Alabama employers nominated for ESGR award

53 Alabama National Guardsmen and Reservists nominated their employers to receive the 2009 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. The award is the U.S. Government’s highest recognition given to employers for exceptional support of their employees serving in the Guard and Reserve. The Freedom Award is particularly significant because only members of the National Guard and Reserve or their family members are eligible to nominate their employers for the award.

Alabama nominees include the following:

3M	Decatur
Alabama Dept of Agriculture and Industries	Montgomery
Alabama Forestry Commission	Montgomery
Alabama Power Company	Birmingham
Alabama Power Southern Company	Birmingham
Andalusia Police Dept	Andalusia
Andrew Jackson University	Birmingham
ARINC	Huntsville
Army Fleet Support	Fort Rucker
BF Goodrich	Tuscaloosa
Bill Penney TOYOTA	Huntsville
Birmingham Police Department	Birmingham
Camber Corporation	Huntsville
Florence Police Department	Florence
Chilton County Education System	Clanton
City of Birmingham Police Department	Birmingham
City of Daphne	Daphne
City of Gulf Shores AL Police Dept	Gulf Shores
City of Mobile Police Dept	Mobile
Crestwood Medical Center	Huntsville
Davidson Technologies Inc	Huntsville
Dept of the Army/Fox Army Health Center	Redstone Arsenal
Donaldson Company	Auburn
E and H Steel Corporation	Midland City
Hard Wear Inc	Northport
Houston County Board of Education	Dothan
Huntsville Police Department	Huntsville
Intergraph	Huntsville
Jackson County Sheriff's Dept.	Scottsboro
Jenkins Brick Company	Montgomery
Mobile Infirmary Medical Center	Mobile
Pilot Catastrophe Services	Mobile
Primary Care Center of Monroeville	Monroeville
Quantum Research International	Huntsville
Russell County Mapping and Appraisal Department	Phoenix City
SAIC-Anniston	Anniston
Shelby County Highway Dept	Columbiana
Sigmatech Inc	Huntsville
Social Security Administration	Mobile
Southland International Trucks	Homewood
Star Aviation	Mobile
State of Alabama-Dept of Human Resources	Bessemer
Sylacauga Housing Authority	Sylacauga
TATE Inc	Daleville
The University of Alabama	Tuscaloosa
Total Safety Inc	Mobile
Tuscaloosa County School System	Tuscaloosa
UAB Hospital	Birmingham
United States Probation Office	Mobile
US Postal Service	Birmingham
US4 Michelin Tire Corporation	Midland City
Utility Trailer Mnf. Inc	Enterprise
Verizon Wireless	Huntsville

More than 3,200 National Guard and Reserve members from across the country nominated their employers for their outstanding support. Many employers, for example, provided continued benefits, differential pay, family assistance and additional support. A national selection board comprised of senior defense officials and business leaders will select up to 15 recipients for this year’s award. The Department of Defense will announce the 2009 Freedom Award recipients this summer. The 2009 Freedom Awards will be presented at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., September 17^th at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Center.

About ESGR

Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) is a Department of Defense agency established in 1972 that seeks to promote a culture in which all American employers support and value the military service of their employees. We recognize outstanding support, increase awareness of the law, and resolve conflicts through mediation. For more information, please visit www.esgr.mil.

About the Award

The Freedom Award was instituted in 1996 under the auspices of the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) to recognize exceptional support from the employer community. Previous honorees include American Express, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Sears, Home Depot, the State of Tennessee and the Winner School District of South Dakota. For more information, please visit www.FreedomAward.mil.