Vet News: ESGR Accepting Nominations for 2007 Freedom Award

ARLINGTON, Va. – The National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) is accepting nominations for the 2007 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Awards at the ESGR website at esgr.mil

The nomination process opens on January 8, 2007 and will conclude on February 28, 2007.

To nominate their employers, National Guardsmen, Reservists, or their family members should visit the ESGR website and complete the 2007 Freedom Award nomination form.

The 2007 recipients will be honored in Washington, D.C. at the 12th annual Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award ceremony hosted by ESGR on September 12, 2007.

In 1996, Secretary of Defense William Perry instituted the Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award under the auspices of the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (NCESGR). The Freedom Award, DoD’s highest honor for employer support, publicly recognizes employers for exceptional support above the requirements of the USERRA Law.

Previous recipients have included Starbucks, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Sears, General Electric, DuPont, Verizon, and United Parcel Service. State and local governments and a number of America’s small businesses have also been recipients.

Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) is a Department of Defense agency established in 1972. The mission of ESGR is to gain and maintain active support from all public and private employers for the men and women of the National Guard and Reserve. ESGR volunteers provide free education, consultation, and if necessary mediation for employers of Guard and Reserve employees.

For more information, contact Major Robert Palmer at (800) 336-4590

SOURCE: VNIS