St. JOSEPH, Mo. – More than 30 employers from the St. Joseph and Kansas City, Mo., areas got on board with the 139th Airlift Wing Wednesday at Rosecrans Memorial Airport.
The employers were invited and hosted by the Missouri Committee for Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve as well as the Missouri National Guard. The event was called a “Boss Lift,” created to show employers the effect they have in the lives of Guard and Reserve members.
“This is a partnership,” said Don Curtis, the program’s area chairman. “Good employers make this work. We’re talking about people who work full time on top of being in the Guard. We’re doing this so you can see firsthand what we do and why you should care.”
Employers were represented from St. Joseph, Kansas City, Overland Park, Kan., Lenexa, Kan., Blue Springs, Mo., Liberty, Mo., Cameron, Mo., Lee’s Summit, Mo., and Independence, Mo. Those participants began their day with a briefing given by Col. Mike McEnulty, commander of the 139th, about the unit and a safety briefing given by flight crew members. They then set off for a one hour plane ride in the Guard’s C-130 aircraft. The crew took them to Omaha, Neb., before returning to St. Joseph.
After the plane ride, the employers were invited to stay for lunch at the dining hall where they were greeted with a speech from Gen. Brad Pray of the U.S. Air Force. They were also recognized and many were given Statement of Support certificates to sign to show their support for Guard and Reserve members.
Dan and Pamela Collins, owners of Payless, Fox, and Ace Car Rental in Kansas City, said the experience opened their eyes to see how important the Guard is.
“I was really impressed with how organized everything is in the plane and with the teamwork,” said Pamela Collins. “You can read all you want, but you can’t really understand until you see it yourself.”
The Collins’ business had employees that are members of the Guard. Dan said when one of their Soldiers leave, it really hurts their small company. Dan said in addition to their employment, Payless has a big military clientele. Nearly one-third of their business is Soldiers on travel orders or on leave.
“We make sure we get those guys wherever they need to go,” said Dan. “Sometimes we have to break rules. But people have no idea what it takes to run this country and sustain our freedom.”
Curt Prather, of Gray Manufacturing in St. Joseph, agreed the Boss Lift also helped him see the work that goes into the National Guard. He currently has three Guard members working for him.
“I wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to come see what’s over here and get familiar with operations,” said Prather. “I had no idea how much they do as far as missions and other stuff. It’s definitely been a great day.”
The Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve is a Department of Defense organization whose mission is to “gain and maintain employer support for Guard and Reserve service agencies by recognizing outstanding support, increasing awareness of the law, and solving conflicts through mediation.”
There are currently 1.3 million men and women in the Guard and Reserve. Today, more than 600,000 of those Soldiers have been deployed since Sept. 11, 2001.
For more information about the Missouri National Guard, please call 1-800-GoGuard or visit www.moguard.com.