SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – A volunteer from Sioux Falls was awarded the National Guard Association of the United States’ Patrick Henry Award for exceptional service Sept. 12 during a ceremony in Nashville, Tenn.

Don Kelpin, state chairman for the South Dakota Committee for the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), received the award for outstanding service. He has volunteered for more than 13 years with ESGR, supporting the state’s National Guard members and Reservists and their employers.

“It is quite an honor,” said Kelpin. “I was extremely impressed when I found out that I was receiving the award.”

He said that he learned of his nomination for the award accidentally while troubleshooting another ESGR committee member’s Web site and, even though she tried to keep the nomination a secret, the cat was out of the bag. With the secret discovered, Kelpin said he was humbled after he researched the award’s origin and purpose.

The Patrick Henry Award was created in 1989 to provide recognition to local civilian leaders who distinguish themselves through their support of the Armed Forces of the United States, the National Guard or the NGAUS, he said. It was his work for South Dakota’s ESGR program that qualified him for the award.

The ESGR program is a Department of Defense volunteer agency that seeks to promote a culture in which all American employers support and value the military service of their employees.

Kelpin works to recognize outstanding employer support of Guard and Reserve employees with awards presentations, and provides education and mediation when any potential employment issues arise from an employee’s military obligations.

Since 1972, ESGR has been supporting employers who share their employees with the Department of Defense. Since first volunteering in the mid-1990s, Kelpin has witnessed several changes to the program.

“Things were very different when I first started with the program prior to 9/11,” he said.

“The organization has changed dramatically since then. We have a very serious mission to accomplish, and we can only accomplish it because of the volunteers we have out there.”

As one of those volunteers, Kelpin knows firsthand how vital their mission really is.

“We cannot go to war without the Guard and Reserve,” he said. “The employer is such an integral part of the whole relationship now, because without those Guard and Reserve members knowing they have a job when they come back it becomes really difficult for service members to do what is required of them.”

It was this attitude, and his dedication to those beliefs, that earned Kelpin the
Patrick Henry Award.

More than 4,500 military and political leaders, from all 54 United States and territories, were present at the 131st NGAUS General Conference and Exhibition ceremony where Kelpin was recognized.

Though he is grateful, personal recognition is not the reason he has dedicated so much time to the ESGR program.

For Kelpin, the reason he volunteers is the knowledge that his hard work makes it a little bit easier for many of South Dakota’s men and women in uniform to serve their country.

PHOTO CUTLINE: Don Kelpin (center), receives the National Guard Association of the United States’ Patrick Henry Award from Maj. Gen. Todd M. Bunting, NGAUS chairman (left), and Col. Murray Hansen, NGAUS awards committee chairman, during a ceremony Sept. 12 at the 131st NGAUS General Conference and Exhibition in Nashville, Tenn. Kelpin, a resident of Sioux Falls, is the state chairman for the South Dakota Committee for the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve and has been a volunteer with the program for over 13 years. (Photo by Gerry Gonzalez)

FOR MORE INFORMATION, please contact Capt. Lona Christensen at (605) 737-6540, or Capt. Anthony Deiss at (605) 737-6978 or cell (605) 415-0621, or e-mail anthony.deiss@us.army.mil

NOTE: Since the terrorist attacks on America, the South Dakota National Guard has mobilized more than 3,500 Soldiers and 1,000 Airmen in support of the Overseas Contingency Operations. Currently, more than 350 Soldiers and Airmen from the South Dakota National Guard remain on duty in Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan, and other locations throughout Southwest Asia and Europe. More than 4,000 National Guardsmen are available in South Dakota to provide support for state and national emergencies and homeland defense.