Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award

The Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award is the highest recognition given by the U.S. Government to employers for their support of their employees who serve in the National Guard and Reserve. To be eligible for the award, an employer must be nominated by one of its Guard or Reserve employees, or a family member of that employee.

The Freedom Award was instituted in 1996 by then-Secretary of Defense William Perry under the auspices of the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR). ESGR is a Department of Defense agency established in 1972 whose mission, according to its Web site, 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.”[1] The award was created to recognize the ways the nation’s employers support their Guard and Reserve employees, and is the highest in a series of ESGR awards that include the Patriot Award, the Above and Beyond Award, and the Pro Patria Award.

A senior Defense Department official presents the awards at a dinner ceremony in Washington, DC; past presenters have included the Secretary of Defense, the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, the Army Vice Chief of Staff, and the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Since 1996, over 100 employers have received the Freedom Award.

Freedom Award Web site

In 2008, ESGR launched a Web site for the Freedom Award. Using videos, news articles, profiles of recipients, and tips about employer best practices, the site provides information about the support that employers across the nation provide to their Guard and Reserve employees and their families. The site also houses the nomination form for the award.

Recipients

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

Mitt Romney receiving the award on behalf of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

2000

1999

1998

1997

1996

Sources

This article contains information from a U.S. Government Web site in the public domain.

References

  1. ↑ "About ESGR". ESGR.org. Retrieved 2008-11-18.

http://www.esgr.mil

External links

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