The Freedom Award is the DoD’s highest recognition given to employers for exceptional support of their employees serving in the Guard and Reserve.
Guam-CNMI’s semifinalists stood out for their support of military employees as nationwide nominations for the Freedom Award rose 64 percent over last year.
Among the 148 semifinalists are the CNMI Public School System, Saipan; Galaide Group, LLC, Tamuning; and Hilton Guam Resort and Spa, Tumon Bay.
These Guam-CNMI employers distinguished themselves from a pool of 4,049 nominations submitted by service members in 2011.
Employers chosen as semifinalists support their Guard and Reserve employees through a variety of formal and informal initiatives, including providing the difference between military and civilian salary during deployments, continuation of full benefits, sending care packages and supporting the families of employees fulfilling military obligations.
“Our nation’s ability to rely on the Guard and Reserve through nearly 10 years of war and during historic natural disasters is made possible by the tremendous support of employers,” said ESGR National Chairman James G. Rebholz. “The employers selected as semifinalists have distinguished themselves by going above and beyond what the law requires, and I want to thank them for their critical support on behalf of our service members and our nation.”
A national review board will narrow the group of 148 semifinalists to 30 finalists for the Freedom Award.
Then, a national selection board composed of senior defense officials, business leaders and prior awardees will select the 15 recipients for the 2011 Freedom Award.
The DoD is expected to announce the finalists in May and the award recipients in early summer.
The 2011 recipients will be honored in Washington, D.C. at the 16th annual Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award Ceremony on Sept. 22, 2011. Last year’s recipients met privately with Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates prior to the ceremony.
