Smyrna, DE – Steve Niewinski, Volunteer Committee Member for the Delaware Committee for ESGR honored Mr. George Middleton from Transportation at the Red Clay School District with a Patriot Award in recognition of his extraordinary support of employees who serve in the National Guard and Reserve.  The recipient was nominated by employee and Guard member SPC Alan Beecham.  SPC Beecham serves in the Army National Guard HHC /1/114th INF, Woodbury, NJ.

In his nomination of his supervisor, SPC Beecham boasts, “Mr. Middleton is a great boss.  When I need time off for military, he does not give me any problems.  He just wants the proper paperwork.  When I come back, he lets me know that the work and training I get (at the Army National Guard) is very valuable and very much appreciated.  When he looks at me, I know he is proud of me.”  Mr. Middleton is also himself a veteran of the armed forces.

According to Christine Kubik, Delaware ESGR Executive Director, “the ESGR Patriot Award was created to publicly recognize individuals who provide outstanding patriotic support and cooperation to their employees, who like the citizen warriors before them, have answered their nation’s call to serve.  Supportive supervisors are critical to maintaining the strength and readiness of our nation’s Guard and Reserve units.  Employers are nominated by their military employees”.

About ESGR
Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) is a Department of Defense agency with a mission to gain and maintain employer support for Guard and Reserve service by recognizing outstanding support, increasing awareness of the law, and resolving conflict through mediation. ESGR volunteers provide free education, consultation, and if necessary mediation for civilian employers of Guard and Reserve employees.  More information about ESGR Employer Outreach and Education Programs is available by calling Christine Kubik, Executive Director of the Delaware ESGR Committee, at (302) 326-7582.

PICTURED (left to right):
Steve Niewinski, DE ESGR Volunteer; SPC Alan Beecham, employee and nominator; Mr. George Middleton, Supervisor and award recipient; Mr. Merv Daugherty, Red Clay School’s Superintendant.