42 Arizona Guard and Reserve service members nominated their employers for the 2010 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, the highest recognition given by the U.S. Government to employers for their outstanding support of their employees who serve in the Guard and Reserve. The Freedom Award is particularly significant because only members of the Guard and Reserve or their family members are eligible to nominate their employers for the award.

See below for a list of Arizona employers nominated for the Freedom Award, or visit www.FreedomAward.mil.

Nearly 2,500 Guard and Reserve service members, or their families, from across the country nominated their employers for outstanding support. Nominated employers, ranging from small to large businesses and public sector employers, demonstrated support by providing continued benefits, differential pay, and family assistance. A national selection board comprised of senior defense officials and business leaders will select up to 15 recipients for the 2010 award. The Department of Defense will announce the 2010 Freedom Award recipients this summer. Recipients will be presented the Freedom Award at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. on September 23, 2010.

About ESGR & the Freedom Award

The Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award was instituted in 1996 under the auspices of Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR). ESGR is a Department of Defense agency established in 1972 whose mission is to gain and maintain employer support for Guard and Reserve Service by recognizing outstanding support, increasing awareness of the law and resolving conflict through mediation. Since 1996, only 130 companies have been presented with the prestigious Freedom Award. Previous honorees include Microsoft, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Sears, Home Depot, the State of Delaware, the Santa Ana, California Police Department and the family owned farm Augustine & Sons in Rose Hill, Iowa. For more information, please visit www.FreedomAward.mil

The following employers were nominated for the Freedom Award:

Westview High School	Avondale
Pinal County Sheriff's Office	Florence
United States Postal Service	Gilbert
City of Glendale	Glendale
Northwest Fire District	Marana
U.S Airways Airlines	Phoenix
Office of the Auditor General	Phoenix
Maricopa County Department of Transportation	Phoenix
American Express	Phoenix
Exponent	Phoenix
University of Phoenix Online Campus Axia College	Phoenix
Dept of Veterans Affairs	Phoenix
Walgreens Optioncare	Phoenix
Honeywell Aerospace	Phoenix
USAA	Phoenix
Grand Canyon University	Phoenix
Kyrene School District	Phoenix
Prescott Police Department	Prescott
US Customs and Border Protection	San Luis
General Dynamics C4S	Scottsdale
City of Scottsdale Police Department	Scottsdale
Medicis Pharmaceutical	Scottsdale
Scottsdale Insurance Company	Scottsdale
Unisource Energy Services	Show Low
Allsource Global Management	Sierra Vista
Costco Wholesale	Tolleson
Raytheon Missile Systems	Tucson
Northwest Fire/Rescue District	Tucson
Department of Veterans Affairs	Tucson
City of Tucson Code Enforcement	Tucson
AMARG	Tucson
Smyth Steel	Tucson
Bombadier Aerospace	Tucson
Pima County Attorney's Office	Tucson
Raytheon Missile Systems	Tucson
Pima County Sheriff's Department	Tucson
SWBRC Blind Rehabilitation Center	Tucson
TMobile Express Locations	Tucson
Raytheon Missile Systems	Tucson
South West Energy	Tucson