59 Tennessee National Guardsmen and Reservists nominated their employers to receive the 2009 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. The award is the U.S. Government’s highest recognition given to employers for exceptional support of their employees serving in the Guard and Reserve. The Freedom Award is particularly significant because only members of the National Guard and Reserve or their family members are eligible to nominate their employers for the award.

Tennessee nominees include the following:

Aerospace Testing Alliance	Tullahoma	Tennessee
AFL Network Services	Franklin	Tennessee
Allenberg Cotton Co	Cordova	Tennessee
Ammed Direct	Nashville	Tennessee
Ardent Health Services	Nashville	Tennessee
Asurion Inc	Nashville	Tennessee
AT&T	Jackson	Tennessee
Beverly Steel INC	Knoxville	Tennessee
Blue Cross Blue Shield	Chattanooga	Tennessee
Brownsville Police Department	Brownsville	Tennessee
Caterpillar Inc	Nashville	Tennessee
Chili's Grill and Bar	Lenoir City	Tennessee
City of Hendersonville Police Department	Hendersonville	Tennessee
City of LaVergne	LaVergne	Tennessee
City of Memphis Fire Services	Memphis	Tennessee
COLINX	Crossville	Tennessee
East TN State University	Johnson City	Tennessee
Eastman Chemical Company	Kingsport	Tennessee
EATON (Hydraulics)	Cleveland	Tennessee
Edwards and Associates	Bristol	Tennessee
Goodrich Corp	Tullahoma	Tennessee
Hawkins Middle School	Hendersonville	Tennessee
Haywood Company	Brownsville	Tennessee
Hendersonville Police Department	Hendersonville	Tennessee
Highway Chemical	Knoxville	Tennessee
Hilton Hotels Corporation	Memphis	Tennessee
HMG-Sapling Grove Surgery Center	Bristol	Tennessee
Kellogg's Eggo	Rossville	Tennessee
Knoxville Police Department	Knoxville	Tennessee
Krystal Company	Chattanooga	Tennessee
Lenoir City Schools	Lenoir City	Tennessee
Lowes Home Improvement	Fort Payne	Tennessee
Memphis City Schools	Memphis	Tennessee
Metro Nashville Police Department	Nashville	Tennessee
National Federation of Independent Business	Nashville	Tennessee
Nissan North America Inc	Smyrna	Tennessee
Nuclear Fuel Services	Erwin	Tennessee
Qualis Corporation	Huntsville	Tennessee
Rutherford County Emergency Medical Service	Murfreesboro	Tennessee
Saratoga Technologies Inc	Johnson City	Tennessee
Skanska USA Building	Nashville	Tennessee
Soddy Daisy Police Department	Soddy Daisy	Tennessee
Southern Hills Medical Center	Nashville	Tennessee
Southwest TN Electric	Brownsville	Tennessee
Steel Plate Fabricators	Knoxville	Tennessee
Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America	Deerfield	Tennessee
TEC Environmental Laboratories	Jackson	Tennessee
Tennessee Highway Patrol	Jackson	Tennessee
Tennessee Valley Authority	Knoxville	Tennessee
Tennessee’s Early Intervention System	Memphis	Tennessee
The Gideons International	Nashville	Tennessee
University of Tennessee	Knoxville	Tennessee
US Cellular	Knoxville	Tennessee
VA Medical Center Memphis	Memphis	Tennessee
Vacumet	Morristown	Tennessee
Verchota Floors Inc	Madison	Tennessee
Veteran Administration	Memphis	Tennessee
Walden Security	Chattanooga	Tennessee
Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics	Smyrna	Tennessee

More than 3,200 National Guard and Reserve members from across the country nominated their employers for their outstanding support. Many employers, for example, provided continued benefits, differential pay, family assistance and additional support. A national selection board comprised of senior defense officials and business leaders will select up to 15 recipients for this year’s award. The Department of Defense will announce the 2009 Freedom Award recipients this summer. The 2009 Freedom Awards will be presented at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., September 17^th at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Center.

About ESGR

Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) is a Department of Defense agency established in 1972 that seeks to promote a culture in which all American employers support and value the military service of their employees. We recognize outstanding support, increase awareness of the law, and resolve conflicts through mediation. For more information, please visit www.esgr.mil.

About the Award

The Freedom Award was instituted in 1996 under the auspices of the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) to recognize exceptional support from the employer community. Previous honorees include American Express, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Sears, Home Depot, the State of Tennessee and the Winner School District of South Dakota. For more information, please visit www.FreedomAward.mil.