Cliques in the Army. Good 'Ol Boys, Masons, Audie Murphy Board winners and the unfair treatment between them.

I will address your question while omitting everyone else's comments. I had a 1SG tell me once, "perseption IS reality". Because of that I always aim to be as transparent, fair, and impartial as possible at all times and teach my Soldiers to do the same.

1. Always do the right thing in and out of uniform and you will not be stuck in the same predicament (ever) as that SFC who got in trouble. If you're second guessing yourself whether something is right or wrong...then 100% of the times it will be wrong.

2. Stop assuming things SGT (P) Spangler. That will get you in a lot of heat. If you want the same treatment as that Audie Murphy Board winner...be one. I always admire those who have gone above and beyond. 2 minutes, 30 seconds, 15 seconds; the fact of the matter is has proven himself already.

3. Being a proffesional means cleaning your vocabulary. Regardless of what you see or hear, always aim to be better then those.

Finally, are there "cliques" in the military, YES, most definitely. Is everyone fairly treated, of course NOT. The only thing you can do about this is set the example, be the example, teach your Soldiers the right things...and your ethical ways will rub off on your leaders and peers.

Matthew 5:47 - "If you greet only your own people, what more are you doing than others? Even people who are ungodly (unethical, wrongful) do that."

"Be, Know, Do" my friend.

Let me address this as an NCO and a Freemason. First off I will admit that I am totally against these boards. To me they are not an indication of leadership ability, they are an indication of memory ability. I have seen A LOT of piss poor leaders hiding behind that medallion. As a matter of fact I recently had two of my Battle Staff students that were members but couldn't plot on a map.
I have seen people sent before these boards with made up squads, meaning all of the top PT kids were assigned to them on paper in order to make their leaders book look good. I have seen made up ( pencil whipped APFT and weapons cards) for candidates that we're being groomed by a buddy.
Once I attended a pre-board and when they asked why I didn't have a 300 pt score I said because I couldn't score 300, they obviously didn't like that answer but they especially didn't like it when I asked what Audie Murphy's pt score was?
Anyhow, now as a Freemason I will tell you from my point of view using our affiliation for preferential treatment in the Army is 1000% wrong. In fact it would be considered unmasonic conduct. Our fraternity is a philanthropic group working for the betterment of mankind. Yes we have an obligation to our brethren but it is not for personal or political gain. Those that use it for that bring shame on the order. Many of my co-workers have no idea that I am a Mason but it's not because I choose to keep it covert but because it has no place in the workplace. My duties and obligations to the order are outside the Army. The only time I will even mention it to others is if they are also a brother and I want to invite them to a barbecue or meeting or something related to our order.
Unfortunately there are lodges out there that despite our rules actually go out and recruit members. This recruitment in most cases draws the wrong people to the order. I don't care if they are 3 letter or 4, Blue Lodge or PHA, we have rules and those that violate them bring shame and discredit to our order. I know if I saw someone trying to get special treatment I wouldn't hesitate to confront them.

<span style="color: rgb(77, 77, 77); font-size: 12px;">I have talked to several Senior NCOs and one General Officer who sat on Centralized promotion boards. They say the process is extremely fair. The standards are set prior to voting, DA PAM 600-25 outlines expected duties so there is no changing the standard if a mason ring is spotted in the photo. I know this doesn't address the broader issue of cliques, but performance will win over a clique any day. Remember, a manager never benches or trades a .400 hitter</span>