User:Sdi-jr/The 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.” 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 new 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.

2008

 * Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
 * Chrysler LLC
 * City of Austin, Texas
 * Coastal Windows, Inc.
 * Dominion Resources, Inc.
 * Jersey City Fire Department
 * Lochinvar Corporation
 * Oakland County Sheriff’s Office
 * Oshkosh Corporation
 * Regional Emergency Medical Services Authority
 * Robinson Transport, Inc.
 * State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company
 * Union Pacific Corporation
 * Winner School District
 * Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, PLLC

2007

 * Augustine and Sons, Inc.
 * CHE Consulting, Inc.
 * Con-way, Inc.
 * Creative Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
 * Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, Inc.
 * Ganntt’s Excavating and Contracting, Inc.
 * General Motors Corporation
 * Nucor Corporation
 * Sierra Pacific Resources
 * Sodexho USA
 * The New Hampshire State Police
 * The State of Tennessee
 * Turbocam International
 * Ultra Machining Company, Inc.
 * Wilmington, VA, Medical Center

2006

 * AgCountry Farm Credit Services
 * Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America
 * Baptist Health
 * BNSF Railway Company
 * Cardi's Furniture Superstores
 * Commonwealth of Massachusetts
 * Computer Sciences Corporation
 * DuPont
 * Fred Fletemeyer Company
 * MGM Mirage
 * Skyline Membership Corporation
 * South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks
 * Starbucks Corporation
 * State of Vermont
 * Sun Valley General Improvement District

2005

 * Alticor, Inc.
 * Citizens Financial Group
 * Eaton Corporation
 * Enterprise Rent-a-Car
 * IDACORP
 * Los Angeles Police Department
 * The Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections
 * Pioneer Financial Services, Inc.
 * Ryland Homes
 * Sears, Roebuck and Company
 * South Dakota State University
 * State of Delaware
 * Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
 * USAA
 * Wachovia Corporation

2004

 * Adolph Coors Company
 * American Express Company
 * Bank One Corporation
 * Colt Fire Safety and Rescue
 * General Electric Company
 * Harley-Davidson, Inc.
 * The Home Depot
 * Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
 * The State of Minnesota
 * Northrop Grumman Corporation
 * One Source Building Technologies
 * Saints Memorial Medical Center
 * Sprint Corporation
 * Strategic Solutions, Inc.
 * Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

2003

 * Central Atlantic Toyota Distribution Center
 * D.H. Griffin Wrecking Co.
 * Miller Brewing Company
 * PG&E Corporation
 * Tyson Foods, Inc.

2002

 * Public Service Company of New Hampshire
 * General Dynamics Corporation
 * Autoliv, Inc.
 * State of Wyoming
 * United Parcel Service Airlines

2001

 * BAE Systems
 * Electronic Data Systems
 * Southwest Airlines, Inc.
 * The Boeing Company
 * The City of Bedford, Virginia

2000

 * American Express
 * Framatome Connectors USA
 * Intel Corporation
 * Midwest Express Airlines
 * Technology Concepts and Design

1999

 * British Nuclear Fuels Limited, Inc.
 * General Fire and Safety Equipment Company, Inc.
 * Hitchiner Manufacturing Co., Inc.
 * Kaiser Permanente, Northwest
 * The State of Louisiana

1998

 * American Airlines
 * American Family Mutual Insurance Company
 * CSX Transportation, Inc.
 * Portland Police Bureau
 * Wiremold Company

1997

 * Charles Machine Works, Inc.
 * The Home Depot, Southeastern Division
 * Entec Services, Inc.
 * Fred Meyer, Inc.
 * East Penn Manufacturing Co.

1996

 * Schneider National
 * McDonnell Douglas
 * United Parcel Service, Central Florida District
 * Tektronix, Inc.
 * National Life of Vermont