Guard, Reserve honor employers during Air Force Week

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Matthew McGovern
  • Defense Media Activity-San Antonio
HAMPTON, Va. (AFNS) --  Air Force officials honored the support of civilian employers of the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve at an Air Force Week awards presentation April 21 at the Hamptons Golf Course here. 

After participating together in a golf tournament, Airmen from the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve and employers from the community listened as Maj. Gen. William S. Busby III recognized employers. 

"It's vital what we do," said General Busby, a reservist and the mobilization assistant to the deputy commander of U.S. Strategic Command. "We can't fight the fight we have today without the Guard and Reserve, and the support that we get from the employers." 

The general said when Guard and Reserve members are called back to duty, they know it can be difficult for the employers at home to lose employees for periods of time. 

"It's critical (during Air Force Week) to thank these employers because it's tough on the employers. With us being (deployed), it's tough for them to operate," said the general, who is the vice president and partner in IBM's Global Business Services Unit. 

"Whether it's a small shop, losing one or two people going forward (to war), or a big company like mine, it's tough for (Guard and Reserve members) to be away like that. (Employers') understanding is invaluable to us as a nation," General Busby said. 

One man who understands the sacrifice of losing employees is Robert Trout, the state chairman of the Virginia Employers Support of the Guard and Reserve. Mr. Trout provided some statistics to the ceremony crowd to put the relationship between employers and Guard and Reserve into perspective. 

"More than 53,000 Air Force Reserve and 76,000 Air National Guard members have been activated since 9/11," Mr. Trout said. "There are more than 11,000 (Guard and Reserve members) on duty today. There are 235,000 workplaces in the country that have a Reserve or National Guard member working for them. That is 125,000 employers, 93 percent of them have two or fewer reservists or guardsmen." 

After providing the numbers, Mr. Trout expressed gratitude to the men and women of the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve in his state. 

"The 7,000 employers from Virginia thank you for what you do in the Air Force and Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve," he said. 

"How these employers and my employers work, when we go away and come back, is unbelievable," General Busby said. "(The U.S. military) couldn't do the kind of things we do without the support of the employers." 

It's crucial to know that when reservists and guardsmen come back from supporting the war there is a job waiting for them and that an employer cares for each and every member called to support the nation, he said. 

For information on Air Force Week and to see a calendar of events, visit www.airforceweek.af.mil/hamptonroads/.

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