Bosslifts help get employers on Reserve team

Citizen Airman, June, 2004 by Lance Patterson

Does your boss understand why--you serve in the Air Force Reserve--attending unit training assemblies, going on annual training and deploying when called or asked?

If not, your boss might need a bosslift on a military aircraft. The Air Force Reserve Command program is designed to cultivate and maintain support for military service by educating employers about AFRC units, the Air Force and the command.

"Bosslifts are a by-product of training," said Charles D. Jones, public affairs airlift and environmental coordinator at Headquarters AFRC, Robins Air Force Base, Ga. "AFRC has a significant presence in 39 states, and all of the passenger-capable airplanes at our various units are able to support bosslifts."

The bosslift program is designed for all employers who hire reservists. It seeks to educate and familiarize these employers by enabling them to see military training exercises, tour installations, and learn about the military and its mission. Bosslifts vary in length but usually are three-day events involving visits to two or more installations.

"At the local level, units are encouraged to sponsor employer support programs that may or may not include an orientation flight," Mr. Jones said. "Bosslifts and orientation flights are often confused with each other. During orientation flights, employers see only military activities at a single location, and the flight is completed in a single day."

"Saluting America's employers is the right thing to do, and this is the right time to do it," said Bob Hollingsworth, executive director of the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a Defense Department agency. "During this time of unprecedented mobilizations of the brave men and women who serve in the National Guard and Reserve, the mission of ESGR has evolved from an emphasis on individual reservists to their employers."

The ESGR National Employer Outreach Program for 2004 will include a new five-star employer support program in about 100 cities. A projected 10,000 employers in all 48 contiguous states will be asked to sign a statement of support for the Guard and Reserve.

Additionally, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve will conduct symposiums to help employers ensure their companies are in compliance with laws providing job protections for Guardsmen and Reservists. The seminars will also provide suggestions for managing employees who serve in the Guard and Reserve.

One feature of the program will be a five-race NASCAR Busch Series salute to Guard and Reserve employers. ESGR and Richard Childress Racing are putting together a "dream team" of NASCAR's biggest stars for the series.

The ESGR No. 29 car will be painted in a different paint scheme for each race to represent all reserve components, and a NASCAR show car, known as "America's Car," will be displayed at chamber of commerce functions to commend Guard and Reserve employers. Members of the public will get the opportunity to be photographed with the car and to sign large "Support our Troops" banners.

Officials said the goal is to collect 1.2 million signatures, one for every member of the National Guard and Reserve, and to display the banners in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere in the United States and overseas.

To sign your boss up for a bosslift or to learn more about ESGR employer outreach programs, call toll free 1-800-336-4590 or visit the organization's Web site (www.esgr.com). (2nd Lt. Lance Patterson, HQ AFRC public affairs, Robins AFB.)