Employer Support Freedom Award nominations due
By From staff reports
Published in News on November 30, 2010 1:46 PM
ARLINGTON, Va. -- While Americans are reflecting on what they are thankful for, members of the Guard and Reserve and their families across North Carolina are encouraged to thank supportive employers this Thanksgiving by nominating them for the 2011 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. The Freedom Award is the highest recognition the U.S. government gives to employers for their outstanding support of employees serving in the Guard and Reserve. To date, 15 North Carolina employers have been nominated. Fifteen employers will be recognized with the award at a ceremony on Sept. 22, 2011, in Washington, D.C.
Nominations are accepted at www.FreedomAward.mil through Jan. 17. Guard and Reserve members and their families are eligible and encouraged to nominate employers that have provided exceptional support to military employees above the federal law requirements. Award nominees will be announced in the spring and the 15 recipients will be announced in early summer.
Almost one-half of the U.S. military is comprised of the Guard and Reserve. The Department of Defense shares these citizen warriors with their civilian employers, many of whom provide significant support to their employees who serve in the Guard and Reserve.
The Freedom Award was instituted in 1996 under the auspices of Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a Department of Defense Agency, to recognize exceptional support from the employer community. In the past 15 years, 145 employers from across the nation have received this prestigious award. Established in 1972, ESGR's mission is to develop and promote employer support for Guard and Reserve service by advocating relevant initiatives, recognizing outstanding support, increasing awareness of applicable laws, and resolving conflict between employers and service members.
For questions regarding the Freedom Award nomination process, visit www.FreedomAward.mil or contact Beth Sherman, ESGR Public Affairs, at (703) 696-1171, ext. 539, or by email at ESGR-PA@osd.mil.