Fraternities aren’t just for college students.
Mu Beta Phi is an international military fraternity built on the three core principles of mission, brotherhood, and professionalism.
“This is a military fraternity of like-minded brothers who speak the same language, that love one another,” said Mu Beta Phi International President and Navy veteran Jason Williams. “We take care of one another, we support one another in all aspects of life.”
The fraternity was founded on March 22, 2017, and was officially incorporated on April 17, 2017, by three active-duty and retired service members across three branches of the armed forces.
“The beautiful thing about Mu Beta Phi is we have a lot of experienced brothers in our fraternity so if I don’t have that knowledge one guy might need, we have experienced brothers who can say let me use my networking to provide for what you need,” said Williams.
Williams enlisted in the Navy when he was 19. At the time, he had a 6-month-old son.
“I went to college for a year, but knew that wasn’t my avenue at the time,” he continued. “I needed to make something of myself, provide for my son. I went into the Navy.”
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Williams medically retired about five years ago.
“I miss it every day,” he said. “I took everything I learned from the Navy and applied it to civilian life.”
Williams said his nine years in the service provided him with structure, discipline, and a different outlook on life.
“When I came back to the other side of the fence, I had those tools already sharpened and was able to apply it to my everyday life as a civilian,” he said.
One of Mu Beta Phi’s founders, Gary Ammons, became a mentor to Williams when they were stationed together aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Ammons would later send Williams a message about joining a military fraternity that would become Mu Beta Phi.
“When he called me about Mu Beta Phi and I saw the vision, I saw what it stood for, the principles, they aligned with my life and my morals and values,” he said. “I was there.”
In addition to Ammons, the fraternity’s other founders are Air Force veteran Darrin Coney and Army veteran Clifton Powell.
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Williams became one of the first members of the fraternity, whose members take a sworn oath to strengthen the veteran community, restore faith in the community and broaden veterans’ knowledge.
“Our mission, first and foremost, is to give back to the veteran community, to educate the veteran community, to give knowledge to the veteran community,” he explained.
Mu Beta Phi also provides assistance to homeless veterans by educating them about their benefits and the programs available to assist them.
“There’s so many veteran programs out there that people don’t take advantage of because they don’t know,” explained Williams. “It’s our job to educate them.”
To apply for membership or to learn more about Mu Beta Phi, visit here.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.
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