UNMC receives recognition for support of Guard, Reserve

Brig. Gen. Mark Musick, Nebraska Air National Guard, presents UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D., with a Department of Defense Patriot Award. Vicky Cerino, right, nominated Dr. Maurer and several others for the award.

With the nation’s military reserve components comprising about 46 percent of the total available United States military manpower, it is more important than ever that reservists receive support from their civilian employers.

Brig. Gen. Mark Musick, chief of staff, Joint Forces Headquarters, Nebraska Air National Guard, recently acknowledged UNMC for its support of “citizen-soldiers.”

Musick presented Patriot Awards to UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D., Bob Bartee, executive assistant to the chancellor, Sandy Goetzinger-Comer, director of the UNMC Department of Public Affairs, and Tom O’Connor, senior associate director of UNMC Department of Public Affairs.

The awards are sponsored by the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), part of the Department of Defense, whose mission is to obtain employer and community support to ensure the availability and readiness of reserve forces.

As the 1.2 million members of the National Guard and Reserve perform an increasing number of unique missions within America’s borders and beyond, the success of the nation’s defense is dependent on the availability of highly trained reserve members, said Musick, whose civilian job is with the Arbor Day Foundation.

Vicky Cerino, UNMC Department of Public Affairs, and part-time public affairs specialist in the Nebraska Air National Guard, nominated the group for the awards.

“UNMC has been very supportive of my service in the Air Guard,” Cerino said. “In essence, it serves the country with support of its reserve and Guard members. I especially thank my supervisor, Tom, who has always given me the time off I needed to serve the Guard and I’m deeply appreciative of that. I also appreciate my co-worker Walter Brooks and others who cover for me in my absence, which is at least two weeks during the year.”

“The military members who are serving lengthy tours overseas in dangerous places really are the ones who are making big sacrifices,” Cerino said. “Their families also are making sacrifices for our freedom. They appreciate all the support they are receiving from the public.”

Today, in support of the war on terrorism and the ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, an essential alliance has been formed, said Bob Hollingsworth, ESGR executive director, as America’s employers have become inextricably linked to the nation’s defense by sharing their most precious asset — their employees.