Deadline nears to nominate employers for recognition Published Jan. 8, 2013 By Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- Reserve-component service members have until Jan. 21 to nominate their employers for a 2013 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, according to a Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve news release. Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a Department of Defense agency, manages the program that recognizes employers who go beyond what the law requires in supporting the National Guardsmen and reservists who work for them in their civilian lives. The Freedom Award is the nation's highest recognition for employers who support Guard and Reserve members, and employers of every size and industry are eligible to receive the honor. Guard and Reserve members, or a family member acting on their behalf, may nominate their employers at http://www.FreedomAward.mil. "With today's evolving missions of the reserve component, as we adapt to the current national security policy, America's employers continue to provide steadfast support to the more than 1 million men and women serving in the National Guard and Reserve at home and abroad," said James Rebholz, ESGR's national chairman. "The Freedom Award is your opportunity to honor your employer for their critical support." Any civilian employer who has not previously received the award is eligible, and service members who previously nominated their employers may do so again, officials said. The Defense Department will recognize nominees, semi-finalists and finalists. The 2013 recipients will be announced in early summer and honored in Washington, D.C., during a ceremony in the fall. Past recipients have met with the president, the secretary of defense and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, ESGR officials noted.