ROCKY HILL, Conn. – The Connecticut Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve recently honored its 2009 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award nominees at a ceremony held at Bradley Air National Guard Base. 

Colonel Frank N. Detorie, commander of the Connecticut Air National Guard’s 103rd Airlift Wing served as host for the event, which was held in conjunction with the annual Bradley Space & Aviation Day.
 
Representatives of twenty-five of 35 nominated Connecticut companies and their employees in the National Guard and Reserve attended the event, which featured a keynote address by Connecticut resident and Medal of Honor recipient Paul W. Bucha.

Also attending the ceremony was Major General Carl M. “Mike” Skinner, an Air Force reservist who nominated his employer, Eurpac Service, Inc., for the Freedom Award. Skinner is the mobilization assistant to the Military Deputy, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Washington, D.C.

“This event is one of the highlights of the year for Connecticut ESGR,” said Chairman Lew Vasquez. “The commitment these state employers have shown to their employees in the National Guard and Reserve is truly amazing. It’s great to see the nominees and the nominators together enjoying the event and sharing their stories.”

The Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award is the highest recognition given by the U.S. Government to employers for their outstanding support of their employees who serve in the National Guard and Reserve.

 
The Freedom Award was instituted in 1996 under the auspices of the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) to recognize exceptional support from the employer community.

The following Connecticut companies were nominated for the 2009 Freedom Award:

 
Aetna, Inc.
Avon Police Department
Carrier Rental Systems
Carrier United Technologies
Children in Placement
City of Hartford Police Department
Connecticut Department of Corrections
Connecticut State University System
Eurpac Service, Inc.
Fairfield University
Frito Lay
Genesis Solutions
Goodrich
Hamilton Sundstrand
Harman International
Microsystems Integration
Mohegan Tribe
Newton Public School System
Petra Construction Corp.
Pfizer, Inc.
Pratt & Whitney
Praxair
Siemens IT Solutions & Services, Inc.
Sikorsky Aircraft
Smiths Medical
Sonalyst, Inc.
Sonitrol Security Systems of Hartford
St. Francis Hospital
The Hartford
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