Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Defense Department agency, will begin accepting nominations this month for the 2009 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award.
ESGR officials are encouraging National Guardsmen and Reservists and their families to nominate employers who have gone above and beyond in their support of military employees.
Past recipients have provided full salary, benefits and even family support for employees during deployments. They range from small businesses to large corporations, such as Chrysler, to public employers, like the city of Austin, Texas.
Nominations will be accepted at the Web site www.FreedomAward.mil from Nov. 3 through Jan. 19. The 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 Guard and Reserve.
The 2009 recipients will be announced in the spring and honored at the 14th annual ceremony in Washington, D.C, next fall.
The Freedom Award was instituted in 1996. Winners this year met with President Bush and Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England.
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