recipients of secretary of defense
employer support freedom award named
15 Exceptional
Employers Recognized for Top Honor
WASHINGTON – The Department of Defense announced today the 15 recipients
of the 2016 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, the highest
honor the department gives to employers for support of National Guard and Reserve
employees.
“These 15 employers have distinguished
themselves through their outstanding support of our Guard and Reserve members
and their families," said Defense Secretary Ash Carter. “Without the unfaltering support of employers
like them, the men and women of the National Guard and Reserve would not be
able to fulfill their vital roles in our National Security Strategy. It is a great honor for me to recognize these
employers, and I congratulate them on their receipt of the Employer Support
Freedom Award.”
The Freedom Award recipients below will
be honored at a ceremony at the Pentagon Aug. 26:
|
Employer
|
Location
|
|
Alaska
Airlines
|
Anchorage,
AK
|
|
Albuquerque
Police Department
|
Albuquerque,
NM
|
|
Benjamin
Franklin Plumbing
|
Springfield,
MO
|
|
Burford
Corporation
|
Dublin,
OH
|
|
Carolinas
Healthcare System
|
Charlotte,
NC
|
|
Clackamas
County Sheriff Office
|
Oregon
City, OR
|
|
Delmarva
Veteran Builders
|
Salisbury,
MD
|
|
FASTSIGNS
International, Incorporated
|
Carrollton,
TX
|
|
Hope
Valley Industries
|
North
Kingstown, RI
|
|
Idaho
State Police
|
Meridian,
ID
|
|
Lowe’s
|
Mooresville,
NC
|
|
Maryland
State Police
|
Pikesville,
MD
|
|
Prairie
Grove Consolidated School District 46
|
Crystal
Lake, IL
|
|
Seattle
Fire Department
|
Seattle,
WA
|
|
The
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
|
Akron,
OH
|
|
The 2016 recipients were selected
from 2,424 nominations received from Guardsmen and Reservists for going far
beyond what the federal law requires to support their military employees. The Freedom Award was instituted in 1996
under the auspices of the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve to
recognize exceptional support from the employer community. In the years since,
220 employers have been honored with the award.
For more information about the
Freedom Award and this year’s recipients, visit www.FreedomAward.mil. To learn more about ESGR, visit www.ESGR.mil.