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ARLINGTON, VA -The Department of Defense has announced that Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Washington will receive the 2009 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, the highest recognition given by the U.S. Government to employers for their outstanding support of their employees who serve in the National Guard and Reserve. Microsoft Corporation was selected as one of only 15 employers from across the nation to receive a 2009 Freedom Award. A record 3,200 National Guard and Reserve members or their family members from across the country nominated their supportive employers for the award. The Freedom Award will be presented to Microsoft Corporation during a formal ceremony Thursday, September 17, 2009 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. The 2009 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award recipients are: AeroDyn Wind Tunnel LLC - Mooresville, NC AstraZeneca International - Wilmington, DE Cambridge, MA Fire Department - Cambridge, MA Consolidated Electrical Distributors, Inc. - North Charleston, SC First Data Corporation - Greenwood Village, CO FMC Technologies - Houston, TX Jackson Parish Sheriff's Department - Jonesboro, LA Marks, O'Neill, O'Brien & Courtney, P.C. - Wilmington, DE Microsoft Corporation - Redmond, WA Mid America Kidney Stone Association - Kansas City, MO Ohio Department of Public Safety - Columbus, OH Perpetual Technologies, Inc. - Indianapolis, IN Santa Ana Police Department - Santa Ana, CA TriWest Healthcare Alliance - Phoenix, AZ Nominated by a technologist in Omaha, Nebraska, Microsoft Corporation was selected as a Freedom Award recipient for its outstanding support which includes providing National Guard and Reserve employees differential pay between their military pay and Microsoft salary during deployments; continuing employee and enrolled family members' medical and life insurance benefits during deployments; creating a Military Reservist Council responsible for coordinating care packages to deployed employees overseas; providing a life-care guide to deploying service member employees and their families; and recognizing the military service of their employees through newsletters, official Microsoft publications and public events. Microsoft has received numerous ESGR state awards for their support for National Guard and Reserve employees including several Patriot Awards, Above and Beyond Awards and a Pro Patria Award in 2004. 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, Chrysler, Sears, The Home Depot, the State of Tennessee and the family owned Augustine & Sons farm in Rose Hill, IA. More information about the Freedom Award is available at www.FreedomAward.mil or by calling the ESGR office at (800) 336-4590.
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. ESGR recognizes outstanding support, increases awareness
of the law, and resolves conflicts through mediation. More information
is available at www.esgr.mil. Employer
Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) 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. Nominations must come from a Guard or Reserve member who is employed by the organization they are nominating, or from a family member.
The
award was created to publicly recognize employers who provide exceptional
support to their National Guard and Reserve employees. It is the highest
in a series of employer recognition awards given by the Department of
Defense. Reported by catch4all.com, Sandra Englund, July 21st, 2009. Sources: |
