The message matters: high-speed advertising helps program reach employers

Citizen Airman, Dec, 2004 by Jason Tudor

However, it's the race car that's helped ESGR hit victory lane for employers, according to Mr. Hollingsworth. That process started when Richard Childress, owner of Richard Childress Racing Inc. and the No. 29 car, took a trip to Baghdad.

"It's very important for all employers to support their employees who are defending our country in the Guard and Reserve," Mr. Childress said earlier this year.

Mr. Earnhardt said getting the message to employers and those serving was the real win.

"You can't say enough for what the troops do for us," the racer, who did a stint in the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program at South Rowan High School in China Grove, N.C., said. "It's amazing the support we get from the military. Richard (Childress) has told me stories about how the guys just light up when they meet him. It shows."

However, for Mr. Hollingsworth and ESGR, the rubber meets the road when Reservists are able to serve their country without encountering any problems from their employers.

When Airman 1st Class Heather Robinson found out in May that her deployment to the Middle East had been extended 30 days--she had already been in theater 100 days--she could have been worried about her civilian employer.

Would her bosses at the Workers Credit Union in Fitchburg, Mass., complain? No way, Airman Robinson said. Would they understand? Yes.

"Although I only had a few days notice (three) before I came here, my employer has helped me out," she said. "They were caring and flexible with me throughout this experience."

As the race winds down, Mr. Hebert watches the ESGR car finish 23rd. It's still a victory in his mind.

"Our national security depends on a strong military," Mr. Hebert said. "When we can reach employers and help them be satisfied; when employers know enough to call and ask ESGR questions; when employers know their responsibility under the law and are willing to work with their Guard or Reserve employees, that makes all the work worthwhile."