Nomination Season Closes Jan. 19 for 2009 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award

Jan. 5, 2009
National Guard and Reserve members and families encouraged to nominate supportive employers.

ARLINGTON, VA – Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a Department of Defense agency, has opened the nomination season for the 2009 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. Nominations will be accepted at www.FreedomAward.mil from Nov. 3, 2008, to Jan. 19, 2009.

National Guard and Reserve members and their families are eligible and encouraged to nominate employers who have gone above and beyond in their support of military employees. The Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award is the highest recognition given by the U.S. Government to employers for their outstanding support of their employees who serve in the National Guard and Reserve.

The 2009 recipients will be announced in the spring and honored in Washington, D.C., at the 14th annual Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award ceremony on Sept. 17, 2009. Recipients of the 2008 Freedom Award met with President George W. Bush and Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England. Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, Dr. David Chu presented the awards at a ceremony attended by members of Congress and senior government and military officials.

The Freedom Award was instituted in 1996 under the auspices of the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) to recognize exceptional support from the employer community.

ESGR is a Department of Defense agency established in 1972. Its mission is to gain and maintain employer support for Guard and Reserve service by recognizing outstanding support, increasing awareness of the law, and resolving conflicts through mediation.

For more information visit www.FreedomAward.mil or call (703) 380-9717.