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Honored to recognize ISP for Freedom Award |
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October 17, 2016 |
by U.S. Senator Mike Crapo
The men and women who serve in the Guard and
Reserve and their families give immensely of
their time and talents to serving our nation.
Their skills and commitment also add great value
to the workforce and our communities.
I had the opportunity to join fellow Idaho
Senator Jim Risch in honoring the Idaho State
Police (ISP) of Meridian, Idaho, for being
selected as a recipient of the 2016 U.S.
Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom
Award, known as the Freedom Award.
This award is a tribute to the high regard Idaho
employers have given to valued members of our
communities.
Senator Risch and I submitted a Congressional
Record Statement in the official record of the
U.S. Senate highlighting the significance of
this achievement and noting that the U.S.
Department of Defense indicates that the Freedom
Award is the highest recognition it gives to
employers for “exceptional support of their
National Guard and Reserve employees.”
The ISP is one of only 15 employers chosen this
year for this national recognition out of the
more than 2,000 nominations submitted by
National Guard and Reserve Service members.
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter stated,
“Without the unfaltering support of employers
like them, the men and women of the National
Guard and Reserve would not be able to fulfill
their vital roles in our National Security
Strategy.”
The Freedom Award has been given to 220
employers over the past 20 years. The ISP is the
fourth recipient from Idaho since the award was
established. In 2005, IDACORP, Inc. earned a
Freedom Award. In 2014, CH2M-WG Idaho was
selected as a Freedom Award recipient, and the
Boise Fire Department was recognized with a 2015
Freedom Award.
The award’s nomination process makes the award
especially meaningful, because the awardees are
nominated by Guard and Reserve members, or their
family members, who work for the employers
nominated for the award. The nominators have
direct knowledge of their treatment at work and
the overall work environment.
The U.S. Department of Defense reported that a
Guard member, whose supervisor assisted directly
with the ISP employee’s recovery and return to
work after an active duty training injury,
nominated the ISP for this year’s award. The
Guard member’s co-workers even donated their
personal leave to ensure the employee would
receive pay. The Department of Defense also
noted that the Idaho State Police actively
recruits Guardsmen and Reservists through the
Hero2Hired program, and 18 percent of the Idaho
State Police workforce has served or is serving
in the U.S. Armed Forces.
The ISP’s selection for this honor is
representative of the Idaho employers who
recognize the exceptionalism of the Guard and
Reservists and their families who make Idaho
home. This is yet one more reason—among the too
many to count reasons—to be proud of being an
Idahoan. |
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