Worldaffairs

Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense office, announced today 15 recipients of the 2014 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, the highest honor the department gives to employers for support of National Guard and Reserve employees.

"I'm honored to announce the recipients of the 2014 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award," said Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel. "Guardsmen and Reservists across the nation rely on strong bonds with their civilian employers. By recognizing these 15 exceptional employers, the Department of Defense celebrates the contributions made by American employers to our Citizen Warriors. I commend these extraordinary employers for their unwavering commitment to service members and their families."

The 2014 Freedom Award recipients below will be honored at a ceremony in the Pentagon Sept. 26:

Employer	Location	Nominator's Branch of Service
Arizona Public Service	Phoenix, Arizona	Army Reserve
AT&T	Dallas, Texas	Coast Guard Reserve
Capital One	McLean, Virginia	Army National Guard
CH2M-WG Idaho	Idaho Falls, Idaho	Navy Reserve
General Mills, Inc.	Golden Valley, Minnesota	Army National Guard
J.G. Management Systems, Inc.	Grand Junction, Colorado	Air Force Reserve
Los Angeles Fire Department	Los Angeles, California	Navy Reserve
N.H. Department of Environmental Services	Concord, New Hampshire	Army National Guard
PNC Bank	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	Army National Guard
Shofner Vision Center	Nashville, Tennessee	Air Force Reserve
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital	Memphis, Tennessee	Army Reserve
Triumph Pharmaceuticals Inc.	St. Louis, Missouri	Army National Guard
UNC Health Care	Chapel Hill, North Carolina	Navy Reserve
Washoe County School District	Reno, Nevada	Air National Guard
Zions Bank	Salt Lake City, Utah	Army National Guard

The 2014 recipients were selected from 2,864 nominations received from Guardsmen and Reservists for going far beyond what the federal law requires to support their military employees. Last year, recipients met with President Barack Obama and senior Department of Defense leaders as part of the award recognition.

For more information about the Freedom Award and this year's recipients, visit www.FreedomAward.mil under the Media Tab in the Press Releases section.

The Freedom Award was instituted in 1996 under the auspices of ESGR to recognize exceptional support from the employer community. In the years since, 190 employers have been honored with the award. To learn more about ESGR, visitwww.ESGR.mil.

For questions or interviews regarding the Freedom Award, contact Beth Sherman, ESGR Public Affairs, at OSD.ESGR-PA@mail.mil or by phone at 571-372-0705.