An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | Aug. 10, 2011

Patriot Award honors outstanding spouse employers

By Elaine Sanchez American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON - When Army 1st Lt. Sean Blacker of the Idaho National Guard was tapped to attend officer basic training in Oklahoma, his wife, Michelle, felt prepared for the five-month separation, but then she learned her husband would follow up that training with a year-long deployment in Iraq.

She struggled to come to terms with the back-to-back obligations that would equate to 18 months apart. "I just knew I didn't want to be away from him that long," she said.

Blacker approached her supervisor at the Idaho National Laboratory and asked if she could telecommute for five months so she could accompany her husband to officer training, and without hesitation, her supervisor, Amy Lientz, said yes.

"From the get-go, she was 100 percent supportive," said Blacker, who works in the lab's office of communications in governmental affairs. "Just to spend that time with him before his deployment; I don't think she realizes how much it [has] meant to us."

While she didn't have the words to express her gratitude at the time, Blacker said she was grateful to find out about a program that could: the Spouse Patriot Award.

The Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a Defense Department agency, established the award program to recognize employers who go above and beyond to support reserve members and their families. The program initially was open only to service members, but ESGR expanded the criteria in February to encompass spouses' employers. Since the program was expanded, more than 500 spouses have nominated their employers for an award, said Beth Sherman, an ESGR spokeswoman.

"We had so many spouses asking us to expand the program so we did last year," she said. "Little attention was being paid to the employers of their spouses, who also were doing their part."

The employer contribution is significant, Sherman said, since it eases the burden for spouses who often take on additional responsibilities as they manage households and care for children while a loved one is deployed or at training.

Sherman recalled hearing of a supervisor who shifted a spouse's entire nursing schedule while her husband was deployed so she could have more time at home with their three children. Other employers grant leave liberally, pitch in with lawn care or send care packages, she said.

Blacker said her employer's outstanding support continued long after her husband deployed to Iraq. When she had a baby, her supervisor established a part-time schedule so she could have more time at home while her husband was away.

This support has been beneficial not just for her, but for her husband's peace of mind, Blacker said. "He feels like I'm taken care of on a working standpoint while he's gone," she said. "He can focus on the mission, and breathe."

In turn, the award serves as acknowledgement to employers who aren't obligated to help, but choose to do so anyway, Sherman said.

"The employer gets far more out of it than the spouse could imagine," she said.

Blacker said she surprised her supervisor with the award at a staff meeting attended by her local military affairs committee president and a rear detachment commander, who presented her supervisor with a certificate of appreciation and patriotic lapel pin.

"She was totally shocked and very, very grateful," she said.

All spouses of Guard and Reserve members are eligible to nominate their employers. To submit a nomination, visit the ESGR website and fill out the spouse nomination form.

 

 

Related Articles
U.S. Soldiers assigned to the 108th Medical Company Area Support, 213th Regional Support Group prepare dummies for a simulated casualty evacuation at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, July 17, 2025. The 108th Medical Company engaged in a weeklong field medical exercise to validate their readiness and elevate their medical and basic Soldier skills. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Capt. Christopher Booker)
Pennsylvania Guard Medics Simulate Chaos in Exercise
By Capt. Christopher Booker, | July 18, 2025
FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. - Soldiers assigned to the Pennsylvania National Guard's 108th Medical Company Area Support, 213th Regional Support Group, are engaged in a comprehensive two-week field medical exercise here.The...

Nevada Air National Guard's 152nd Maintenance Group and 152nd Logistics Readiness Squadron personnel load Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS) equipment onto MAFFS #8, aircraft #554 at the Nevada Air National Guard Base on July 12, 2025. U.S. Northern Command activated two Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS) Aircraft, one from the 152nd Airlift Wing out of Reno, Nevada, and one from the 146th Airlift Wing out of Channel Islands Air National Guard Station in California. Two C-130 aircraft equipped with MAFFS and their associated personnel will support firefighting efforts in the Western United States. The 152nd Airlift Wing’s “High Rollers” and 146th Airlift Wing's “Hollywood Guard” report on July 14, 2025, and will be initially based out of Channel Islands Air National Guard Base in California and are anticipated to be in place through August 14, 2025.
Nevada Air Guard Wing Assists in Firefighting Efforts
By Senior Master Sgt. Paula Macomber, | July 18, 2025
RENO, Nev. – U.S. Northern Command has activated two Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System Aircraft, one from the Nevada Air National Guard’s 152nd Airlift Wing out of Reno, Nevada, and one from the 146th Airlift Wing out of...

Air Force Gen. Steve Nordhaus, 30th Chief of the National Guard Bureau, and Senior Enlisted Advisor John Raines, SEA to the CNGB, join Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Air Force Maj. Gen. Thomas Suelzer, the adjutant general of Texas, for an aerial assessment of flood-affected areas in Central Texas and to visit Guardsmen on duty supporting civil authorities with response efforts, Kerrville, Texas, July 15, 2025. To date, National Guard search and rescue operations, led by the Texas National Guard, have resulted in the rescue of more than 525 Texans. Hundreds of Guardsmen remain on mission to continue working with interagency partners in search and rescue and recovery operations.
Nordhaus, Raines see Heroism, Partnerships in Central Texas
By Master Sgt. Zach Sheely, | July 18, 2025
KERRVILLE, Texas – Early on July 4, almost 30 inches of rain fell within hours across Central Texas’s Hill Country, surging the Guadalupe River and triggering catastrophic flash flooding.Within hours, Texas National Guard...