May-August 2010 Illinois Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve

Bosslift shows
employers Guard,
Reserve key roles
A group of about 35 employ-
ers from across Illinois had the
chance to learn more about the
roles and missions Guardsmen
and Reservists perform in our
nation’s defense during the Illi-
nois Employer Support of the
Guard and Reserve 2010 Bos-
sift June 21-23. Illinois ESGR
took employers to visit military
units in the Seattle-Tacoma area
of Washington.
The group left from Rockford
the morning of June 21 aboard
a KC-135 Stratotanker from the
Illinois Air National Guard’s
126th Air Refueling Wing.
Upon arrival at McChord Field,
the group hit the ground run-
RESCUE DEMONSTRATION: Illinois employers observe a helicopter water rescue demonstration during a ning with an afternoon tour
visit to U.S. Coast Guard Station Seattle. The demonstration was part of the Illinois Employer Support provided by the 1st Joint Mobi-
of the Guard and Reserve 2010 Bosslift to Seattle-Tacoma June 21-23. lization Brigade at Combat Op-
erating Location Eagle on Joint
Base Lewis-McChord. The tour
at COL Eagle featured a MRE
lunch followed by a static dis-
play of mine resistant ambush
protected vehicles. A tour of the
“IED Petting Zoo” showed
guests how our military trains
troops in recognizing and
avoiding improvised explosive
devices.
Day one ended with a recep-
tion and dinner with military
dignitaries from Joint Base
Lewis-McChord, the Coast
Guard Reserve and the Wash-
ington ESGR Committee.

Inside this issue:

From the Executive Director 2

HCSC signs SOS 3

SECRETARY OF STATE SIGNS SOS: Illinois Secretary of State, Jesse White, signs a Statement of Support
for the Guard and Reserve as (from left) Maj. Gen. William Enyart, Adjutant General of the Illinois Illinois SHRM signs SOS 7
National Guard; Jay Sheedy, Illinois ESGR Central West Area Chair; and David Kennedy, Illinois ESGR
volunteer look on. Illinois ESGR also presented White with the Above and Beyond Award for support
Awards & Recognition 8
beyond that required by the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act.
Page 2
From the Executive Director’s desk ...
As you can see in this
newsletter, the months of May
through August were busy
ones for us as a committee.
Illinois Employer Support of To highlight just some of
the Guard and Reserve what the committee did over
this period, we ...
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
 Conducted two strategic
State Chair planning meetings for volun-
Michael Ayers teers in northern and southern
Employer Outreach Illinois;
Terri Bergagna  Took a select group of
Military Outreach Illinois employers on our an-
Terry McCollom nual Bosslift to Joint Base
Ombudsman Director Lewis-McChord, Washington,
Ron Bacci to visit military units in the
Governmental Affairs
Seattle-Tacoma area;
Bennett Krause  Provided support to
Education Outreach NCESGR for the annual
Jim Osberg American Correctional Con-
Awards
ference at Navy Pier in Chi-
cago;
Gloria Guy
Public Affairs  Attended the Illinois
Michael Holub Council for the Society of
North West Chair Human Resources Manage-
ment annual conference,
William Glynn which included a short ESGR
North Central Chair presentation, a Statement of
Terry McCollom Support Signing with the in-
Central East Chair coming director and an ESGR
Tom Murgatroyd exhibit table;
South East Chair  And, conducted major
Dayton Loyd Statement of Support signing
South West Chair events with the Illinois Secre-
Clyde Jones tary of State, Health Care
Central West Chair Services Corporation and
Horace Mann Insurance.
John Sheedy
North West Chair None of this would have
Rick Pollack been possible without your
continued time, dedication,
FULL-TIME STAFF energy and talents, so my hat
(or beret) goes off to you for
Executive Director your commitment and dedica-
LTC Tim Franklin tion to our organization.
Program Assistants
Jean Collier As we discussed at our stra-
tegic planning meetings in
Christina Dibble O’Fallon and Oak Brook, the
new ESGR Strategic Plan
MAILING ADDRESS covering fiscal years 2011-
2015 will bring some changes
Illinois ESGR and a broadening to what has
1301 N. MacArthur Blvd. been our traditional mission.
Springfield, IL 62702
These changes will impact
how our committee does busi-
(217) 761-3642
FAX: (217) 761-3045 ness as we move forward.
Among the significant
changes to the ESGR mission
Illinois Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve
“As we discussed at our
strategic planning meetings
in O’Fallon and Oak Brook,
the new ESGR Strategic Plan
covering fiscal years 2011-
2015 will bring some
changes and a broadening
to what has been our
traditional mission.”
and goals in the FY11-15
Strategic Plan are:
 Create and sustain a pro-
gram to identify and coordi-
nate employment opportuni-
ties for employers and service
members.
 Identify and communi-
cate to customers those legis-
lative and regulatory initia-
tives that facilitate and en-
courage employer support for
Guard and Reserve service.
 Coordinate efforts to
make selected civilian and
military qualification and
certification standards com-
patible.
 Advocate for employer
issues of military families
including, serving as a re-
source for Family Medical
Leave Act issues for service
members’ families and pro-
viding employers with infor-
mation on sources of family
assistance available to service
members’ families.
 Facilitate employment
transitions relating to the con-
tinuum of military service
including collaborating with
academia to develop policies
to aid service members transi-
tioning from school to mili-
tary duty and serving as cen-
tral coordinating agency for
employers and military ser-
vices to develop employer
partnerships that are mutually
beneficial for employment of
military members.
Lt. Col. Tim Franklin
Executive Director
Illinois ESGR
Expect more details to
come down from NCESGR as
they define how the Field
Committees will be expected
to implement these changes to
our mission and how we will
be measured on them going
forward.
I hope you enjoy this edi-
tion of the Illinois ESGR
newsletter and will share it
with others, so they can see
the great work you are doing
around the state on behalf of
the men and women of the
National Guard and Reserve
and those who employ them.
If you have items you
would like to see included in
an upcoming edition, please
submit them to me directly or
through your Area Chair for
consideration. Photos must be
in JPEG file format and must
be in focus. Those pictured in
the photo must be clearly
identified from left to right. If
you would like tips on what
makes up a good photo or
article, feel free to contact me
or our Public Affairs Chair,
Mike Holub.
As always, thanks for eve-
rything you do for ESGR.
“We All Serve!”
 Illinois Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Page 3

HCSC signs SOS, receives Above & Beyond Award

Health Care Services Corpo-
ration, the largest customer-
owned health insurer in the
U.S., showed support for its
military employees during
Navy Day in Chicago Aug. 11.
Patricia Hemingway-Hall,
HCSC Chief Executive Officer,
signed a Statement of Support
for the Guard and Reserve on
behalf of the health insurer’s
locations in four states.
“I would like to thank HCSC
for signing this Statement of
Support.” ESGR National
Chair, James Rebholz, told
HCSC employees gathered on
courtyard at the company’s
Chicago headquarters. “It
shows that HCSC recognizes
the importance of our country’s
National Guard and Reserve.”
In addition to signing a SOS,
Navy Reservist, Rear Adm.
Ken Carodine, a HCSC em-
ployee and deputy commander
of Navy Warfare Development
Command, presented HCSC
SHOW OF SUPPORT: James Rebholz, National Chair of ESGR, addresses the employees of Health Care
with the ESGR Above and Be-
yond Award for the company’s
Services Corporation as Patricia Hemingway-Hall signs a Statement of Support for the National Guard
outstanding support to him and
and Reserve on behalf of HCSC operations in Illinois, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. The SOS sign- its other Guard and Reserve
ing was part of Navy Day activities Aug. 11 at HCSC headquarters in Chicago. employees.

PHOTO ABOVE: Members of the Health Care Services Corporation Voices of Diver-
sity choir sing a medley of patriotic songs during Navy Day observances at HCSC
corporate headquarters Aug. 11.

PHOTO RIGHT: Rear Adm. Ken Carodine presents, Health Care Services Corporation
Chief Executive Officer, Patricia Hemingway-Hall with the ESGR Above and Be-
yond Award.
Page 4 Illinois Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve

BOSSLIFT:
Continued from page 1
Starting off day two of the trip, mem-
bers of the Illinois ESGR Committee
provided an overview of the mission of
ESGR, including Military Outreach,
Employer Outreach, Ombudsman Ser-
vices, Leadership Support, Awards and
Recognition and of course the Statement
of Support program. Michael Ayers,
Illinois Committee Chair, explained the
importance of the SOS program, fol-
lowed by an opportunity for our guests
to sign a SOS.
Day two tour activities began with a
visit to the Engagement Skills Trainer
where Bosslift participants were able to
take part in “hands-on” weapons and
combat systems simulator training at
several different stations. Then, it was
off to the Stryker Processing Facility,
where the employers received an over-
view on the Stryker from facility staff
before getting to step inside and climb
on static display Strykers to get a better
feel for this state-of-the-art armored ve-
hicle being used by our troops in com-
bat.
The group then boarded the bus for
downtown Seattle and a tour of the U.S.
Coast Guard Station. The 13th Coast
Guard District is responsible for opera-
tions covering four states, more than
4,400 miles of coastline, 600 miles of
inland waterways, and a 125-mile inter-
national border with Canada. The visit
included seeing a fully-armed Response
Boat-Medium vessel, and a full tour of
the High Endurance Cutter Midgett. Fol-
lowing the Midgett tour, our group as-
sembled on the quarter deck to watch a
HH-65C rescue helicopter perform a
simulated rescue of a man in the water.
The last day of the trip featured a tour
of the Western Air Defense Sector facil-
ity. WADS is one of two sectors respon-
sible for NORAD’s aerospace warning
and control mission. The Western Air
Defense Sector is part of the Continental
U.S. NORAD region.
On the flight back to Rockford, our
Illinois Air National Guard KC-135 crew
conducted an in-flight air refueling exer-
cise with C-17 aircraft from the 446th TOP PHOTO: A U.S. Coast Guard HH-65C rescue helicopter performs a simulated water rescue
Air Wing, Washington State’s only Air of a man during the tour of U.S. Coast Guard Station Seattle. The rescue demonstration
Force Reserve flying unit. Each guest capped a tour of the Seattle station June 22.
had the opportunity to move to the rear
of the aircraft and into the refueling bay PHOTO ABOVE: Dan Call of Sikich LLP, Springfield, tests his marksmanship skills on the En-
to watch the boom operator control the gagement Skills Trainer or EST. Call was among a group of about 35 Illinois employers from
refueling of the C-17s. around the state who got the chance to try out various automatic weapons used by U.S.
troops in combat.
 Illinois Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Page 5

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: ESGR Bosslift guests climb on and in a Stryker

armored vehicle during a tour of the Stryker Processing Facility at Joint
Base Lewis-McChord. Janyce Fadden, President of the Rockford Area
Economic Development Council sits in a Mine Resistant Ambush Pro-
tected, or MRAP, vehicle used by our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Robert Achille of R.J. Achille & Company Certified Public Accountants,
Chicago, gets a tour of the cockpit of a KC-135R Stratotanker on the
flight from Rockford to Joint Base Lewis McChord during the Illinois ESGR
2010 Bosslift June 21-23.
Page 6 Illinois Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve

Horace Mann demonstrates Guard, Reserve Support

The President and Chief Executive of
Horace Mann Insurance, Louis Lower,
signed an Employer Support of the
Guard and Reserve Statement of Support
for the National Guard and Reserve at
the company’s Springfield headquarters
July 21.
On hand for the Horace Mann signing
ceremony were ESGR National Chair,
James Rebholz; Illinois Adjutant Gen-
eral, Maj. Gen. William Enyart; Illinois
ESGR Chair, Dr. Michael Ayers; Illinois
ESGR Central West Area Chair, retired
Brig. Gen. Jay Sheedy; and, Illinois Na-
tional Guard Human Resources Director;
Col. Gary Brinner.
“The Statement of Support is a public
acknowledgement by Horace Mann of
the importance of service in the National
Guard and Reserve to the defense of our
nation,” said Rebholz. “It shows that
Horace Mann supports our country’s
National Guard and Reserve members.”
Horace Mann is the largest multiline CORPORATE SIGNING: ESGR National Chair, James Rebholz (center); and Illinois Adjutant Gen-
insurance company focusing on the na- eral, Maj. Gen. William Enyart (right), look on as Horace Mann President and Chief Executive
tion’s educators and their families. The Officer Louis Lower, signs an Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Statement of Sup-
Springfield-based company has 1,073 port for Reserve Component service members at the company’s Springfield headquarters July
home office and 1,253 field employees. 21. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Michael Camacho Illinois National Guard Public Affairs
“The mission of Guardsmen and Re-
servists requires long days and long
nights and time away from the work-
place to answer the nation’s call,” said
Maj. Gen. Enyart. “Employers act as a
critical part of a service member’s life.”
“Horace Mann promotes a culture of
support to service members who are em-
ployed in the company,” Lower empha-
sized in his remarks. “With employees
currently serving under federal orders
overseas, the company proudly displays
its patriotism and honors its employees
service to the country”
In addition to the Statement of Support
signing, two Horace Mann supervisors,
Debbie Cimarossa, assistant vice presi-
dent and human resources generalist and
Cinda Earles, director of recruiting and
selection, were recognized with the Pa-
triot Award. They were nominated for MULTIPLE SOS SIGNED: Manpower Inc., signed multiple Employer Support of the Guard
the award by Paul Whetmore, a corpo- and Reserve Statements of Support for the National Guard and Reserve Aug. 26 for its
rate recruiting consultant with Horace locations in central Illinois. Manpower franchise partner, Doug Orear, signed seven ESGR
Mann and Naval Reservist with the SOSs at Manpower’s Springfield office for Central Illinois Staffing Services, Peoria Man-
Navy Personnel Command at Naval Sta- power Inc. and Manpower Inc. office locations in Peoria, Bloomington, Champaign, Ran-
tion Great Lakes in Illinois. toul and Mattoon. Orear (center) holds the signed ESGR Statements of Support for the
Guard and Reserve. Pictured with Orear are (from left) Illinois ESGR committee mem-
Whetmore commented that it is a great bers, Stan Zielinski and Bennett Krause; and, Manpower regional manager Ginnett Com-
feeling to know that an employer or su- stock, and Springfield branch manager, Ashley Webster.
pervisor takes pride in their employees’
 Illinois Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Page 7

Fire Chief signs 13

Statements of Support
for Peoria Fire Stations
Kent Tomblin, Chief of the Peoria Fire
Department, signed Statements of Sup-
port May 28 for each of the department’s
fire stations around the city.
On hand for the signing were Michael
Ayers, Illinois ESGR Field Committee
Chair; Jay Sheedy, Illinois ESGR Cen-
tral West Area Chair; Col. William
Robertson, 182nd Airlift Wing Com-
mander; and Frank Rezac, Illinois ESGR
volunteer.
“We appreciate this show of support
for the National Guard and Reserve by
Chief Tomblin and the Peoria Fire De-
partment,” said Sheedy. The Guard and
Reserve can’t accomplish their mission
without the continued support of em-
ployers who recognize the importance of
FIRE CHIEF DEMONSTRATES SUPPORT: Kent Tomblin, Chief of the Peoria Fire Department, signs the Reserve Components in the defense
13 Statements of Support May 28 in a show of support for his fire personnel who also serve of our nation.”
part time in the Guard and Reserve. At the signing ceremony were (center) Col. William Tomblin signed a SOS for each of the
Robertson, commander of the Peoria-based 182nd Airlift Wing, and (standing behind right to department’s 12 stations and the Fire
left) Jay Sheedy, Illinois ESGR Central West Area Chair; Michael Ayers, Illinois ESGR Field Academy. Peoria Fire Department em-
Committee Chair; and Frank Rezac, Peoria-area ESGR volunteer. ploys over 200 trained fire professionals.

Illinois SHRM signs

Statement of Support
Donna Rogers, director-elect of the
Illinois State Council of the Society for
Human Resource Management, signed
an Employer Support of the Guard and
Reserve Statement of Support for the
National Guard and Reserve at the 11th
Annual Human Resources Conference
and Exposition Aug. 2.
“I would like to thank director-elect
Rogers for signing this Statement of
Support on behalf the membership of the
Illinois State SHRM Council.” said Mi-
chael Ayers, Illinois ESGR Chair.
Illinois SHRM Council promotes pro-
fessionalism in human resources though
its network of chapters around the state.
It supports more than 9,400 human re-
sources professionals in Illinois by pro-
viding timely and relevant information, STATE SHRM COUNCIL SHOWS SUPPORT: Donna Rogers (center), director-elect of the Illinois
ongoing professional development op- State Council of the Society for Human Resources Management, signs an Employer Support
portunities and intra-state communica- of the Guard and Reserve Statement of Support as Michael Ayers, Illinois ESGR Chair, de-
tion on issues of interest in the field of scribes the significance of the ESGR Statement of Support program . Rogers signed the SOS
human resources. during the 11th annual Human Resources Conference and Exposition in Oakbrook Terrace,
Page 8 Illinois Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve

LLCC president recognized for

support to Yellow Ribbon Program
The Illinois Office for Employer Support of the Guard and
Reserve, an agency of the Department of Defense, presented
Lincoln Land Community College President, Dr. Charlotte War-
ren, with the ESGR Above and Beyond Award in recognition of
Lincoln Land’s outstanding support of the men and women of
the National Guard and Reserve
“By providing use of campus facilities to conduct Yellow Rib-
bon Reintegration programs, Dr. Warren and Lincoln Land have
demonstrated great support to help meet the needs of Guardsmen
and Reservists who have recently returned from mobilization
and deployment,” commented Michael Ayers, Illinois ESGR
Field Committee Chair. “Because of the level of support Lincoln
Land administration and staff provided to the Yellow Ribbon
Program, we felt it was both important and appropriate to recog- PATRIOT AWARD PRESENTATION: Central East Area volunteer, Michael
nize Dr. Warren with the Above and Beyond Award,” . Grossman, presented the Patriot Award to Deputy Chief Ed Culp of
Last year, the Illinois National Army National Guard had the Macon County Sheriff’s office May 21. Culp was nominated for
more than 3,500 Soldiers from the 33rd Brigade Combat Team the award by Chief Warrant Officer Ashley Higar to recognize his
return from deployment to Afghanistan. Thanks to Lincoln outstanding support for her military service.
Land, hundreds of those Soldiers and their family members were
able to take advantage of the resources and services available
through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Following presentation of
the Above and Beyond Award, Warren signed an ESGR State-
ment of Support for the Guard and Reserve as a public acknowl-
edgement of the importance of the men and women of National
Guard and Reserve to our nation’s defense.

PATRIOTIC EMPLOYER: Bob Schwieder (center right) presents Genesis

Illini Ambulance with the Patriot Award in recognition of its support
to Guard and Reserve members who work for the Quad Cities com-
pany. Three paramedics with Illini Ambulance are currently serving
on military deployments in the Middle East and Afghanistan

Welcome new ESGR volunteers

ACA CONFERENCE: Illinois ESGR Public Affairs Chair, Mike Holub
(left) and volunteer, Bob Schwieder, man the ESGR exhibit dur-
ing the American Correctional Association conference at Navy
Pier, Chicago, in August. Illinois ESGR staffed the exhibit in sup-
port of the National ESGR Committee. Hundreds of corrections
professionals stopped by the booth to learn more about ESGR
and what we do for Guardsmen, Reservists and employers.
Over the months of May through August we had four new
volunteers join the ranks of our committee. They are:
 Eric Murray, Pawnee, Central West Area
 Anthony McClain, Bolingbrook, North Central Area
 George Jamison, Rochester, Central West Area
 Stanley Zielinski, Leland Grove, Central West Area
On behalf of Illinois ESGR Field Committee Chair, Michael
Ayers, please join in welcoming them to ESGR.