Michigan Guard and Reserve Members can nominate civilian employers for Defense Department Freedom Award

WASHINGTON – Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich.,is urging Michigan Guard and Reserve members or their families to nominate deserving employers for the 2014 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, the highest distinction given by the Defense Department to civilian employers. Nominations must be submitted by Jan. 20, 2014, at www.FreedomAward.mil.

“The Freedom Award recognizes employers who go the extra mile to support their Guard or Reserve employees,” said Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “If your employer has stood by you during deployment or provided that extra hand that made life for you and your family a little bit easier, consider nominating them for this prestigious award.”

There are over 16,000 individuals serving in Michigan in the reserve components.

Up to 15 awards are presented each year in three categories: public sector, small business and large business. Nominees will be announced in mid-March, semifinalists in mid-April and finalists in mid-May. Award winners will be announced in late June and presented with the Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. in September.

Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a Department of Defense office, administers the Freedom Award each year. Since the award’s creation in 1996, 190 employers have been recognized for their exemplary support of their Guard and Reserve employees.

For more information about the Freedom Award, please contact Beth Sherman, ESGR Public Relations, at (571) 372-0705 or by email at OSD.ESGR-PA@mail.mil.