Members of the Association of the United States Army affirmed their support for members of the National Guard and Reserve in a meeting in Dothan, Ala., on Jan. 19.

Jim Muskopf, president of AUSA’s Fort Rucker-Wiregrass Chapter, hosted a Kick-Off Luncheon to sign an Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Statement of Support on behalf of the chapter’s 600 members.

The statement pledges employers to support their employees who are members of the guard and reserve, and to comply with the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act.

Retired Army Gen. Carter Ham, AUSA’s president and chief executive officer, was the guest speaker for the event and stressed the importance of ESGR.

“ESGR is a vitally important organization,” Ham said.

Adding, “It ties together the capabilities of citizen-soldiers and allows them … to fulfill their military missions while making sure their civilian jobs are protected.”

More than 30 mayors and local business officials from the Wiregrass region also signed ESGR Statement of Support at the Dothan event.

Last year, Ham issued a challenge to each of AUSA’s 119 chapters and nine regions to sign similar statements of support at their local levels so that when they meet in October 2017 at the association’s Annual Meeting and Exposition, he can state that AUSA is 100 percent committed to the ESGR program.

The Statement of Support program is the cornerstone of ESGR’s effort to gain and maintain employer support for the guard and reserve.

The intent of the program is to increase employer support by encouraging employers to act as advocates for employee participation in the military. Supportive employers are critical to maintaining the strength and readiness of the nation’s guard and reserve units.

Employers signing a statement of support pledge:

• We fully recognize, honor, and comply with the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act.
• We will provide our managers and supervisors with the tools they need to effectively manage employees who serve in the guard and reserve.
• We appreciate the values, leadership, and unique skills service members bring to the workforce and will encourage opportunities to hire guardsmen, reservists and veterans.
• We will continually recognize and support our country’s service members and their families, in peace, in crises and in war.