National Sojourners is a non-profit fraternal Masonic military society promoting Americanism and Patriotism through educational presentations and ceremonies. The organization provides Youth Education Programs,  scholarships to Freedom Foundation programs, sponsors annual scholarship Essay programs, and presents awards to College and High School ROTC students across the country. There are 164 active Chapters of National Sojourners across the country, plus more overseas. The National Sojourners has a long history that goes all the way back to its Origin, George Washington, a respected commander at the head of the Army. He was an honored guest in a Field Lodge. If you want to learn more about the Legacy of the American Military Mason, take a look at this deck.

dinner invitation

 

Even though this dinner event happened awhile ago, I still remember that evening vividly. Being invited as the guest of honor to this prestigious event was extraordinary. It was amazing to have a meal together with a room full of Master Masons, highly accomplished Commissioned Officers and Warrant Officers, past and present of the Uniformed Services of the United States. This dinner event was held at the Presidio's Officer Club. I attended a number of important events that took place in the Presidio during that period of my life before it turned into a National Park. This was one of them.

I was and still am humbled by the opportunity and the experience of being a Brigade Commander that year. As the top officer leading and managing the operations of a district-wide leadership training program. The U.S Army is one of the respectable leadership development institutions in the country. That year, two mentors from the Army of Instructions were coaching me and I had 10 of the brightest officers on my staff. We organized and hosted many district-wide events consecutively for our 2000+ members across eight campuses, which included a week-long training at Camp Park in Dublin.

The granted opportunity of having that C-level executive leadership experience was as rare as the shiny medal that I received that evening. The journey of getting there was triumphant. It took more than just doing hard work to be the best of the best amongst a pool of other outstanding leaders. Little did I know that spending that evening having dinner with Master Masons was a preview into my career in Operations working with the amazing leaders and top talents in the industry.

What a way to kick start my career! Thank you, National Sojourners, Inc. Golden Gate Chapter No. 18, for your support and recognition.