PIPESTONE, Minn. – Sgt. 1st Class Sirrina Martinez of the Minnesota Army National Guard, presented the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Patriot Award to her employment supervisor, John Draper. The award was given in December at Pipestone Publishing Co. in recognition of John Draper’s support of his employee’s service to the Minnesota National Guard.

Sirrina was very appreciative of John’s support and assistance with her service and Guard deployments and wanted to honor John. Sirrina stated that she has been employed with John nearly 6 years and approximately half of that time she had been away on military duty. She was deployed twice, and multiple schools and he has supported me through all of this in addition to regular drills and annual trainings.

An employee serving in the National Guard or Military Reserve, or a spouse of a National Guard or Military Reserve member, may nominate individual supervisors for the Patriot Award for support provided directly to the nominating Service member and his or her family. The Patriot Award reflects the efforts made to support citizen warriors through a wide range of measures including flexible schedules, time off prior to an after deployment, caring for families, and granting leaves of absence if needed.
In addition to presenting a Patriot Award John Draper signed an Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Statement of Support, confirming that the company joins other employers in pledging.

• We fully recognize, honor, and comply with the Uniformed Services Employment and Re-Employment Rights Act (USERRA).
• We will provide our managers and supervisors with the tools they need to effectively manage employees who serve in the Guard and Reserve.
• We appreciate the values, leadership and unique skills service members bring to the workforce and will encourage opportunities to hire Guardsmen, Reservists and Veterans.
• We will continually recognize and support our country’s service members and their families, in peace, in crisis and in war.

Also present was Kyle Oldre an ESGR Ombudsman/Minnesota Committee member. ESGR is a Department of Defense office that develops and promotes supportive work environments for service members in the National Guard and Reserve through outreach, recognition, and educational opportunities that increase awareness of applicable laws. ESGR also provides assistance in resolving conflicts between Service members and their employers. This year celebrates 51 years of excellence in support of the Reserve Components and their civilian employers.

For more information about ESGR outreach programs or volunteer opportunities, call (800) 336-4590 or visit www.ESGR.mil.

Photo from left to right: Kyle Oldre (ESGR) Volunteer, John Draper and Sgt. 1st Class Sirrina Martinez