WASHINGTON -- Employers of Reserve and Guard members from all branches of service were honored, alongside family and friends, with the Secretary of Defense Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve’s most prestigious award, the Freedom Award, Sept. 23 at the Ronald Reagan Center in the nation’s capitol.
The Freedom Award is given annually to employers throughout the continental U.S., Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands to qualified employers who show outstanding support to employees serving in the Reserve and Guard.
Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, approves the final winners of the Freedom Award. Some of the employers awarded had very small businesses with only a few employees, while others had thousands.
This year, out of about 2,500 submissions by Reserve and Guard service members or their families, 15 of “the best of the best” employers were chosen to receive the award at a formal dinner in front of hundreds of guests. The guests included chief executive officers of seven large corporations, congressman, business leaders and senior military officials.
“Fifteen employers here tonight went above and beyond to take care of their employees who also volunteer in the military as reserve and guard members,” said James G. Rebholz, chairman of the ESGR national committee. “From weekend drills to year-long deployments, you can’t quantify the level of support that they provide for their employees; it’s priceless.”
One the 15 recipients, the City of Irvine Police Department was nominated by awarded Marine Lt. Col. Thomas Allan, a lieutenant police officer on the police force, for outstanding support of its employees who also serve in the Reserve and Guard.
During the ceremony, Allan stood at his table and read a speech he had prepared, commending the city of Irvine. The mayor of Irvine, along with the city manager and police chief were among the handful of officials to accept the award.
“The City of Irvine Police Department continued to give full-time pay with full benefits to its Reserve and Guard members who were mobilized,” he explained. “They provided families with emotional support by sending families flowers and providing care packages for deployed servicemen and women.”
In May, a national selection board comprised of senior business officials, business leaders and past award recipients selected this year’s winners based on employer policies, practices and programs that accommodate to their Guard and Reserve employees. Nominators, who are employees or employee family members, submit packages to ESGR.
“I, with the help of other city officials, was the one who submitted the package for the city,” said Allan. “I didn’t expect the package to become an award winner, until ESGR called and said we had a competitive package. It felt great to hear that.”
Dennis McCarthy, assistant secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, handed the award to each recipient.
“Employers nowadays show tremendous support to Reserve and Guard members,” said McCarthy, who is a former commander of Marine Forces Reserve. “We can only give the Freedom Award to the best of the best, but all the employers around the nation are truly setting the example for future employers who employ guard and reserve servicemen and women.”
For more information about the Freedom Award, or to nominate an employer, log onto www.ESGR.org. -