# Medals and honors



## Bro. Marc Houde (Feb 3, 2016)

For my American brethren, this may not apply..you guys have so man damn medals...but feel free to chime in because I'm curious about American lodges...but more specifically to my Canadian brethren who have served...do you wear your undress ribbons at lodge...if not regularly...how about for a Remembrance day lodge?  Full medal or undress?  I know I wear my medals at a laying of a wreath on remembrance day...but not sure about in lodge.

I have read that nothing should be on your suit except Lodge honors such as the Lewis jewel..but then I see brethren wearing pins from all sorts of functions...so I'm not sure if I wore my ribbons if I would be frowned upon.


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## Companion Joe (Feb 3, 2016)

Military medals/ribbons? No. Mine are in a shadow box. I don't know that I've ever seen anyone wearing service medals on civilian clothes. Every once in a while you will see someone with a miniature Purple Heart lapel pin, but that's it. Nobody really ever wears their actual medals. I don't know that there is a regulation against it, but it's just not a common practice. 

As for Masonry, I have a whole host of lapel pins, and I usually wear whichever one is most appropriate to the event I am attending. I might, MIGHT, wear two on the rare occasion, but never more than that. I can't stand it when guys have six or eight lapel pins on their suit jacket. I am far from a fashion snob, but I am fashion conscious enough that I like to look my best.

In the Commandery, I have my Red Cross, Order of Malta, and Commander's medal , as well as my veteran's ribbon on my uniform.


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## Bloke (Feb 3, 2016)

Different here in Victoria Australia - quite common to see Bro's wearing their military and civil miniatures at lodge.

I've got a civil one, but only tend to wear it at Installations, if at all. Indeed, I tend not to wear my masonic medals (Past Masters and a Foundation Jewel) even in the lodges which gave them to me..  they don't live in my lodge case but that's where some seem to store them..

I would check if there are any rules...but just go with the flow. Mind you, wearing a medal is not just about your own achievements, it pays homage to the organisation which awarded them to you.. that's basically why I wear mine. Perhaps my thinking might be different if i had military ones, but perhaps not..  but I think it honours Freemasonry to see service men wearing medals as members..


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## Glen Cook (Feb 4, 2016)

Not at lodge.  I attend other formal events where I do, often as they are indicated on the invitation (Order of St John, descendancy societies, Scottish formal)


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## MarkR (Feb 4, 2016)

I have, on occasion, worn my miniature military medals on the lapel of my sports coat on Veterans' Day, but never to lodge.


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## Brother JC (Feb 4, 2016)

The only medals I have worn to lodge are Masonic in origin.


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## dfreybur (Feb 4, 2016)

Jewels - Many lodges have only one set so there's no ambiguity.  Officers wear that one in tiled meetings.  Lodges that have seen consolidations often save one set for fancier meetings another set for other meetings.  I have seen officer jewels that hang on a coat's kerchief pocket but I have only seen that style on ritual instructors.  It is fairly common for lodge officers to wear the symbol of their office as a lapel pin when visiting other lodges.  I have only worn these lapel pins at installations.  I've been too afraid I would lose mine and not be able to hand it down the next year.  One of my years in the east I purchased a set of these lapel pins for the officers in my live that year.

Military medals - I have never purchased a lapel pin version of any.  It was very common for civilians in the Soviet Union to wear those back when I was in the Navy so I have never wanted to wear anything like that as a civilian.

Various outside honors - I lot of guys wear their Eagle Scout pins, clergy pins and so on.

Trinkets - I have all sorts of lapel pins that I don't consider medals or honors.  Reminders of lodges visited, grand master symbols from various years, lodge anniversaries, you name it.


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## MarkR (Feb 5, 2016)

[QUOTE="dfreybur, post: 155342, member: 8289"Military medals - I have never purchased a lapel pin version of any.  It was very common for civilians in the Soviet Union to wear those back when I was in the Navy so I have never wanted to wear anything like that as a civilian.[/QUOTE]I have a set of miniatures because I had a "mess dress" uniform, and you wear miniatures on mess dress.


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## Glen Cook (Feb 5, 2016)

dfreybur said:


> Jewels - Many lodges have only one set so there's no ambiguity.  Officers wear that one in tiled meetings.  Lodges that have seen consolidations often save one set for fancier meetings another set for other meetings.  I have seen officer jewels that hang on a coat's kerchief pocket but I have only seen that style on ritual instructors.  It is fairly common for lodge officers to wear the symbol of their office as a lapel pin when visiting other lodges.  I have only worn these lapel pins at installations.  I've been too afraid I would lose mine and not be able to hand it down the next year.  One of my years in the east I purchased a set of these lapel pins for the officers in my live that year.
> 
> Military medals - I have never purchased a lapel pin version of any.  It was very common for civilians in the Soviet Union to wear those back when I was in the Navy so I have never wanted to wear anything like that as a civilian.
> 
> ...


Lapel bars came with my MSMs


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## MBC (Feb 10, 2016)

Bloke said:


> Different here in Victoria Australia - quite common to see Bro's wearing their military and civil miniatures at lodge.
> 
> I've got a civil one, but only tend to wear it at Installations, if at all. Indeed, I tend not to wear my masonic medals (Past Masters and a Foundation Jewel) even in the lodges which gave them to me..  they don't live in my lodge case but that's where some seem to store them..
> 
> I would check if there are any rules...but just go with the flow. Mind you, wearing a medal is not just about your own achievements, it pays homage to the organisation which awarded them to you.. that's basically why I wear mine. Perhaps my thinking might be different if i had military ones, but perhaps not..  but I think it honours Freemasonry to see service men wearing medals as members..



We are similar here. Normally miniatures, and they normally appears in Installations. However their post-nominals (if any) will be announced with their names.


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