Freedom Award nominations

Nominations are being accepted for the 2009 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award.

National Guard and Reserve members and families are encouraged to nominate employers who have gone above and beyond in their support of military employees.

Nominations will be accepted at www.FreedomAward. mil through Jan. 19. Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a Department of Defense agency, sponsors the award.

Almost half the military is comprised of the National Guard and Reserve. The Department of Defense shares citizen warriors with civilian employers, many of whom provide significant support to their employees who serve in the National Guard and Reserve.

The 2008 honorees ranged from a small family-owned transportation business in Utah to large businesses, - including Chrysler and Dominion Resources to the City of Austin, Texas, a public sector employer.

Past Freedom Award recipients have provided full salary, continuation of benefi ts, care packages and even family support to employees fulfilling their military obligation.

The award is the highest recognition given by the federal government to employers for outstanding support of their employees.

The 2009 recipients will be announced in the spring and honored in Washington, D.C. at the 14th-annual Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award ceremony Sept. 17.

Recipients of the 2008 Freedom Award met with President George W. Bush and Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England.

Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Dr. David Chu presented the awards at a ceremony attended by members of Congress and senior government and military officials.

The award was created in 1996 by the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) to recognize "exceptional support" from employers.

For more information, visit www.FreedomAward. mil or contact Beth Sherman, ESGR Public Affairs, at 703- 380-9717.