Employer Gives Guard His Best
Story & Photos by SGT Charles Ames - Posted Nov, 2001
Old horror stories abound of Guardsmen facing the threat of a job loss when encountering a few days of upcoming training. But peacetime work pressures dilute away when national crises shake American factories and offices and stores. One of the many remarkable stories of employer support has to be that of Hertz Rent-A-Car, when advised of one of its employees imminent activation, despite a recent medical absence.
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The attack in New York started the timer. Elena O'Bryan was still recuperating from surgery, but knew the day was coming that she would be activated by the Air Guard in her capacity as a 2nd Lt. Public Affairs Officer at the Western Air Defense Sector, WADS. The fear gripping travelers socked not only airlines, but hotels, taxis, restaurants, convention halls, travel agents, and car rentals. Hertz Corporation realized that O'Bryan's plight was an opportunity to call in its own troops.
"Hertz agreed to extend my medical and dental benefits for the entire length of my active duty orders and suspended premium payments!" Hertz also allowed O'Bryan to continue using the company car allotted to her during her call-up.
It was doubly noble to help O'Bryan in this fashion. Despite suffering a slowdown in the travel industry, Hertz elected to supplement the difference in O'Bryans military pay versus her civilian pay as an account representative. She related to her supervisor, Bruce Jackson, that having such a tragedy occur impacted her substantially having grown up in New York until college.
"I come from a military background and had always been interested in joining the military and in being a military correspondent. WADS is my fourth assignment in public affairs. My uncle was a public affairs specialist in the U.S. Navy and Art Editor for the National Review. My fathers Merchant Marine ship was torpedoed by a German submarine during World War II."
"I wanted to do whatever I could to make sure Sept. 11th didnt happen again," O'Bryan expressed her resolve to Jackson. "He was very open to my being activated and volunteering because he knew personally how I felt about it. I feel that theyre being extremely patriotic; the last thing my boss said to me before I walked out of the door to go put on my uniform was, 'Go get 'em, Lieutenant.'"
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O'Bryan's absence profoundly affected her clients as well. "My clients unanimously expressed their support of my mission through thoughts and prayers for my safe return and success in protecting America. Theirs was more than a pat on the back. It was a public avowal of the noble purpose of reservists who are willing, ready and able to give of themselves for the benefit of our nation in time of need."
Her Guard supervisor, Maj. Annette Mummery, was gratified to see the cooperation between Guard, Guardsman, and employer. "She had just returned from a long medical leave. The company was faced with an economic uncertainty and she was very determined to help Hertz recover from the effects of Sept 11th.
"Hertz made her transition from citizen to fulltime citizen-soldier a smooth and painless process. Because of companies like Hertz, we will be able to recruit and train quality people like Lt. O'Bryan. In return, she will return to Hertz with a wealth of training and real world experiences." O'Bryan has even managed to pen a story spotlighting the contributions of another employer to a fellow on-site Guardsman, SSgt. Christine Lasley.
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Burt Backman is the Washington National Guards full-time volunteer for ESGR, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve. He presented the Seven Seals Employer Support Award on behalf of the Guard.
"I know it's an old cliche, but they certainly did go above and beyond what any employer normally does", says Backman. "In 15 years in this position, I have never seen an employer give an automobile for usage while deployed... plus the other things given!"
Jackson said during the award presentation, "It makes it real easy to accommodate what your needs are because of what a great job she does for us. She really is an extremely valuable employee. Sometimes you don't see that until you have had to take up some of their work." In view of the attention lavished on but a single employer, Jackson said, "It makes you feel like you want to do more. We can't do it in the same realm as you, but we do appreciate what you've done."
"I'll pass it on to my company, I'll pass it on to my employers, I'll pass it on to the accounts that have asked; everyday I get calls that ask, "how's Elena doing, "how's Elena doing?"
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Hertz long-term vision is doing its' part to contribute to a resurgence in travel. As it supports O'Bryan in her Guard duty, she can concentrate on helping WADS patrol American skies.
As confidence returns to the traveler, the industry bounces back. O'Bryan sits proudly between both worlds and says of her civilian employer, "the people at Hertz are heroes themselves in this war against terrorism."
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