Rumsfeld thanks Reserve, Guard employers
By Donna Miles, American Forces Press Service / Published October 02, 2003
WASHINGTON (AFPN) --
In an open letter to employers, Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld thanked them for their continued support of their National Guard and Reserve employees called to support the global war on terrorism.
“(The ongoing war) would not have been possible without the strong backing of America's employers," Rumsfeld wrote in the letter, mailed Sept. 29.
Defense Department officials mobilized more than 295,000 members of the reserve components since Sept. 11, 2001.
The letters were sent to the directors of major employer associations and organizations and of government agencies. They, in turn, were asked to distribute the letters to their members.
“(Your Reserve and Guard employees) have been engaged in and around the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as providing security here at home and in other critical locations around the world," Rumsfeld wrote.
Rumsfeld thanked the employers for "swiftly releasing your valuable employees for military service" and "welcoming back these returning warriors and reinstating them in their jobs."
He said that during the mobilizations, many employers "did more than was required by law by voluntarily offering continued benefits, pay differentials and additional, creative forms of family support which made the period of separation so much easier to bear.
"I know of no other time in our nation's history when so many employers have voluntarily offered this level of support and benefits," he wrote.
Noting that those actions have not been without sacrifice, Rumsfeld expressed "the deepest appreciation of this department and the United States government for your unswerving support of our nation's military.
"Without this continued support, we could not maintain a strong military or sustain the current effort to overcome the international terrorist threat directed at our country, our citizens and all who love freedom," Rumsfeld wrote.
"You have my deepest thanks," he concluded. "Your direct contributions and support are another illustration of America's greatness as a nation."