Are military members being Freemasons a dying breed?

I do not think so; Most units I've been in in the last 5 years have had more than a handful at every echelon, but I think they're just more conservative nowadays. I know next to nothing about it, but I do know that President Truman's portrait looked awesome; it really displays the pride and honor he had in his organization, definitely  intrigued me:

<p>I would say yes.&nbsp; Mainly because of the quality of uptanding men available.&nbsp; It reflects in the recruits the military is allowing to join.&nbsp; Its bad enough the military is less than 1% of the population, but that 1% is not always top quality.&nbsp; It makes it hard "To Make good men outstanding men" when what is available to work with is less than pass quality.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp; In my travels, it took me a long time to "Become One", based on what I was seeing in the ranks of Masons.&nbsp; I had to search myself, and ask if I could be an assest not just a member, and represent Masonary as it should be.&nbsp; I decided I could.&nbsp; But not everyone has the same desire or intentions.&nbsp; We as the forerunners must become more creative in our selection process, dont get caught in boosting our memberships just for the sake of.&nbsp; We need to acutually go thru process of bringing in quality men into our fold.&nbsp; Its like&nbsp;I tell my Soldiers "you are an extention&nbsp;of me, our motorpools and unit.&nbsp;&nbsp;How you conduct yourself&nbsp;becomes a direct reflection of those you represent".&nbsp;&nbsp;Those who know me, know I represent Masonary as a Mason, not as&nbsp;a PHA Mason or an Ancient Mason, but as a Mason.&nbsp; If that quality&nbsp;is repesented, then maybe, just maybe, we can find quality men to mold.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>If we as Masons dont&nbsp;represent&nbsp;our Brotherhood as the fine Brotherhood that it, then the few quality men out there will not come to know what some of us have come to love, this Brotherhood of Masonary!&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

I personally am a 32nd degree master mason and I feel that the reason why it seems to be declining is that a mason will not and can not ask you to join. All you have to do is ask a free mason if you want to join. He will get you headed in the correct direction. And when you look at the masons look at all the good they do for the membership and the community.

If George Washington was a Freemason it has to be a good organization

Master Sergeant, Freemasonry has seen a decline in membership over the last 50 years. It has held on in the military for obvious reasons. The military is a brotherhood that only people who have served can understand. This fact remains true of Masonry. I have been in 6 years and I have heard all of the rumors regarding Masonry. The CSM that passed over UCMJ on a SSG because the SSG was a "higher ranking" mason. Anyone who knows the truth of this knows this is not true. I was not in during the 80's so I cannot speak about the experiences they had then. I was exposed to Freemasonry in Germany when I first came in. I never witnessed preferential treatment, but I did see a sense of cohesion that made Germany, despite the location, one of the best duty stations I have been to yet. I am not saying this is because of their influence, but I am not arguing the it was not either.&nbsp;<div><br></div><div>Freemasonry has been a part of the United States for longer than our national identity existed. There are numerous amount of Presidents and high ranking officials that can be counted among them. President Truman, Lewis and Clark, and most Generals that were sent out toward the expedition to the west. It is a very alluring brotherhood to belong to. I will agree that most people that first seek out Freemasonry do so without the comprehension on what makes this organization special. It has tore down boundaries that have long separated us as a people in many aspects. The philosophy is to make good men better. You can brief your Soldiers that they are ambassadors to the Army on Friday, but the statistics of sexual assault and DUI's show that not all that joined carry the military values. This stands true of Masonry. You can approach something with good intentions, but they will be progressive or stagnant based on the actions of the individual. We are conditioned to blame the organization for the actions of few. I expect Soldiers to act like professionals and Masons to do likewise.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Our priorities as Service members is to improve ourselves in all aspects. Some people do so with church and others with books. We all have our individual and collective roads to follow. It is on the individual to see what is right for him. As the Major said prior to this. To be one you need to ask. There was a stigma about confirming that you were a Mason when I was in Oklahoma. It makes it very difficult to break stereotypes and educate people if they do not know who to ask.&nbsp;</div>

From what I have seen, overall I think that participation in freemasonry is down. &nbsp;If you look at the "Prince Hall" masons though, I think their enrollment is just as high as it ever was and these are the ones that you see displaying the stickers and the majority of the guys wearing rings. &nbsp;These are also the ones that are causing the problems within units from my experience.<div><br><div>True freemasonry was built on principles and is a good thing but as with everything, there are those that will abuse it.</div></div>

I have nothing but respect for the Freemasons that I have met. 2 of them are veteran friends of mine but I think that Freemasons as a whole are a dying breed like a lot of other social fraternal orders.

I have only read a few of the responses and would like to add that there are some areas that are growing in Freemasons. my area is one on the level. but it is a fight to keep growing and stay on the level.

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</font><p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Calibri">I had a unit where about 2/3rds of the soldiers were living
in Freemason neglect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Many of the senior
member were Freemason’s and some of the junior enlisted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It was amazing how a platoon sergeant couldn’t
get the supplies we needed but the specialist in the next office could. From
what I saw the organization fostered a mentality that was contradictory to the
military and abuse ran rampart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>To this
day if I hear the word Mason involved with military I run the other way because
the unfair treatment to all who were not in the group, was something I simply
couldn’t stand. </font></p><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">

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There have been some very good points made here and comments from the brothers have helped to explain some of the issues. The problem with the drop in numbers can be for several reasons. First due to the internet most of our "secrets" are no longer secret. Pretty much you can get everything off the internet except a dues card. However it is not for the dues card that we do it. The society is about making good men better yet there are bad apples who get in because their motivations are hidden. Like one person stated we are very selective about membership and for good reason, well atleast some lodges are. I have seen some actively recruiting which is completely wrong.&nbsp;<div>Since time immemorial man has been the support structure or pillar of the family and community and we as Masons just try to bring men back to that status. In order to do that we have to chip away at the rough spots and make you perfectly square so your foundation is strong and not unstable.&nbsp;</div><div>Several have mentioned bad apples and that is absolutely correct but it is not just PHA or Blue Lodge. Ring knockers are everywhere and it is the responsibility of all regular and upright masons to call them out, take their light and set them straight. Sticking a dozen emblems to your car does not make you a Mason, it makes you a dues payer.&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;Masons donate an estimated $2 million a day to charities world wide and are supposed to represent the best men of society who are all on the same "level". Unfortunately many of the younger generation today treat it as a social or boys club and that is the fault of the older generation for not "squaring" them away.</div>