Patriot: a person who vigorously supports his or her country and is prepared to defend it against all enemies foreign or domestic.
This is Brandon Lawellin. Lawellin is the store manager of Sutherland’s in Great Bend. He is also a veteran and a supporter of the armed forces.
On Friday Lawellin was awarded the Patriot Award from Ed Scott, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserves volunteer (ESGR). Lawellin was nominated for the award by one of his employees, James Colwell.
“The award is given to a person for the support they show towards the National Guard and Reserve soldiers and their families,” Scott said.
According to the ESGR website, The Patriot Award reflects the efforts made to support Citizen Warriors through a widerange of measures including flexible schedules, time off prior to and after deployment, caring for families and granting leaves of absence if needed.
In order to be considered for the award you have to be in a supervisor position and be nominated by one of your employees who is a Reservist or Guardsmen in the armed forces. The employees may nominate as many supervisors as they would like, and each will receive a Patriot Award certificate and accompanying lapel pin. Spouses of service members are also eligible to nominate their supportive supervisor.
If you would like to nominate one of your supervisors, you can visit the ESGR website at esgr.mil for more information.
The ESGR
According to the ESGR website, the ESGR is a Department of Defense office, It was established in 1972 to promote cooperation and understanding between Reserve Component Service members and their civilian employers and to assist in the resolution of conflicts arising from an employee’s military commitment. ESGR is supported by a network of more than 4,600 volunteers in 54 committees located across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam-CNMI (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands), Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Volunteers, hailing from small business and industry, government, education and prior military service, bring a vast wealth of experience to assist in serving employers, service members and their families. Together with Headquarters ESGR staff and a small cadre of support staff for each State Committee, volunteers work to promote and enhance employer support for military service in the Guard and Reserve.
The ESGR has served our country for more than 40 years, fostering a culture in which all employers support and value the employment and military service of members of the National Guard and Reserve in the United States. These citizen warriors could not defend and protect us at home and abroad without the continued promise of meaningful civilian employment for themselves and their families. ESGR has continued to adapt to meet the needs of Reserve Component members, their families and America’s employers by joining forces with a network of other national, state and local government and professional trade organizations as together.