Nominees For Department Of Defense's Top Employer Award Named

Thousands of Employers Recognized by National Guard and Reserve Members

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Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve

Feb 05, 2015, 01:00 ET

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense (DoD) office, announces 2,960 employers of Guard and Reserve employees have been nominated for the 2015 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award (commonly referred to as the "Freedom Award").

The Freedom Award is the highest recognition given by the DoD to employers for their support of National Guard and Reserve members. On behalf of the Secretary of Defense, ESGR runs the annual award program, which has presented the honor to 205 employers since 1996.

"These employers are serving our military and our Nation proudly through their support of our citizen warriors," said ESGR National Chair Paul E. Mock. "They are helping to keep America strong, and we are grateful for the important role they play in maintaining the wellbeing of our Guard and Reserve members and families."

Almost half of the U.S. military is made up National Guard and Reserve members, many of whom also hold jobs with civilian employers. The Freedom Award recognizes those employers that provide the most outstanding support for these Citizen Warriors. Up to 15 employers will be selected for this year's award and honored at the Pentagon in an official ceremony in August.

Last year's recipients included:

PNC Bank in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for hosting a Military Employee Business Resource Group working with deploying service members and their families. The company also helps military members successfully transition to the workforce by offering mentoring and a Veterans referral program.
New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) in Concord, for maintaining personal contact with Guard and Reserve employees as well as their families throughout the year (especially on Veterans and Memorial Day). NHDES employees take time to reflect on the contributions toward National security from New Hampshire Guard and Reserve members.
J.G. Management Systems (JGMS) in Grand Junction, Colorado, for providing supplemental healthcare to an employee transitioning from the military, coordinating donations for a severely injured service member, and supporting a veteran who lost his home in a wildfire. JGMS also paid for a deployed employee's family to visit him during his mid-deployment leave.

The accomplishments of all 2014 recipients can be read at www.freedomaward.mil under the "recipients/current recipients" tab.

Nominations for the Freedom Award must come from a Guard or Reserve member who is employed by the organization they are nominating, or from a family member. This year's nominees (complete list available at http://www.freedomaward.mil/TemplateDetailsView.aspx?TemplateID=6406&ModuleID=7 ) represent large and small employers from almost every industry, including health, transportation, hospitality, entertainment, banking, service and security (just to name a few), as well as from state and local governments. ESGR received nominations for employers in all 50 states, Guam-CNMI, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia.

Semifinalists and finalists will be announced in sequence throughout the coming months with the recipients being announced in late June. Updates, press releases and a complete list of the 2,961 nominees can be found at www.freedomaward.mil.

CONTACT: S.J. Brown
(571) 372-0692; [email protected]

SOURCE Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve