Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award

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The following organization received the 2008 Freedom Award

Jersey City Fire Department
Jersey City, NJ

Jersey City Fire Department Municipal Council President, Mariano Vega, Jr., receives the 2008 Freedom Award at a Sept. 18 ceremony in Washington, DC. (Left to right), Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs Thomas F. Hall, Mr. Vega, Director, Air National Guard, Lieutenant General Craig R. McKinley, and Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Dr. David S. C. Chu. (Photo by Brien Aho)

The Jersey City Fire Department, in Jersey City, New Jersey, is a recipient of the 2008 Secretary of Defense Freedom Award in the category of Public Sector. The Fire Department is also this year’s Public Sector recipient of the Pro Patria Award for New Jersey. To ensure Guard and Reserve employees are provided the best support possible, USERRA Law is included in Fire and Emergency Services’ union contracts and all managers and supervisors are trained in handling quick turn-around deployments. The Jersey City Fire Department provides continuation of all benefits for service members and their families for periods of service greater than 12 months and provides full pay for periods of service up to six months and differential pay after the period expires. The Department’s members raised $6,000 to issue 30,000 minutes of phone cards to their military co-workers serving in Iraq as well as all of their unit members. While Captain Leonard DiStaso, a warrant officer in the United States Marine Corps Reserves, was deployed, the Fire Department personnel collected gifts for his children and for the children of all the service members in his unit as well. The Fire Department also collected several thousand dollars to make the holidays brighter for the families of the Marines serving in Iraq. Additionally, the Fire Department made generous contributions to families having hard times due to the deployment of a family member.

Jersey City Fire Department with the 2008 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award.

Jersey City Fire Department Municipal Council President, Mariano Vega, Jr. with Deputy Secretary of Defense, Gordon England. (Photo by MC2 Molly Burgess)

The Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award
1555 Wilson Blvd., Suite 319, Arlington, VA 22209
1-800-336-4590

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