Our country relies on the skills and proven abilities our National Guard and Reserve service members provide. Citizen warriors are a vital element of our nation’s defense.Employer support allows these brave men and women in uniform to carry out their mission and is a direct contribution to our national security equation. Whether serving our country or supporting those who do, we all serve.Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense office, was established in 1972 to develop and promote employer support for Guard and Reserve service.For more than four decades, ESGR has assisted service members and their civilian employers with Uniformed Services Employment and Re-employment Rights Act issues. We have done this by educating them on the federal law, recognizing outstanding support, mediating issues and more recently encouraging the employment of Guardsmen and Reservists.Since my retirement from the Army Reserve in 2008, I have worked to support military families nationally with the Military Child Education Coalition and within the Southern California region, the Association of the United States Army Greater Los Angeles Chapter.One common theme emerges for the many National Guard and Reserve families experiencing financial stress: under-employment or unemployment.Since being named the ESGR national chair in June, I have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the ESGR team, and being able to positively impact employment.One of the ways we are making a difference is through the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program’s Hero 2 Hired initiative.H2H is a comprehensive employment program with powerful job search functionality and an online community that is 100 percent free for veterans, service members and employers.Military-friendly employers post job openings at www.H2H.Jobs and service members can look for work, get career advice and seek assistance with their résumé. Currently, more than 3.7 million jobs have been posted on the site.Many of you know that our nation has relied heavily on Guard and Reserve service members for more than a decade now, and I can tell you our employers have continued to support our men and women in uniform.Testimony to this fact are the narratives from thousands of nominations submitted to ESGR each year for the Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, that represents the highest recognition the DoD gives to employers for their outstanding support of employees serving in the reserve components.The award honors those employers who not only safeguard the positions of their military employees while they are deployed, but establish exceptional and generous initiatives accommodating and caring for these employees and their families.For 2013, five of the Freedom Award recipients were nominated by Army Reservists: Bank of America, City of Columbus, Eastman Chemical Company, Pape-Dawson Engineers, Inc., and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.Humana Inc is also a recipient this year and was nominated by an Army National Guard member.Since 1996, the Freedom Award has been presented to 175 employers from across the Nation. ESGR will accept nominations for the 2014 Freedom Award from Nov. 1, 2013 through Jan. 20, 2014 at www.FreedomAward.mil. A nomination is truly the ultimate way to say thanks.In addition to the Freedom Award, a second way National Guard and Reserve members can acknowledge employer support is through the Patriot Award.Supervisors qualify for recognition when they practice leadership and personnel policies that support employee participation in the Guard and Reserve. The nomination form can be found at www.ESGR.mil/PA.While awards honor supportive employers, ESGR is here to help any member of the National Guard or Reserve who experiences a workplace problem or issue.ESGR ombudsmen can also answer questions employers might have regarding military employees. Our customer service center, 1-(800) 336-4590, is operational weekdays from 8 am to 6 pm ET. Questions can be submitted anytime on our website at www.ESGR.mil where you can also find information on USERRA, award programs and how to volunteer with us.ESGR could not carry out its mission without the relationships we have with associations like AUSA.Even before signing an ESGR Statement of Support in 2007, AUSA had long supported ESGR’s efforts. Many of our 4,900 volunteers first learned of ESGR’s mission through AUSA and, for that, we thank you.We also thank you for your continued support and steadfast dedication to the defense of our great nation.