Freedom Awards: Nominate an employer who shows extraordinary support of National Guard & Reserve

About the Freedom Award

The Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award is the highest recognition given by the U.S. Government to employers for their support of their employees who serve in the Guard and Reserve.

Nominations must come from a Guard or Reserve member who is employed by the organization they are nominating, or from a family member.

The award was created to publicly recognize employers who provide exceptional support to their Guard and Reserve employees. It is the highest in a series of employer recognition awards given by the Department of Defense.

Almost one-half of the U.S. military is comprised of the Guard and Reserve. The Department of Defense shares these citizen warriors with their civilian employers, many of whom provide significant support to their employees who serve in the Guard and Reserve. This award recognizes employers who provide the most outstanding support for their Guard and Reserve employees and is presented annually by the Secretary of Defense. 

The nomination process is open to all Guard and Reserve personnel and their families and applications are submitted online to ESGR. A national selection board comprised of senior Defense officials and business leaders selects the award recipients.

Who is eligible to nominate?

Any Guard or Reserve service member can nominate their employer. If a service member does not have access to submit a nomination, a family member can nominate the service member’s employer on their behalf.

Who is eligible to receive the award?

Small, large (500+) and public employers can be nominated. The employer MUST be the service member’s current employer. Nominations for friends, family, schools, stores, etc. that are not the service member’s employer will not be considered.

To learn more, visit https://esgr.csd.disa.mil/fa/NominateYourEmployerView.aspx

*Nomination Deadline is January 16th*