Arlington, Virginia —
ARLINGTON, Va. (3/19/13) – Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a Department of Defense operational committee, announced 59 Colorado Guard and Reserve members nominated their employers for the 2013 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award March 19.
The agency received 2,899 nominations nationwide, and of those, 59 Colorado service members nominated their employers for the highest honor.
The Freedom Award is the Department of Defense’s highest recognition for employers supporting employees serving in the Guard and Reserve. Up to 15 award recipients will be announced this summer and honored in Washington, D.C. later this year at the 18th annual Freedom Award ceremony. Past award recipients have met with senior leaders of the White House and Department of Defense as part of the award recognition.
Though recent draw downs in Afghanistan, ongoing national security demands and historic humanitarian relief missions have continued to call service members away from their civilian lives, it's these supportive employers who are critical to helping restore stability and peace of mind for these Citizen-Warriors and their loved ones.
"Every year, these nominations demonstrate the strength of our employers' commitment to supporting our Guardsmen and Reservists," said ESGR National Chair James G. Rebholz. "We applaud all the National Guard and Reserve service members who took the time to tell the DOD why their employers are exceptional, and we are grateful to the 2013 nominees for providing our Citizen-Warriors the assistance and encouragement they rely on while answering the call to duty."
Guard and Reserve service members, or family members acting on their behalf, nominated their civilian employers for the Freedom Award during the 12-week nomination season that closed in January.
Guard and Reserve members comprise nearly one-half of the U.S. military. While most Guard and Reserve employers proudly support their military employees, Freedom Award recipients are recognized for going to extraordinary lengths for their Guardsmen and Reservists. Nationwide, this year’s nominees represent diverse industries including airlines, grocery store chains, national retail brands and IT companies, as well as small businesses, and state and local governments.
The 2013 Freedom Award Nominations from Colorado are:
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Employer
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City
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Living Water Bible Fellowship
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Alamosa
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Arvada Police Department
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Arvada
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City of Arvada
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Arvada
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Aurora Police Department
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Aurora
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Colorado Army National Guard Honor Guard
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Aurora
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Transportation Security Administration
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Aurora
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Walmart
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Aurora
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Eagle River Fire Protection District
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Avon
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National Weather Service
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Boulder
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Xcel Energy
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Boulder
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Kaiser Permanente Castle Rock Medical Office
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Castle Rock
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Blair and Associates, P.C.
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Cedaredge
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Dial Global Radio Networks
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Centennial
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Colorado Springs Utilities
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Colorado Springs
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El Paso County Clerk & Recorder
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Colorado Springs
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El Paso County Sheriff's Office
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Colorado Springs
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Everest University Online
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Colorado Springs
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Harloff Company
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Colorado Springs
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Hewlett Packard
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Colorado Springs
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Lifetime Fitness
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Colorado Springs
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TASC
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Colorado Springs
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U.S. Paralympics
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Colorado Springs
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United States Anti Doping Agency
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Colorado Springs
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Alpine Access
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Denver
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Colorado Department of Corrections
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Denver
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Colorado Office of the State Auditor
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Denver
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DaVita, Inc
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Denver
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DCP Midstream
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Denver
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Denver Health Paramedic Division
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Denver
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Denver Public Schools
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Denver
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First Choice Bank
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Denver
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MarkWest
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Denver
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Performance Mobility
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Denver
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Securitas Security Services
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Denver
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United Air Lines
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Denver
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Durango Harley Davidson
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Durango
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Charles Schwab
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Englewood
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Denver Jet Center
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Englewood
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Jeppesen Sanderson Inc
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Englewood
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James I Michalka
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Fort Collins
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Pelco by Schneider Electric
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Fort Collins
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Gray Oil Company
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Fort Lupton
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JG management Systems, Inc.
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Grand Junction
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Meadow Gold Dairies/Dean Foods
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Grand Junction
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Page-Parsons Jewelers
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Grand Junction
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Double Diamond Crossfit
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Greeley
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Greenwood Village Police Department
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Greenwood Village
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AlliedBarton Security Services
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Lakewood
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Bureau Of Land Management Colorado
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Lakewood
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Department of Veterans Affairs
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Lakewood
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US Fish and Wildlife Service
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Lakewood
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Rocky Mountain Oilfield Rental
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LaSalle
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Lockheed Martin
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Littleton
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DigitalGlobe, Inc.
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Longmont
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Medtronic Surgical Technologies
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Louisville
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Aspen Homes Remodeling LLC
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Loveland
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Parker Police Department, Town of Parker
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Parker
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City of Pueblo
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Pueblo
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Federal Aviation Administration
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Pueblo
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A list of nominations from all 50 states and Guam-CNMI, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia, are available at www.FreedomAward.mil. Semifinalists for the 2013 Freedom Award will be announced later this spring.
About ESGR and the Freedom Award:
The Freedom Award was instituted in 1996 under the auspices of ESGR to recognize exceptional support from the employer community. In the years since, 175 employers have been honored with the award. ESGR develops and maintains employer support for Guard and Reserve service. ESGR advocates relevant initiatives, recognizes outstanding support, increases awareness of applicable laws, and resolves conflict between service members and employers. Paramount to ESGR's mission is encouraging employment of Guardsmen and Reservists who bring integrity, global perspective and proven leadership to the civilian workforce.
For questions or interviews regarding the Freedom Award, please contact Beth Sherman, ESGR Public Affairs, at 571-372-0705 or by email at ESGR-PA@osd.mil.
ARLINGTON, Va. (3/19/13) – Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a Department of Defense operational committee, announced 59 Colorado Guard and Reserve members nominated their employers for the 2013 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Awar