Fall 2007 Minnesota Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve NATIONAL GUARD BRIGADE COMBAT TEAM RETURNS This July, Minnesotans were witness to an event not seen in this state since the end of World War II. After twenty-two long months, sixteen of which were in Iraq, 2,600 proud men and women of the Minnesota Army National Guard s First Brigade Combat Team (BCT) came home. Originally scheduled to return in March, the BCT was extended four months in support of the Troop Surge. By virtue of the extension, the BCT had the distinction of being the longest serving Brigade Combat Team that s participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom since the invasion of Iraq in 2003. The BCT consisted of not only the 2,600 soldiers from Minnesota units, but also an additional 2,700 soldiers from 35 other states. The Brigade participated in very dangerous and critical missions during the sixteen months in country. They provided theatre-wide convoy and route security and are credited with driving over two and a half million highway miles while accomplishing this mission. They assisted in locating and clearing hundreds of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). In addition, members of the BCT ran hundreds of patrols and provided base security throughout the country. The successes of the BCT did not come without a steep price. The Brigade had several soldiers killed and a significant number wounded during the sixteen month tour. We need to and will recognize the sacrifices these brave men and women have made. Operation Welcome Home at the rest stops entering the state and the heartwarming receptions at all the Armories throughout the state are just the start of a new life which may be different from the way things once were for them. These soldiers now cross that line that takes them literally Beyond the Yellow Ribbon. Reintegration is a long process, not a single event, and we need all facets of our communities to help bring these soldiers all the way home and to leave none behind. It is also important to recognize the families and employers of these soldiers who have also made great sacrifices. While the soldiers were literally running a twenty-two month marathon, we must understand that the families were running a marathon also. Everyone is physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted. The Uniform Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) doesn t cover the spouses of military members, but we ask their employers for some leniency not only when their husbands or wives are deployed, but also when they return so they can spend time together and get to know each other again. We also suggest to all SGT Mike Braa and his wife Kaili embrace as his unit returns to the Fairmont Armory in July. military members to recognize their employers who have done great things for them while they were deployed. Go to www.esgr.mil and click on Award Your Employer. Take five minutes and fill out the information in the template and your employer will receive a Patriot Award. It s a nice gesture to thank them for the thoughtful things they did for yourself and your family while you were away. Finally, if you have the opportunity to meet one of these soldiers on the street, in the store or at church, don t hesitate to shake their hand and tell them Thank You and Welcome Home. They ve earned it.
Fall 2007 ESGR Minnesota Page 2 Minnesota Employer Honored with Freedom Award (L-R) Minnesota ESGR State Chair Dennis Schulstad, Ultra Machining Company President Don Tomann, Karin Jacobson, wife of SGT Lou Jacbson, and Governor Tim Pawlenty as Mr. Tomann accepts the Pro Patria Award at the Minnesota ESGR Awards Banquet in April of 2007. WASHINGTON, D.C. Ultra Machining Company (UMC) of Monticello, MN has been recognized with the Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. This is the fourth year in a row that a Minnesota employer has been selected to receive this prestigious award. Over five hundred nominations are submitted annually from Minnesota alone, and thousands more from across the country; from these, only fifteen award winners are selected each year from the entire country. UMC was nominated for this award by Sergeant Lou Jacobson of Company A 134 th Brigade Support Battalion of the Minnesota Army National Guard. SGT Jacobson s unit was part of the First Brigade Combat team, and was deployed a total of nearly 22 months, 16 of those in Iraq. During that time, UMC paid the difference between SGT Jacobson s Army salary and what his salary would have been at UMC; continued his health and pension benefits; kept in regular contact with his family; and over 40 employees donated their free time to repair a fence at the Jacobson's home. UMC also gives military veterans extra preference during the hiring process and educates its management about the challenges of reintegrating military veterans back into the workplace. UMC s earned a Pro Patria Award, the highest award ESGR presents at the state level, in April of 2007. We are tremendously excited to win this award, said Jed Dotterer, Director of Operations at UMC. We won this because of our employees. They really stepped up helping with the Jacobson family. Dotterer also expressed how glad UMC was to have SGT Jacobson back home. Lou is a tremendously talented machinist, he said, mentioning a company crosstraining program that helped the company deal with SGT Jacobson s absence. However, he also stated that the company will be following USERRA s provision that a service member can take up to 90 days to report back to work after a period of duty exceeding 180 days, and that the company is strongly suggesting that (Lou) spend some quality time with those two boys and his wife. Dotterer added that when SGT Jacobson does return to work, the company will provide support and training to help him reintegrate. SGT Jacobson returned home on the 18th of August. The awards were presented on September 12 in a ceremony at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. Attending the awards were UMC founder Terry Tomann and his wife Mary; his youngest son Don Tomann, UMC s president, and his wife Jenny; UMC Vice President Randy Hatcher and his wife Joyce; SGT Jacobson and his wife Karen; and Mr. Dotterer, along with his brother, US Army Lieutenant Colonel Joel Dotterer. Also in attendance were Minnesota ESGR State Chairman Brigadier General (Ret) Denny Schulstad and Executive Director SGM (Ret) Jim Sullivan. Secretary of Defense William Perry instituted the Freedom Award in 1996 to publicly recognize employers for exceptional support above federal law requirements. This award is the highest in a series of Department of Defense employer awards that include the Patriot Award, Above and Beyond Award, and Pro Patria Award. Previous Minnesota Freedom Award winners include Allianz Life in 2006, Ryland Homes in 2005, and the State of Minnesota in 2004. Award Your Employer Show your employer you appreciate their support! Go to the ESGR website - www.esgr.mil - and click on Award Your Employer. Your employer will receive a My Boss Is A Patriot Award and an ESGR lapel pin. They also become eligible for higher awards, such as the Above and Beyond and Pro Patria Awards.
Fall 2007 ESGR Minnesota Page 3 Message from the State Chair Denny Schulstad, Brigadier General (Retired), USAF These are exciting and happy times for the 2,600 young men and women returning home from their 22 month deployment. Their families, neighbors, friends and employers are happy to welcome them back home. Don't forget, there are also hundreds of Guard and Reserve members leaving for deployment and dozens of others coming and going every month. Since that terrible day on 9-11, most of our 19,000 reserve component members from Minnesota have been deployed to over 20 countries, many more than once. "Weekend Warriors?" Hardly. When we are complaining about the oppressive temperatures here when it exceeds 90 and we are going from our air conditioned homes to our air conditioned cars to our air conditioned offices or stores... please remember our military members. They spend months without air conditioning where it is 20-30 degrees hotter... in full body armor. They don't see any green grass, blue lakes or flowers. They face constant danger. They miss weddings (sometimes their own), funerals, birthdays, holidays, graduations and sometimes the birth of a new son or daughter. Our military members (active duty, guard and reserve) are the best educated, trained and equipped in history. Only a quarter of the people in the prime age group to join the military are qualified to enter... most are disqualified for physical reasons, lack of education, aptitude issues, criminal records, drug use or other reasons. Those who choose to serve in the military are among the "best and brightest" of our young men and women. They are the best educated and trained force in history using the highest technology equipment ever provided to a military force. They are patriotic, dedicated and, since CONTACT OUR OFFICE Our Cottage Grove office is available to answer any questions regarding ESGR: Jim Sullivan (612) 327-4698 james.d.sullivan@mn.ngb.army.mil Chris Campbell (651) 268-8906 chris.s.campbell@mn.ngb.army.mil Rae Schwartz (651) 268-8206 rae.schwartz@mn.ngb.army.mil there is no draft, are all volunteers. These are our sons and daughters, mothers and dads, neighbors, friends, employees. Whatever we can do to make it easier for them to serve is our duty and obligation. At ESGR we make sure their jobs are waiting when they return home. We also work with employers to encourage them to go "above and beyond" what is legally required. Hundreds of employers do just that by mowing lawns, shoveling sidewalks, providing day care, sending "care packages", having going away and welcome home parties, keeping other employees aware of what their military colleague is doing, making up the difference in pay, and many other important things to show concern and support. Minnesota leads the nation in support for our Guard and Reserve members. This is the fourth straight year one of our employers has been selected for a National Freedom Award. No other state has won that often. We have two Foundations to support the young men and women in the military The Minnesota Military Family Foundation provides funding to those facing financial difficulties as a result of deployments and the Minnesotans' Military Appreciation Fund, which has raised over $6 million to give grants to say "thanks" to those who have served in a combat area after 9-11. Other states are looking to Minnesota for ideas to help our brave men and women in uniform. Many thanks to our ESGR volunteers who have made our committee the best in the nation.
Fall 2007 ESGR Minnesota Page 4 MEMBERS IN THE NEWS Minnesota American Legion Commander Signs 5-Star Statement of Support AUGUST 7, 2007 John Cox, Brigadier General (Retired), USA, Commander of the Minnesota American Legion, today signed a Statement of Support on behalf of the entire Minnesota organization, which currently boasts 577 posts throughout the state. John Cox, who has been a member of the Minnesota Committee for ESGR for many years, is nearing the completion of his assignment as the State Commander for the American Legion. John, a member of the American Legion for almost twenty-five years, has held the posts of District Commander, District Membership Director, Department Commander, Department Vice- Commander and Department Chaplain. John was also a long time member of the Minnesota Army National Guard where he served for over thirty years. He enlisted in 1949 and received his commission as a Second Lieutenant in 1961. He held numerous key positions in the Army Guard to include Battalion Commander, Assistant Division Commander, Director of Plans, Operations and Training, Chief of Staff and finally as the Assistant Adjutant General. John was promoted to Brigadier General in April 1986 and he retired from the military in October 1990. John resides in the Twin Cities and has two daughters and six grandchildren. ESGR Vice-Chair Curt Norenberg Curt Norenberg, the Vice-Chair for the Minnesota ESGR Committee, has been with our program since 1975, making him one of the longest-serving members of the Minnesota Committee. Curt has served as the Vice Chair for five different State Chairs. Norenberg graduated from North Dakota State University and received his military commission through ROTC in 1953. He served 2 years in the Army and 30 years in the Army Reserve. During his military career Curt served in numerous positions of great responsibility to include Company Commander, Executive Officer and Commander of the 385 th Engineer Group, the G-1 Personnel Officer and the Deputy Commander of the 88 th ARCOM. He was promoted to Brigadier General in 1980 and he retired from the military in 1985. During his career he also served for 25 years on the All-Army Rifle Team as a participant and a coach. In his civilian life, Curt retired from the University of Minnesota after 30 years as a Professor of Agricultural Education. He has been very active in numerous service organizations and agencies. He is a past President of the Retired Officer Association, past President of the Association of the United States Army, past Director of the Military Officers Association, past District Governor of the Lions, current District Vice Chair of the American Legion and a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He is married with three children and lives in the Twin Cities area. ESGR Member Named St. Louis County Veterans Services Supervisor ESGR Committee member Wilson Spence has been named the new interim head of the County Veterans Services Office (CVSO) in Duluth, MN. Spence has been an active member of ESGR since 1995. In addition to ESGR, he also volunteers with many other local organizations. He has been a member of the American Legion, West Duluth Post 71, for 22 years, and has served as Post Service Officer. In addition, he is a past State Commander of the Disabled American Veterans of Minnesota and past President of the Association of County Veterans Services Officers. Spence served on active duty in the enlisted corps of the United States Air Force from 1970 to 1974. He has been working in Veterans Services for the past 23 years. Speaking of how his volunteer work with ESGR intersects with his work and other activities, Spence said I m seeing a lot of returning soldiers, and I can answer their questions about ESGR and their USERRA rights and benefits. Durbin Keeney, director of the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans in Duluth said, (Wilson is) one of the best CVSO s in the state. MN-ESGR Welcomes Three New Ombudsmen ESGR would like to welcome three new volunteers who will be serving as Ombudsmen. They are: Mike Ford of St. Cloud, Mike Rengel of Fergus Falls, and Mary Jane Morrison of St. Paul. Mr. Ford and Mr. Rengel are practicing attorneys and Ms. Morrison is a professor of law at Hamline University. ESGR thanks you for your service and is glad to have you on board! The Ombudsmen Services Program was established in 1974 to provide information, counseling, and informal mediation of issues relating to compliance with USERRA. The Ombudsmen Services Program provides information, informal mediation, and referral service to resolve employer conflicts.
Fall 2007 ESGR Minnesota Page 5 FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR With the kids returning to school and the State Fair behind us, we realize another summer is coming to a close. It s been a productive summer in ESGR and I thank all our committee members who step up sometimes on very short notice to do briefings, unit visits and handle Ombudsman cases in such a timely manner. I believe our Ombudsman Program is currently as good as any in the nation. Our Ombudsman Director Donna Erickson has done a great job recruiting numerous attorneys from around the state to handle the increased workload with so many military members returning from deployments. As the new fiscal year is nearing, we have several goals to make our committee better and stronger. One of those goals is to have more volunteers participate in any ESGR event where they feel they can make a contribution to our committee. I believe people join a volunteer organization because they feel they can make a contribution and make a difference. Our goal is to provide that opportunity. I thank all of you for what you do and for being a part of ESGR. Jim Sullivan Executive Director UPCOMING EVENTS September 22-23 ARNG Reintegration Event St. Paul River Center September 29-30 ARNG Reintegration Event U of M Moorhead October 16 133 AW Employer Breakfast October 27 Ombudsman Refresher Course Location TBA November 7 Mass Statement of Support Signing Mall of America November 15 Briefing with the Boss Camp Ripley January 5 ESGR MN Executive Council Meeting Minneapolis Statement of Support Program: Shared Resources, Shared Benefits I hope every ESGR volunteer in Minnesota and their families had an enjoyable Labor Day holiday! This day celebrates the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity and well-being of America. The ESGR mission, to gain and maintain active support from all pubic and private employers for the men and women of the National Guard and Reserve, celebrates the contributions these workers make to our national defense. With our Reserve component providing such a significant part of our national defense, the 5-Star program was initiated to reinforce our efforts to gain support from all identified employers. The National Committee of ESGR is providing staff and supply support and posts monthly status reports on Statement of Support results on a national, regional and field committee level. Each committee has a recommended number of signings, which is a factor of total employers and reserve component totals. Guidelines provide substantial latitude on how each committee utilizes them in selecting the recognition level and arranging the signing ceremonies. Region Chairs can accomplish signings by phone, mail, committee member visit or arranging a signing ceremony which could include a variety of company representatives, military and MN-ESGR officials, photos, media, etc. Monthly status reports provide comparative figures, progress rates, competitive pressures, as well as a method of soliciting advice from committees who are accomplishing significant results. Your Minnesota committee has achieved national prominence in rewarding deserving employers in a variety of creative and meaningful ways. However, we all realize that the reserve component will continue to be a significant factor in our total force, and employers will be faced with supporting their employees who are serving our country. Employer concerns include: covering open positions, loss of productivity, finding temporary workers, emotional toll on workers remaining behind, cost continuation for employees on active duty, temporary worker costs, to cite some of the prominent challenges. Also facing employers are family EAP and CO- BRA costs. Employees returning from active duty, particularly after extended or repeated activation, present the employer with many challenges in reintegrating the reservist into the company as smoothly as possible. LTC John Morris (Chaplain, ARNG) has defined the potential difficulties inherent in this situation very well in a variety of venues. The Minnesota committee Statement of Support program has been slow to develop momentum. The number of mobilization and reintegration events, as well as Ombudsmen activity, has kept us all busy. However, the burden of supporting employees who are in, or considering joining, the reserve component will be with us for the foreseeable future. I encourage each Region Chair to review the Statement of Support program material, make any adaptations which fit your committee, set reasonable signing goals and take steps to accomplish our ESGR mission in recognizing those employers who are making such a significant contribution to our national defense. Terence Quigley, Minnesota ESGR Statement of Support Coordinator
Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Minnesota Committee 8180 Belden Boulevard Cottage Grove, MN 55016 USERRA Complaint Form Now Available Online Members of the National Guard and Reserve can now request assistance online from Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve ombudsmen for employment issues arising from military service. The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act is the federal law that protects the employment of military reservists and prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of military service. Guardsmen and Reservists can visit the ESGR website at www.esgr.mil and select the link, USERRA Complaint Request on the right side of the page. The service member is asked to provide contact information for him or herself and his or her employer, as well as a brief explanation of the issue. The information is stored on a secure server and ESGR assigns the request to one of its 900 volunteer ombudsmen for informal mediation. Guardsmen and Reservists are still able to use ESGR s customer service center at 1-800-336-4590 to initiate a request, as well as contacting their local ESGR Committee office. ESGR Needs You! Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve is an organization that is 4,200 strong nationwide. We need volunteers in both the government and civilian workplace to continue our mission to "gain and maintain employer support for all of our reservists and guardsmen." As liaisons we meet with military personnel and their civilian employers to provide all the information they need to ensure that during both peacetime and war, there is unconditional support on both sides. Become a volunteer today and give something back to the men and women who serve our country in uniform with the National Guard and Reserves. There are opportunities and needs for people with all different types of skills. ESGR participates in a wide range of events, from job fairs to military outreach programs. To volunteer, please email Chris Campbell at chris.campbell@mn.ngb.army.mil or call our Cottage Grove office at (651) 268-8206.