Dozens of employers from throughout Rhode Island received a spirited update on the importance of standing behind those who work for them and who are involved in the National Guard and Reserve during the ESGR’s annual meeting and awards luncheon at the Quonset “O” Club in North Kingstown recently.
The Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) is designed to build relationships between employers and today’s military. The Rhode Island ESGR committee, which sponsored the annual luncheon, is an all-volunteer organization working with the office of the Secretary of Defense. This was the day before the Rhode island National Guard’s annual air show at Quonset so nearly 100 employers were able to get a close up preview of the astounding feats performed in the air by the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels and other aerial acrobatics teams getting ready for the weekend event. During the luncheon two of the Blue Angels, Major Brent Stevens and Staff Sergeant Josuha Bryan, a Pawtucket native, explained the need for constant practice flying the F-18 Hornets in close formation 18 inches apart at high speeds. Major Stevens told of his training and requirement to land his aircraft on an aircraft carrier in the dark during rolling seas. Stevens thanked employers for their support during his talk and interest in the Blue Angels.
Warwick Mayor Scott Avedesian also signed a statement of support for his city’s men and women who are in the Guard and Reserve after ESGR Chairman John Burns spoke of the ESGR’s newly-evolving mission to become even more involved in helping veterans obtain employment as part of the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the National ESGR’s Employment Initiative Program.
Coming from his farewell ceremony, Major General Robert Bray, outgoing Adjutant General and Commanding General of the Rhode Island National Guard and ESGR Chairman John Burns helped present awards to several of the nearly 100 businessmen and women in attendance. General Bray reminded everyone that 809,000 Guard members and Reservists have been mobilized since 9-11, including 4,900 from Rhode Island - second in per capita only to Montana. Assistant Adjutant General BG Brian Goodwin told the gathering that as many as 450 Guard and Reserve members are due to be mobilized soon.
Following the luncheon and awards, employers and ESGR committee members were driven by shuttle to the flight line where they had a front row seat for the practicing. The “rehearsal” was essentially the same as the actual air show without the huge crowds, providing everyone with a close up of some of the most skilled and daring maneuvers anyone will ever see in the air.
The annual luncheon meeting is only one of several events for which employers will receive invitations from ESGR during the year. There are visits to local military sites where troop training can be observed as well as occasional trips out of state to see first-hand where and how their employees are at work training to protect the country and state.
By: Glenn Laxton, RI-ESGR Director of Public Relations |