W. Douglas Gibbens Executive Director ESGR, Roger Peterman, State Chair ESGR, Lt Governor Becky Skillman, General R Martin Umbarger, National Guard.

(Indianapolis, IN) The Indiana Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), an agency of the Department of Defense, announced today that Indiana’s Lt Governor Becky Skillman was honored with a Patriot Award in recognition of extraordinary support of her employees who serve in the Indiana National Guard and Reserve.

Bart Lamont nominated the Lt Governor for a Patriot Award. Lamont stated “Lt. Governor Skillman has been a model employer for the ESGR Patriot award. There have been countless occasions where I’ve had less than two weeks notice to report to base to help on contingency operations and the Lt. Governor has been nothing but supportive.”

According to Roger Peterman ESGR State Chair, “The ESGR Patriot Award was created by ESGR to publicly recognize American Employers who provide extraordinary patriotic support and cooperation to their employees, who like the citizen warriors before them, have answered their nation’s call to serve. Supportive employers are critical to maintaining the strength and readiness of the nation’s National Guard and Reserve units.”

Lt Governor Becky Skillman joins with thousands of American Employers who have reviewed and amended their current human resources policies to ensure compliance with the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act Law (USERRA). A Patriot Award recognizes an employer for his or her support of National Guard and Reserve members. Any service member can nominate their employer for a Patriot Award at www.esgr.mil.

"I am humbled and honored to receive this recognition," said Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman. "However, what I do pales in comparison to what our members of the armed forces do on a daily basis to protect our freedom. They are the true patriots."
 
As the 1.3 million members of the National Guard and Reserve continue to perform an increasing number of unique missions with America’s borders and beyond, ESGR will continue to be the resource for the employers of citizen warriors. ESGR provides education, consultation, and if necessary mediation for employers of Guard and Reserve employees. More information about ESGR Employer Outreach Programs and volunteer opportunities is available at www.esgr.mil, or by calling Indiana ESGR at 1-800-237-2850.