Guard and Reserve members may recommend their employers to be recognized for supporting their military service when the 2006 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Awards nomination season opens next week.

The nomination season last from Jan. 9 to Feb. 28.

During last year's open season, there were 1,492 employers nominated for the prestigious Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve award. Fifteen winning employers were honored at a ceremony here last October.

To make a recommendation, Guard and Reserve members must answer 10 questions about support they receive from their employer. Questions target pay policies, benefits and leave policies, previous ESGR awards, supervisor training, ESGR advocacy, servicemember recognition, family support, deployed member support, hiring preferences and general military support, said ESGR spokesman Tom Bullock.

The nomination form is posted on the ESGR Web site.

The 55 ESGR field committees will review all nominations and verify the employer information received through the Web site. The ESGR National Ombudsman Team will then investigate all the nominations to ensure employers comply with the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act.

Up to 15 2006 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Awards will be presented here on Sept. 19, Mr. Bullock said.

The Freedom Award is the highest in a series of Defense Department employer awards that include the Patriot Award, the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Above and Beyond Award and the Pro Patria Award.

Winners "set a high standard for all America's private and public employers," said David Janes, national chairman of the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve in July.

The companies were selected based on a variety of factors -- from providing pay differentials to extending health care, dental and life insurance coverage during employees' military mobilization, officials said. All have signed statements of support for the Guard and Reserve at the five-star level, which designates that they are strong advocates for the reserve components and role models for other companies.

"I cannot think of a better measure of the leadership and patriotism of a business organization than to be recognized for outstanding Employer Support to the Guard and Reserve," said Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey, keynote speaker at the 2005 awards ceremony in October. "And even more telling is that since the nomination has to be initiated by a Guard or Reserve member or family member employed by the company, it is truly driven from the bottom up."

The Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award was initiated in 1996 to publicly recognize American employers who provide exceptional support to their employees who voluntarily serve the nation in the National Guard and Reserve who voluntarily answer the call to duty, Mr. Harvey said.

Other ESGR awards also recognize employer support for their Guard and Reserve members and can be presented directly by the employee or an ESGR field committee member. Details about these awards are posted on the ESGR Web site.