I had an hour out of their lesson plan we had an hour to present things on George Washington and the American flag give them a lesson and then we would have quiz after that and we would have
Gifts for them that remembered the things because we expected them to listen and pay attention and one of them is always a tearjerker at the end of the program the last item I ask a very difficult question in the course of the lesson as a single example I will ask I
Will tell them by the way there is a flag law and the flag law says that the flag will be in proportion of 1 by 1.9 I breeze on past that and talk about other things at the the end of the quiz program I will ask if somebody can re
Tell me or remember what the proportion of that flag is by law and then if they get it right then I invite them to come up I have a flag there and I have them join me in the proper way of folding the flag and I typically am the one that
Ends up with the Hoist end of the flag so that I can take that last fold and tuck it make that Tri corn and then I will make a dissert a of some kind about the tricorn shape of the flag or the three and that it’s representative of
The three exe three bodies of our government the executive legislative and judicial and then I will turn to that student and say now that I have this and now that you’ve learned a little bit more about how to fold a flag and some of the other things we just talked about
What is your three favorite colors and the student will invariably say red white and blue this is red white and blue I hand them the flag and say that’s yours and that flag was flown over the United States capital on George Washington’s birthday oh wow and and that’s exactly the reaction of the
Entire classroom wow and I did that for 20 years it took us 21 years because the one year that we moved down here we couldn’t be up there because we had something to do but but I’ve given away in those 20 years as an example given away probably 15 flags wow which have
Been flown over the capital but in some cases it was either on Memorial Day George Washington’s birthday or the surrender at Yorktown the end of the Revolutionary War or some other important care some important day yeah how we reach these Junior RC kids that’s what I’m talking about right right
That’s that’s the kind of thing that we do when we’re reaching out to them and we clearly we reach out to each of the rooc instructors at the high schools that are in every area around where there’s a sojourners chapter we get the nominations to send them to freedoms
Foundation we National sojourners pay for that the the thing the limiting factor in some cases mind you some cases not all is transportation we may be able to supplement the transportation that gets into the Internal Revenue code and the tax exempt status that we have and
Whether we legally can do it or not yeah red tape yeah way to do that but we have to be careful of that for sure we do that we’ve had kids come in where a chapter will host and sponsor them from Hawaii and Alaska wow we get them across the entire
50 United States you when you mentioned about learning how to fold the flag I remember learning how to do that my my father who passed away a few years ago he was career military and um lived in Northern Germany for four and a half years this was back in the 80s and the
Uh the elementary school that my sister and I went to you know obviously DOD school when you had the opportunity to put the flag up in the morning and take it down in the afternoon that was one of the that was the first thing you learned
How to do properly and that was I think about all those little experiences of being a military brat and things like that that were that were a lot of fun and really cool to learn and those are the kinds of things that we teach the kids Tre or any other location for that
Matter at youth leadership conferences so the short answer yes we fully engaged a year and a half ago I will mention to you a year and a half ago I got a call from New York and there was a what is it Master counselor up there in
New York and wanted me to make a present a of some history of New York and the Revolutionary War I put on a program for about 45 minutes talking to them about that and then at the end they said wow this is just so great and I had told
Them that this is just scratching the surface there’s much more they said could you do another one I said sure I’ll absolutely do that and we arranged it again it it wasn’t Zoom but it was the equivalent I could call could hear me right I didn’t have a way to show
Them anything like we do in Zoom with the video now but sure yeah but anyway you talked about a moment ago there were two other two things that you mentioned that if you could if you could expand upon a little bit for us again the national sojourners takes its great
Pride in if you will is that we have flag programs that we like to present we will present it interestingly enough typically kids have to be somewhere around eight or nine years old and all the way up to senior citizens homes that we will go to okay we put these flag
Program the reason I say eight or nine years old kids any younger than that can’t appreciate the value and the importance of them they see it they see it for entertainment we have one program it’s called the historical flag excuse me historical flag program that flag
Program we will put on at Boy Scouts meetings and Cub Scouts meetings and the reason for it is in the you’ll remember in the American history there are lots and lots of flags that had some picture on it that was a subject of the time and and and it was important uh the
Washington’s Cruisers flag for example was a pine tree on a white flag green pine tree and on the bottom it said don’t tread on me and the same is true for the gadsdon flag the coiled rattlesnake yep and there you know I could go on and on but that’s presenting the program to
You but that’s an example of the younger kids they like to see it they like to see the G whiz of an anchor on a thing or on the flag or they like to see the pine tree or they like to see the rattlesnake the first da Jack is the one
Where the uh rattlesnake is stretched out and it’s the alternate red and white stripes those kinds of things the kids get like that but we have other programs um probably from a program I say program in the loosest sense of the word right what we’re probably more known for than
Anything is the toast to the flag I don’t know whether you’ve heard the toast to the flag I’m not familiar with that you know give us give us some insight on it I I I can tell you the short version of the story is that there
Was a time back in World War I where interestingly enough since we’re talking Washington DC metropolitan area a bit that the washingt the Evening Star newspaper which is right there on Pennsylvania Avenue Evening Star newspaper the building is uh they they’ve since become defunct that newspaper a war correspondent a a cub
Reporter was sent by the evening star to go over to France and see what was going on over there and make a long story short he went over he saw it he experienced it all the Carnage and the like saw all the battlefield saw all the
Flags of the Allied Forces laying in the fields including the American flag brought him to tears he came back told his boss said by the way on my way back I wrote this little poem and he said I’d just like for you to know about that and
He liked it and so as years evolved he the author by the way his name was John J Daly d y and John J Daly knew of the Masons knew of the Masonic fraternity he was not a Mason but he also knew of national sojourners and our
Headquarter by the way is at the time was in Alexandria and he knew of it so he gave us the copyright for the toast of the flag about 1976 and so that is very much a key to what we we’ll put that on anywhere at any time with the Beck and will and
Pleasure of whoever it is right anywhere in fact we do color guards and many time oh well I’m my mind is racing now but we’ll present it in blue lodges we’ll present it at installations um will go to any group that meets that would like to have it
Presented I it takes a minute and five seconds roughly I could do it if you have the time but I’ll wait until you tell me you do or don’t but I could do that in about a minute a minute and five sure the real genuine program that we
Have is the building of the flag program and that is one that is informative to every age at any time there’s always a something that they learn out of that and they and we get that same comment every time we make that presentation even when we go to a location we’ve
Already presented it and repeat it to them they say you know I remember you doing this program but I didn’t remember this because it’s just replete with interesting facts and information it’s called the building of the flag then we also have the folding of the flag program there’s it’s a little bit
Different than what I was describing to you at the youth leadership conference because we just go through the motions of folding it I don’t give the first fold represents the second fold represents that kind of a thing I don’t do that uh at the youth leadership conferences but we the program itself
Does do that and we have another one called when duy’s done and it’s a very respectful retirement of a flag that’s no longer serviceable or if it’s a special flag and it’s being retired to a place of dis distinction or a place of display for public people the general
Public to see we that’s a part of this program it takes that into consideration but in some cases when duy’s done they’re unserviceable we give them a very respectful burning and that’s how we retire the flag we get ourselves involved in there’s programs that other people do and we get ourselves involved
In those programs we’ll do color guards and parades anywhere all they have to do is ask us and sometimes we will get proactive about it and engage and call the parade commission and say hey we’d like to present uh a color guard and you tell us
How many but we can do as many as five you know have two color guards literally on each side and have a bank that would include the American flag the Bennington flag and the state flag for example that kind of a thing and then we also have uh
Have participated many many times across the country in what they call the massing of colors and different organizations sponsor and host that depending on where you are it could be the American Legion it could be the Veterans of Foreign Wars or so on Patty and I participated in the one that they
Conduct up there at Annapolis they do the massing of colors uh where everybody is outside and marches when the weather’s permissible is that not to not to interrupt you is that at the Naval Academy yes at the Naval Academy he just stole my line
What we do is we march on the grounds of the Naval Academy we March we March up to and into the Naval Academy chapel and we put about we’ve I’ve seen as many as four or 500 people in there with flags wow yeah with just with flags wow that’s there’s other people just
Watching but anyway that’s an example of the things that we do in the engagements that we have in in flags and flag presentations right let’s see earlier in the conversation very early in the conversation I had mentioned the heroes of 76 and I said we would come back to
That now we’re coming back to it in Masonic organizations as you know only too well uh you get involved and when you get involved and you participate you get rewarded many times for the work that you do analogy to it without drawing Too Close of parallel but in the Scottish
Right you get your 33rd degree excuse me your 32nd degree cap and you work hard and you do the things that are necessary to participate in reunions and attending meetings and engaging in the activities of the valley and then you one day you get told that you have
Been s uh submitted for and approved for the casy night commander of the court of honor and you attend the investure and your black hat becomes a red hat and if you continue to do very good things then your red hat may but not necessarily but may become a white hat well that’s
Pretty much the same in the nation sojourners you come to work in National sojourners you do lots and lots of things that are americanism driven and patriotic driven you get engaged in uh flag programs parades uh color guards and just any and all those kinds of
Things and out of the clear blue someday you may go to the mailbox and here’s a letter from the commander of the camp of the heroes of 76 associated with the chapter that you belong Bel on to and that letter when you open it up are orders from the camp Commander saying
That on a particular day and time that you are to report to the camp commander and when you get there you have to then suffer the slings and arrows if you will the rest of the fellows that are in attendance all of whom oh by the way will be heroes of
76 and you will be put to the test and if you pass the test then you will come out as a hero of 76 and the hero of 76 degree if you will it’s pretty special degree you get to wear Colonial uniforms but more especially the rosette that is distinctly the heroes of
76 so then you are participant in the various flag programs parades and color guards in your Colonial attire and we have different kinds of colonial attire we have what we affectionally call field uniforms and then we also have dress Colonials which are the more commonly seen uniforms but that’s you it’s pretty
Distinctive and it’s very much an honor to be selected as a hero of 76 and to be able to participate in those kinds of activities and everywhere you go and you participate in those activities ities invariably there’s somebody that says wow that’s a neat looking uniform and
That was a nice program how can I do that and oh by the way let’s see I don’t know whether I remember saying this or not earlier or later my conversation but let me repeat it I found out about the national sojourners by going to a Scottish right meeting where they put on
One of their flag programs and they were all dressed in colonial attire and I went down to one of the participants and I asked him afterward I said hey this is kind of neat I’d like to be a part of that what do I need to do well the rest is
History and thinking of of other other types of service to provide to people um are the sojourners active in any of the rehabilitation programs for for wounded servicemen um and how specifically yes it’s uh it varies significantly depending on the chap and what they have in their immediate area
We do it’s not through our mission statement but we obviously are very sensitive to and interested in our veterans and taking care of them although our primary focus is over here on youth education right think we’ve talked to enough yeah but but yes we do and have uh
Gotten engaged in fact coincidentally a month ago there’s a house in Spartan ber which is about 20 minutes from where I live mberg South Carolina and there’s a house up there that has a number it’s a large house has a number of bedrooms in it and it’s four bans that are
Recovering from whatever it might be drugs alcohol whatever or they are just playing down and out and and there’s a thousand one reasons of the Down andout Syndrome but um this particular house it had just started off fabulously decorated giving a lot of wonderful citations to the various military services and recognizing the
People that are living there now and they they can only live there for 120 days and in that 120 days the house and the people there the counselors do all they can to engage the individual and trying to help him get his head squared away compliments of the
VA and in addition to that to then try and find them a job and make sure that they can perform in that job and be accepted and get reports back making sure that they are performing at a standard that the company wants or if they aren’t why try and find that out we
Do do those kinds of things that particular house the reason I mentioned is a friend of mine came and told me he said brother Bill I know you’re big on the flag he said this particular house has a flag that they fly off of the front porch and of course it gets
Weather beaten and torn and tattered but they don’t have one inside and I said well I said what are you looking for he said I want something that can be put on display and they can see it and not just stand there and gather dust so I took a
Flag that I had it was a 4×6 folded in triangular form and put it into display case and it too was flown this particular one was flown again on George Washington’s birthday over the US capital has a certificate of testimony wow got a plate that put that on the
Plate that put it on the display uh case and then I put a copy of that inside the flag case so that if it ever got separated with the cert from the certificate that when they open it up oh that’s what this is right see but
It would be a photocopy and I presented it to them we had a nice little presentation that was back in June MH and I just got a comment from going to the Scottish right in sparenberg I got a comment from the head of the americanism committee there that they had just sent
A nice little letter to the valley of sparenberg because they’re the ones that actually came to me and said bill can you help me which I did so there’s an example across the country there are stories abounding that are examples of national sojourners getting fully engaged in in veterans programs at the
Various locations there’s up in in Harrisburg Pennsylvania at the Masonic Village up there they they put out hundreds of flags every Memorial Day in Fourth of July the same thing in Omaha Nebraska that chapter they put out thousands of flags this the one that’s in that the in charge of that particular
One uh is currently our national President elect I don’t know whether it’s okay to mention names or not but be that as it may uh he he musters people average citizenry and they put thousands of flags out in the veterans cemeteries and they have multiple veteran cemeteries there in Omaha Nebraska yeah
It just just it’s amazing some of the things that we can do and giving attention and being mindful of our Veterans as right you make mention of that putting Flags out I and I don’t think it’s I don’t know who the organization is just down the street from where I live but
Every 911 this one stretch of road they put out small American flags into the ground for all the the people that died during 911 if you go down this stretch it’s maybe half a mile three4 of a mile just small Flags lining the whole street is that one per person that lost their
Life yep exactly exactly 24 100 people yeah I mean it’s I mean it’s when you from the major intersection that it starts all the way down to the next ma major intersection on on both sides it’s just completely lined with flags that’s absolutely awesome it’s unfortunate that
It happened but every year that I drive down that road and I drive down that road more times than I can count it’s always nice to see those those people remembered that way yes it is that’s very special and that’s the way it should be done absolutely so the one
Thing thing I also noticed is the honor honorary membership program yes what’s that all about and how does one become a member that’s a challenge I can tell you right now what I didn’t touch on earlier because I didn’t see where there was a good appropriate place to mention it but
Just want you to know that becoming a national Sojourner for 90% of the people in the entire organization you must be a veteran to be able to National sojourners so here’s the challenge then is that each chapter our constitution says of national sold says that only you can only have as a
Chapter you can only have 15% of your active membership as honorary members otherwise it you must be a Master Mason and you must be a veteran okay so 15% that’s pretty slim pickings uh when you in the grand scheme of things sure what what has to happen then
Is an individual has to show through his involvement in the community the blue Lodge Scottish right whatever it may be has to show his firm dedication to the American flag americanism patriotism and and so forth and if he really steps out there and does the things that you’re talking about in americanism and
Patriotism if he does that going to catch the eye of somebody in that local chapter and then he will then he that Sojourner will take that he’ll bring it to the chapter and he’ll say hey I have a guy that I think rises above everybody else in americanism and patriotism and
Deserves to be recognized as an honorary member in our chapter the chapter will consider it and if they vote in favor for him then it can be done there is one exception to that and that exception is Progressive elected Grand Lodge officers if you are a progressive elected Grand Lodge
Officer we believe in National sojourners that you that brother Mason that’s in that very important position deserving of that kind of recognition from National sojourners and you can do it in that way and they’ll extend the in invitation to you and if you accept the invitation it does not count against the
15% for the chapter’s uh active membership that that’s a benefit right there that okay but other than that that that’s that’s the way it is that’s where it is and makes sense you know so if you see somebody out there that’s the head of the shrine uh Legion and he’s been
Doing that for a number of years and everything else that he does uh he might be an ideal candidate you see sure but that’s that’s how you become an honorary member one of those two Avenues I really really really thank you for the time you took today to to sit
And chat with me thank you for your service to the country and to Freemasonry and um I’m I’m really looking forward to getting this podcast out for people to hear great well cut and slic and dice to your heart’s content I know once again a huge thank
You to brother Bill Turner I really enjoyed our conversation it could have gone on for a lot longer than it did and I’m grateful for the time that he took to sit and chat with me to learn a little bit more about another appendant body that you don’t really hear a whole
Heck of a lot about in Freemasonry and for someone like myself who comes from a military family to learn a little bit more about an organization that’s centered around both Freemasonry and Military was especially enlightening to to me I really enjoyed the time spent with Brother Bill learning about this so
Be sure to check the link at the bottom of the page for the website for the national sojourners if you’d like to learn a little bit more about what they do what they offer or if you’re interested as a Freemason with a military background in joining their
Ranks until next time the Tyler’s place podcast is brought to you by the Supreme Council of the Scottish right Southern jurisdiction please be sure to check out all of our social media Pages as well as our YouTube page you can also become a paid member subscriber to the page for
As low as $2 a month there’s tons of really cool content on there and I highly suggest you check it out so until next time I’m map Bowers 32nd degree and hope to see you next time here at The Tyler Place
source
