Employers That Care
Introduction by SFC Jeff Clayton
The terrorist attack of 11 September 2001 affected everyone in America. That morning as we all watched events unfold on the news, many of us knew that we would be called upon to do much more than just watch. America's military would be called to answer those who had brought such destruction to our shores, and soon. Of course that would mean the active duty military, but in these days of a 'downsized force structure' those of us in the National Guard and Reserves knew that many of us would be called as well.
Since that day, from Washington alone, hundreds and hundreds of Guardsmen and Reservists have been called to full-time service for extended periods. We left our homes and loved ones, we left our jobs and schools. Some did not travel far, others found themselves at the very front lines of this conflict.
Behind each Guardsman and Reservist there is a story of how those left behind coped with our absence. It really isn't possible to convey the difficulties our families faced, but we present two stories to you here that demonstrate how two Puget Sound employers chose to make a difference. I can say from personal experience that being confident that ones financial well-being is stable makes all the difference in the world when you are called away.
Even with new laws in place to protect Guardsmen from loss of employment as a result of a call-up, many Guardsmen faced a significant loss of pay or other benefits that 6 months or a year of active duty would bring. Some employers went that extra mile to make the temporary transition to active duty a little easier. Here are two stories - two out of many - of Puget Sound companies that chose to stand behind their employees who were headed into harm's way.
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