BOSTON, Mass.--The Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve recognized NSTAR for its oustanding support of veterans during an awards ceremony at the Boston Service Center Oct. 2, 2012.
Lt. Col. Gavin Heater, a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and a member of 302nd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, 412th Theater Engineer Command, recommended his civilian employers for the Patriotic Employer Awards, Robert Billet, Director of Station Operations, and Anthony Anzalone, Station Operations Central Manager.
Heater, outside of his Army Reserve duties, is employed as an Electric Operations Supervisor at NSTAR.
The Patriot Employer Award recognizes supervisors nominated by a Guardsman or Reservist employee for support through a wide-range of measures including flexible schedules, time off prior to and after deployment, caring for families and granting leaves of absence if needed.
Chief Warrant Officer 3 (Retired) John Pelose, Area Chair, State of Massachusetts, presented these awards in recognition of nomination essays that Heater wrote on behalf of his supervisors for the number of veterans NSTAR considers or hires for open positions.
Heater further lauded other employees at NSTAR, saying "Not only do they support hiring veterans when they return from tours of duty, but they organize support for those employees already serving abroad." Heater said he received many packages when he was "over there" from NSTAR people he did not even know.
In a fitting close to the ceremony, after NSTAR Electric President Werner Schweiger signed an official Statement of Support on behalf of NSTAR committing to "recognize, honor, and enforce the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), and to "continually recognize and support our country's service members and their families in peace, in crisis and in war," Electric Operations Supervisor Benjamin Sheehan, who served in Afghanistan as a Major in the Massachusetts National Guard, presented Schweiger with an American flag that was flown over Camp Phoenix in Afghanistan.
The complete Statement of Support and more information is available at http://www.esgr.mil/.
Related Links:
412th Theater Engineer Command on DVIDS
412th Theater Engineer Command on Flickr
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