Greetings from the South:

Greetings brethren! It's Carlos "from the south" signing on again.

This month I am going to focus on our veterans in the lodge. I am a veteran myself; I served in the 82nd Airborne Division for 6 years where I had the distinct honor to be awarded the Army Commendation Medal or "Arcom" for meritorious service.

During my time at Fort Bragg I noticed many Masonic rings on the higher ranking individuals, at the time I thought Masonry was some sort of religious cult or something so I was afraid of asking what the ring meant in fear of offending someone. I know better now; Masonry is very prevalent in the service, I think that it is because Masonry offers the same kind of brotherhood and camaraderie that the service does and it is also full of rich tradition just like the service. Even during time of war, Masonry finds a way to unite men of every country, sect and opinion.

We see in the statistics that after every major war Masonry spikes in membership. I wish that I had asked about Masonry back then, but, better later than never! So to all of you veterans in this lodge and all of the other lodges who may be reading this article I say to you; thank you for your service! Thank you for your dedication! Thank you for your sacrifice! And last of all, thank you for being my Masonic brother!

This is Carlos "from the south" signing off!

Carlos Castro, J .W.