Manchester, NH -- The New Hampshire Committee of the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Committee (NHESGR), an agency of the Department of Defense, presented The Pease Greeters organization with the Seven Seals Award during an awards luncheon at the committee’s annual meeting held in Manchester at St. Anselm College on January 9, 2010.
The award, depicting the heraldry seals of the seven military services, is given at the discretion of the NHESGR chairman to recognize the efforts by a citizen, business, or organization, whose supportive actions have benefited all of the Reserve Components in a significant manner. Recipients of this award do not necessarily employ Reservists, but have demonstrated outstanding support, commitment, and extreme patriotism to the United States military.
The Pease Greeters consists of over 100 volunteers who support all branches of the military in all duty statuses – Active, Guard, and Reserve. This group of dedicated citizens can be counted on to respond day or night, good weather or bad, to greet departing and returning service members at Pease International Trade Port. Beginning in the spring of 2005, greeters have been at the airfield offering refreshments and best wishes to all deployed troops who walk the “Hall of Heroes” for each of the 316 military flights passing through New Hampshire.
Group leader Ed Johnson, of the Pease Greeters, accepted the Seven Seals Award from NHESGR on behalf of all the volunteers. He commented that it was an honor for his organization to support military service members by seeing them off and then welcoming them back home, regardless if they live in the Granite State or not. He said a service member passing through Pease on return to his residence out west told Johnson that he considered being on United States soil as being “home.”
Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) is a Department of Defense agency established in 1972. The mission of ESGR is to gain and maintain employer support for Guard and Reserve service by recognizing outstanding support, increasing awareness of the law, and resolving conflicts through informal mediation. ESGR volunteers provide free education, consultation, and if necessary mediation for employers of Guard and Reserve employees.
As the 1.3 million members of the National Guard and Reserve continue to perform an increasing number of unique missions that require extraordinary actions on the part of everyday citizens, ESGR will continue to be the informational agency for the employers of citizen warriors. More information about ESGR Employer Outreach Programs and volunteer opportunities is available at www.esgr.mil, or by calling Jim Goss, Executive Director of the New Hampshire ESGR Committee, at (603) 225-1342.
CAPTION: Group leader Ed Johnson, of the Pease Greeters, accepts the Seven Seals Award from NHESGR on behalf of all the volunteers who donate countless hours of their time to greet deployed service members flying into and out of Pease International Trade Port. Johnson, second from left, is shown here with, from right to left, Ted Kehr, chairman of the New Hampshire Chapter of the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Committee (NHESGR), an agency of the Department of Defense; Major General Michael Sumrall, director, Joint Staff, National Guard Bureau; and Brigadier General Steven Burritt, commander of the New Hampshire Army National Guard.