ESGR award nomination closes Monday

There are only two left for Guard and Reserve members to nominate their supportive employers for the 2012 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award.

The Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, ESGR, a Department of Defense agency, is accepting nominations for the award until Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. The Freedom Award is the DoD’s highest award for civilian employers supporting Guard and Reserve members.

All Guard and Reserve members are encouraged to nominate employers who have provided exceptional support of their military service. Nominations may be submitted by service members at www.FreedomAward.mil.

Last year, there were 19 nominations submitted from Guam and the CNMI, according to Capt Josephine Blas, ESGR Program Administrator for Guam/CNMI. Three local employers-Galaide Group, LLC, Hilton Guam Resort and Spa, and the CNMI Public School System-were named as semifinalists, or Top 148 of the over 4,049 nominations nationwide. Although they didn’t win the coveted Freedom Award, their placement speaks volumes about employers of Guard and Reserve members on Guam, Blas said.

“Employers who go above and beyond in their support of Guard and Reserve members are providing a tremendous service to our country; they are contributing to the resiliency and peace of mind of the more than one million men and women who stand ready to serve when our nation’s calls on them,” said David McGinnis, acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs.

“Guard and Reserve members who feel their employers have gone the extra mile in supporting their military service should nominate them for the 2012 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award to show their appreciation and highlight their support as an example for others to follow.”

The Top 15 Employers of 2012 will be announced by early summer and honored in Washington, DC during a special ceremony in September.

For 2012, 18 nominations were submitted so far to the ESGR, Blas said.

These include nine for Guam and four for CNMI employers. They are: Home Depot Guam; CNMI PSS – Oleai Elementary School; Tropical Beach House Guam; Joeten Enterprises, Inc.; Guam Power Authority; CNMI Public School System; Security Title, Inc.; Hollywood Theatres Saipan; Guam Marriott Resort & Spa; ASC Trust Corporation; Port Authority of Guam; Transportation Security Administration; GDOE-Agueda Johnston Middle School; Naval Hospital Guam; St. Joseph’s Medical Transport; GDOE-Oceanview Middle School; and GDOE-M.U. Lujan Elementary School.

For questions regarding the Freedom Award, visit www.FreedomAward.mil or contact Capt Josephine Blas at 671-735-0456 at the ESGR Guam-CNMI Office. (ESGR)