Nomination for 2012 ESGR Freedom Award nears deadline

The Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a Department of Defense agency, is accepting nominations for the 2012 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. 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 until Jan. 16, 2012.

“Even as our nation scales down our combat missions abroad, Guard and Reserve members and their employers remain a critical component in our national security equation,” said James Rebholz, ESGR national chair. “Just as our country has heavily relied on the more than one million men and women of the Guard and Reserve, these service members have counted on their employers for support and encouragement. I encourage all Guardsmen and Reservists to nominate their supportive employers today, so our Nation may acknowledge their extraordinary efforts.”

Last year, there were 19 nominations in Guam and the CNMI. Three local employers-Galaide Group, LLC, Hilton Guam Resort and Spa and the CNMI Public School System-were named 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 in the Marianas region.

So far in 2012, there have been 18 nominations submitted: 14 for Guam and four for CNMI employers. They are:

-ASC Trust Corp.

-CNMI PSS-Oleai Elementary

-CNMI Public School System

-GDOE – Agueda Johnston MS

-GDOE – MU Lujan Elementary

-GDOE – Oceanview MS

-Guam Marriott Resort & Spa

-Guam Power Authority

-Home Depot Guam

-Hollywood Theatres Saipan

-Joeten Enterprises, Inc.

-Naval Hospital Guam

-Port Authority of Guam

-St. Joseph’s Medical Transport

-Security Title, Inc.

-Tropical Beach House Guam (2)

-Transportation Security Administration

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

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.

Paramount to ESGR’s mission is encouraging employment of Guardsmen and Reservists who bring integrity, global perspective and proven leadership to the civilian workforce. (ESGR)