Service To Others

 by Senior Midnight Freemasons Contributor

Greg Knott, 33°

Col. Richard B. Bushing and Greg Knott

Since retirement, I have been pursuing a hobby and perhaps more in aviation photography.  I have attended numerous airshows, visited air museums, stopped in small towns looking at the military aircraft they have on display in front of the American Legion Post and more.

My travels have taken me across the US, including a recent trip to Arizona.   I made my way to Tucson and visited the Pima Air and Space Museum.  This museum is adjacent to Davis-Mothan AFB, home of the 309th Aircraft Maintenance and Regeneration Group (309 AMARG)B and the museum has been the recipient of many of the retired aircraft that come to their final home in aircraft boneyard at Davis-Mothan.   

The museum now has a collection of over 400 aircraft, with most of them in great condition.    These aircraft range from pre WWII aircraft to modern recently retired aircraft.   Most of the planes were flown to the museum for their final flight.  The Arizona desert is a great place to keep planes, when they are outside for display. 

On the grounds of Pima Air and Space is a smaller museum, the 390th Memorial Museum.   This museum pays tribute to the crews who flew in B-17 bombers during WW II.  A fully restored B-17 is prominently featured in the building and the exhibits tell the stories of those who flew aboard the B-17 and the ground crews who supported them.

The particular day I was visiting, the museum had an author, Col. Richard B. Bushing there to talk about his book “My Wars”.  Col. Bushing had a 32 career as an aviator in the United States Air Force, first serving as a B-17 pilot during WWII and finishing his career flying an F-4 in Vietnam.

Col. Bushing told the stories of the B-17 crews.  He recounted the heavy losses they sustained as they flew from bases in England, flying over the English Channel with missions in Germany and elsewhere, to bomb amongst other targets, factories that were vital to the German war efforts.    Most of the time, the B-17 did not have fighter escorts, as the escort planes did not have sufficient range to stay with the B-17.  This changed later in the war as the P-51 Mustang came into service and it had sufficient range to escort the B-17.   The famed Tuskegee Airmen were amongst the crews who flew the P-51 and served as escorts.

The Germans knew the B-17s were on the way, as their radar could pick them up as they left England.  The Americans primarily bombed during the day, as US Army Air Force leadership thought that was the most effective method.   The crew flew at altitudes of up to 29,000 feet and faced heavy flak from the Germans below.   The B-17s had to fly in tight formations to help their rate of survival and to be most effective.  

B-17 losses were often heavy.  Each B-17 had a 10 man crew and when a plane was shot down, the crew’s only hope was to bail out of the plane and hope to evade capture by German forces on the ground.  

Crews were under extreme duress.  The B-17 is an unpressurized plane, which meant that above 10,000 feet, crews had to wear an oxygen mask.   This was in addition to heavy jackets and clothing to keep them from freezing to death.  The air temperature could drop to -50 degrees below zero.   All the while the plane had to be flown, the radio manned, the bomb site scoped in for accuracy, 50mm guns to be manned and reloaded. 

If a crew member was able to fly and complete 25 missions, they would have completed their service and rotated back home.  Crews only had a 25% chance of completing their 25th mission.  Hundreds of crew members were lost after being shot down and hundreds more were taken as prisoners of war after being captured by the Germans.

The bravery of these crews is easy to forget today, as we are now 80 years after the close of WWII.  Yet the events of the current day are still influenced by those brave service personnel from decades ago.   Col. Bushing at 102 years of age is one of the very last of the surviving B-17 crew members.   He has made it his life’s mission to tell the stories of these brave men, in hopes of keeping their story alive and help ensure the sacrifices they made are not forgotten.

I want to thank Col. Bushing for his service and all those who flew, manned and crewed the B-17s to help ensure our freedom.

~GJK

Greg Knott is the Senior Contributor to the Midnight Freemasons and a member of the craft since 2007.

How Can The Appendant Bodies Strengthen The Blue Lodge?

Midnight Freemasons Contributor

Joe Covell

For those familiar with my work with Midnight Freemasons, this subject matter may seem completely off-brand compared to what has been previously published. One might ask why such a stark departure from the usual trestleboards of mysticism, esotericism, spiritualism, and the like. In addition to this blog, I’ve expanded my ideas into new spaces under the persona “Arcanum in the Brainum,” a nod to the classic Cypress Hill song, "Insane in the Brain." Arcanum in the Brainum brings together a mix of in-person and virtual study groups, engaging social media channels, and multimedia content enhanced by AI tools like Pictory, Leonardo, ChatGPT, and VSub. This includes visually rich images and videos inspired by my previous articles, as well as audio clips from recorded study group sessions and other sources.

To me, the ideal lodge is one that offers a mix of thought-provoking programs that inspire attendees to dive deeper, along with those that are lighthearted and entertaining, in other words, something for everyone. The work we do as Masons carries a deeper meaning beyond what meets the eye, but there’s still a strong need for disciplined ritual instruction, focused work, and well-organized, synchronized administration. Within the world of Freemasonry, there’s a role for every member, one that complements their strengths, interests, and passions.

Having become a Mason in 2022, my progression through the appendant bodies has been incredibly fast, including all three York Rite Bodies, Scottish Rite, Shrine, Tall Cedars, Allied Masonic Degrees, and more. I can say with complete confidence that no one forced me into anything I wasn’t ready for. I spent a good five years exploring Freemasonry before joining and knew exactly what I wanted to pursue, actively seeking membership. Not only did I join these various organizations, but I currently hold officer roles in four of them. To say "desperate times call for desperate measures" would be a complete understatement, but I have not taken on any role that I am not capable of fulfilling.

If you are a grumpy past master reading this, I have a fairly good idea of your thoughts on the matter. Here in Pennsylvania, I have heard discussions about requiring newly made Masons to wait a mandatory one year before joining any other bodies. I understand the reasoning behind this, but from my experience, I personally feel this would be a huge detriment. My justification for doing so much so soon was that I wanted to join everything I was interested in and start from the ground floor to better determine which directions I wanted to pursue. I received my Royal Arch in November 2022 and was asked to be Scribe of the Chapter that January. I put it off until January 2024, jumping straight to King (out of necessity), and now I am serving my year Most Excellent High Priest in 2025.

In my mother lodge, Quakertown Lodge No. 512, I served as Junior Master of Ceremonies and often stepped in as Pursuivant on evenings when attendance was sparse. For those unfamiliar with Pennsylvania Masonry, this might sound a bit unusual, as Pennsylvania often does things differently. The Junior and Senior Masters of Ceremonies, for instance, are comparable to Stewards in most other jurisdictions, positioned near the Senior Warden. The Pursuivant, on the other hand, sits between the Junior and Senior Masters of Ceremonies and is responsible for tiling the lodge. In Pennsylvania, all three officers, along with the Tyler, carry swords as part of their duties. 

In 2024, I chose to become a plural member of Shiloh-MacCalla Lodge No. 558, and by 2025, I find myself honored to serve as Junior Warden. Shiloh-MacCalla Lodge is more than just a Blue Lodge; it is also home to Lansdale Royal Arch Chapter No. 301, Damascus Commandery No. 95, and Akhawiyah Council No. 185 (Allied Masonic Degrees), all of which I am proud to be a member of.

Before committing to being King in 2024, I had firmly held to the idea that I must first go through Blue Lodge before taking on any leadership role in any of the bodies. As 2023 progressed and I saw the dire need for fresh legs in these other bodies, I realized that going through the Chapter line would better prepare me to be a stronger leader in the Blue Lodge line. The appendant bodies tend to have a much more laid-back atmosphere compared to the Blue Lodge. This is not to suggest that they should be taken any less seriously, only that regular stated meetings tend to be far less attended than those of the Blue Lodge, and the requirements are also not as stringent.

Currently, in Pennsylvania, in order to be Junior Warden, the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania requires that a brother must be certified in the Business of the Lodge. To be Senior Warden, he must be certified in the First Degree, and to be Worshipful Master, he needs to be certified in either the First and Second Degrees or the Third Degree. Some districts require certification in all three degrees, mainly to ensure there are enough qualified brothers who can confer all three degrees when needed.

The Grand Holy Royal Arch Chapter of Pennsylvania, at the time of writing, requires that in order to be considered a Past High Priest, a Companion (not referred to as brothers in the Royal Arch Chapter) must be proficient in either a degree or in the role of Principal Sojourner or Captain of the Host in the Royal Arch Degree. The Captain of the Host dialogue has a similar word count to reciting the Lord’s Prayer twice. To be recognized as a Past High Priest, the Companion must meet this requirement. However, this proficiency is not necessary to become the Most Excellent High Priest of the Chapter. If a Companion chooses not to meet the requirement, he does not receive the honor of being designated as a Past High Priest.

Similar to the requirements in the Royal Arch, the Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of Pennsylvania requires a Sir Knight to be proficient in the Fifth Libation to become Eminent Commander of the subordinate Commandery. This does not require anywhere near the amount of memory work that the Blue Lodge demands. Is the point here to suggest that the appendant bodies don’t require as much memory or ritual work? While that may appear to be the argument, the agenda being presented, that the appendant bodies can help prepare Blue Lodge officers, can be supported by the idea that there is much less pressure on the officers of the appendant bodies compared to those of the Blue Lodge.

For many brothers, the memory work required to progress through the Blue Lodge line can be extremely intimidating. I see the Royal Arch Chapter (as well as other bodies) as the perfect incubator for newer brothers to gain experience and build their confidence. It’s no secret that only a small percentage of Master Masons ever seek further light by joining appendant bodies. What if these bodies were marketed not only as offering more of the story to be unfolded but also as a Blue Lodge officer training program? Once a member goes through the line of an appendant body, he gains confidence in his ability to lead a meeting, organize, and oversee (with the help of the Secretary, Treasurer, or equivalent roles) the Chapter’s business. He will then possess the skills needed to lead the Blue Lodge.

After the brother recognizes that he possesses the necessary qualifications to be a leader, he may become more motivated to learn the work well enough to meet any requirement, and perhaps even well enough to confer it on new candidates. There will always be those who excel at administration and those who excel at Ritual, though it is rare for a brother to excel at both.

Are there bound to be hiccups in this proposed model? Of course. I would classify myself as someone who does well with memory work (once I put in the effort to learn), but I often confuse terms like Brother with Companion or Lodge with Chapter. Another observation: the dialogues of the Senior Warden in the Blue Lodge and the King in the Royal Arch Chapter are similar, but just different enough to cause confusion. I often wonder why the creators of these rituals couldn’t have standardized the lines, simply substituting the appropriate officer’s title. That question is a research topic on its own, one I am not yet prepared to tackle.

This model doesn’t just benefit the Blue Lodge; it also encourages more brothers to become active in the Appendant bodies, strengthening the fraternity as a whole.

~JC

Joe Covell is new to Masonry, having been raised in March of 2022 at Quakertown Lodge No. 512 in Quakertown, Pennsylvania. He is a student of Esoteric Philosophy since 2016 and loves to discuss it with like-minded brethren. He is involved in The Valley of Allentown AASR where he helps administer the Valley’s social media accounts. He is a member of Lansdale Royal Arch Chapter No. 301, Doylestown Cryptic Council No. 51, Damascus Commandery No. 95, and a Noble of LuLu Shrine. He has plans to highlight Masonic Education by facilitating study groups on various topics at his Blue Lodge. He is currently going through the chairs at Quakertown Lodge No. 512, as well as the other bodies of which he is a member. 

Reading Cursive To Unlock The Past

by Midnight Freemasons Contributor

Jim Stapleton

The US National Archives recently asked an interesting question - is reading cursive your superpower? The Citizen Archivist program is looking for assistance with transcribing documents, especially with ones that are written in cursive. “Many of the documents at the National Archives are handwritten records such as letters, memos, and reports, many of the words within those documents are not picked up by a search in our Catalog.”1 Through this program, volunteers can sign up for an account and then after receiving instructions and training, they can get started contributing to the effort. 

Transcribing governmental records is important in order to make information available in digital form. According to the Royal Historical Society, digitizing historical records is necessary “to make collections accessible to remote audiences; to enable text searching, and to allow for new types of research.”2 What makes the need to digitize documents even more crucial now is that older documents are often written in cursive because they were created by hand. However, in the United States there are younger generations that are no longer being taught penmanship in schools. This is mainly due to the US Government removing cursive requirements in 2010 from Common Core Standards for K-12 Education.3In addition to not being able to write in cursive, younger generations are also not able to read cursive. This could lead to a significant problem when future citizens want to conduct research of original historical texts. 

What does this have to do with Freemasonry? Our Fraternity also has many handwritten records dating back hundreds of years. Many Lodges have boxes full of documents sitting in their attics. We have Lodge Register books where members sign in to indicate their attendance at meetings and events. What will happen when future generations of Masons eventually look through these 

materials and they cannot decipher any of them? Do we need our own version of the Citizen Archivist program to transcribe Masonic documents so that they can be researchable in the years to come? Will we need to teach younger Masons how to read and write in cursive? 

If we truly want to encourage Masonic research and education, we will need to take into account this potential educational deficit that will soon impact us. Freemasonry has a rich and storied history that we should work to preserve. Otherwise, our Fraternity will be no different than any number of social clubs. 

1. https://www.archives.gov/citizen-archivist/faqs 

2. https://blog.royalhistsoc.org/2023/01/17/historical-research-in-the-digital-age-part-3-why archivists-digitise-and-why-it-matters/ 

3. https://www.npr.org/2022/12/03/1140610714/what-students-lost-since-cursive-writing-wa s-cut-from-the-common-core-standards

~JS

Jim Stapleton is the Senior Warden of USS New Jersey Lodge No. 62. He is also a member of the New Jersey Lodge of Masonic Research and Education No. 1786. Jim received the Distinguished White Apron Award from the Grand Lodge of New Jersey. He was awarded the Daniel Carter Beard Masonic Scouter Award. Jim is also a member of the Society of King Solomon.

The Midnight Freemasons: Another Chapter Begins

by Midnight Freemasons Senior Contributor

Greg Knott, 33°

Midnight Freemasons editors current and emeritus: Robert Johnson (Emeritus), Greg Knott (Current), Darin Lahners (Emeritus), and Todd E. Creason (Current)  

As you saw on Todd Creason’s latest post, the Midnight Freemasons is in a period of transition.  The excellent work this blog has done over the last 17 years, is second to none in the masonic blogosphere.  Readers have been introduced to many masonic authors whose stories, experiences, travel, photos, opinions have been shared with fellow brethren and others across the globe.

My involvement here came about by chance, as many opportunities in life do.   I had written a small piece RMS: Titanic: The Amazing Story of Brother Oscar Woody, for a personal blog I had at the time.  Todd wanted to run it on the Midnight Freemasons website and I was excited to see it happen.  Thus I became the first guest contributor and later named the Senior Contributor to the Midnight Freemasons.

Being a part of this team has been an important part of my masonic journey.  Getting to know many of my fellow contributors has given me a sense of comradery with those who are seeking to make our gentle craft a better place.   The readers who have reached out to me from all over the world and letting me know about a piece they enjoyed, or asking if they could use an article in their newsletter or other publication, has been very humbling.

One friend recently talked about his own masonic journey.  He had joined the craft, quickly went through the degrees and took off on his career and didn’t attend another masonic meeting for 35 years.  He kept his dues up that entire time.  After retiring and moving, he found a local lodge and is actively involved now, going through the chairs, reading up on masonic history, etc.  He has been a frequent reader of the Midnight Freemasons.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Midnight Freemasons.  Let me take a minute to give a special thanks to  Todd Creason, Robert Johnson, Darin Lahners and the late Bill Hosler.  All of them have poured their heart, soul and time into making this the premier masonic blog that it is. I am a better mason and person because of their efforts and the opportunity to be a part of this amazing group.

Going forward, I intend to keep writing for this blog and helping to continue to contribute my experiences and journey with others.   I will be working with Todd Creason and helping shape the vision for the future.   As one of the founders of the Meet, Act and Part podcast and blog, I will also contribute there as well and of course remain one of the co-hosts for the podcast.

That’s the great thing about Freemasonry, you can shape the fraternity and experiences nearly anyway you want.  Like every organization we have some challenges, but so what that is just the nature of life in general.

In closing, let me thank you for your readership, friendship and support over the last 13 years I have been associated with this blog.  I hope you will continue to stop by not only here, but also over on the Meet, Act and Part website as well.

~GK

Greg Knott has been a Freemason since 2007 and a contributor to the Midnight Freemasons since 2012.  He is the co-host of the Meet, Act and Part podcast.