JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Rob Lawrence, Florida Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Volunteer spoke to 50 new U.S. Navy Reservists as part of on-boarding activities at Naval Air Station Jacksonville March 24. Lawrence provided an overview of ESGR as well as the service member’s responsibilities to their civilian employer as members of the U.S. Navy Reserve.

The attendees, whose ranks ranged from Seaman Apprentice to Cmdr., are newly assigned to various units on or near the base. Lawrence, who serves as the Military Outreach Director for Florida ESGR, explained the basics of the Uniformed Services Employment and Re-employment Rights Act (USERRA). The law, enacted in 1994, protects the employment rights of individuals who must be voluntarily or involuntarily absent from their civilian employment positions to serve in the U.S. military.

“I also urged the Navy Reservists to thank their civilian employer (or their spouses’ employer) for their support by nominating them for a Department of Defense ESGR Patriot Award,” said Lawrence. “I concluded the briefing the same way I began it, by thanking these patriotic men and women and their families for beginning, or in many cases continuing, their selfless service to the nation in the U.S. Navy Reserve.”

ESGR, a Department of Defense office, seeks to foster 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. ESGR facilitates and promotes a cooperative culture of employer support for National Guard and Reserve service by developing and advocating mutually beneficial initiatives, recognizing outstanding employer support, increasing awareness of applicable laws and policies, resolving potential conflicts between employers and their service members, and acting as the employers’ principal advocate within DoD. Paramount to ESGR's mission is encouraging employment of Guardsmen and Reservists who bring integrity, a global perspective and proven leadership to the civilian workforce.

For more information about ESGR Outreach Programs, or ESGR volunteer opportunities, please call 1-800-336-4590 or visit www.ESGR.mil/FL.