"The expression "walk a mile in my shoes" took on new meaning for a number of Kentucky employers recently. In this case, the shoes were big ones to fill — combat boots, in fact.
They belonged to members of the Kentucky National Guard and Reserves. And while Kentucky employers didn't literally put on boots, they did have the opportunity to walk through many of the daily activities of the National Guard and Reservists.
The program, entitled "Operation Boss Lift," was designed to help Kentucky employers learn the quality and scope of training provided to military members of the workforce. Most of the businesses in the operation have employees currently serving in the National Guard and Reserve. Kentucky currently has 13,000 members in the National Guard and Reserves with 4,000 employers, according to the CEI (Civilian Employment Information) Database.
"You are here so that you can get a perspective of what the Kentucky National Guard and Reservists are doing," said Retired Brigadier General Bob Yaple in welcoming the group of 60 employers at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville on May 9. "Our Reserves are working harder than they have ever worked, and we appreciate that you have given them the time they must have."
The Army and Air National Guard and the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) jointly presented the event. ESGR, founded in 1972, is an agency within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs. Through a national network of 4,500 volunteers, it operates programs directed toward employers, employees and communities to foster the role of the Reserves. It also acts to assist in resolving any conflict arising from an employee's military commitment.
Kentucky currently has 52 ESGR volunteers, according to the executive director of the Kentucky committee, David Orange. This includes 13 ombudsmen who mediate disputes that may arise between employers and employees.
There are currently 1.2 million Americans serving in the Guard and Reserve, representing almost one-half of the total U.S. military force. This has created a unique bond between the military and their civilian employers, according to Orange. Due to lengthened deployments, employers are being asked to sustain a much greater level of employee absence and related consequences, according to national ESGR data. This is compounded by low unemployment rates, an anticipated reduction in the national workforce of close to 15 percent over the next 10-15 years and a growing reliance on small groups of the workforce with specific job skills by both military and civilian employers.
Kentucky is often cited as exceptional in its employers' support of the National Guard and Reserves, Orange said. Kentucky employers are noted for their patriotism, he said, even among Southern states where patriotism tends to be historically higher than other parts of the country. Disputes between employers and employee reservists have declined each year for the past three years, Orange said.
"We have a shared employee," Lt. Colonel Tim Moore told the group of employers. "More than ever before, we need to work together. I know that as employers, it hurts to have someone gone. But it's just as hard on us to have someone gone."
Moore speaks from personal experience of this dual role that members of the Guard and Reserve must fulfill. In addition to his work in the Guard, he is an employee of UPS and also serves as a Kentucky state representative from Hardin County. He has served on missions to Iraq and Afghanistan with the Air National Guard.
Following a briefing that included a history of the Air National Guard and aircraft, employers embarked upon their day's mission to Ft. Knox aboard a C130 Hercules. The cargo plane is designed to carry everything from troops to tanks, according to Colonel Ken Dale. This wasn't a first-class flight: employers were given earplugs to block the engine noise and sat on bright red hammock-style seats suspended from the inside walls of the aircraft.
Employers were, however, treated to "the real view," as Dale termed it, when they were allowed to visit the cockpit of the plane. Since 9/11, passengers have not been allowed to enter a cockpit on a commercial flight, so for some of the group, this was a first-time experience.
"I sat in the cockpit of the plane during landing," said Steve Eggenspiller, an operations manager for Humana. "That was an experience."
Upon landing at Ft. Knox, their next experience was waiting for them: an authentic combat zone lunch. It was catered from large cardboard boxes containing rectangular packets sealed in heavy brown plastic. Each was stamped with square black lettering to identify its contents. Participants selected from 10 varieties of these packets, known as MREs or Meals Ready Made. The shelf life of these meals is several years.
Each MRE contained approximately 3,000 calories. They ranged from chicken with salsa to beef stroganoff. The packets contain a heating element, activated by adding water, to heat the contents.
During a recent operation in Saudi Arabia, Col. Steve Bullard told members of the group the heating elements weren't necessary. "We could take and put them on top of the plane," he said. "A minute later, they would be scalding hot."
While fixing their MREs created some lighthearted moments for many of the participants, it also brought some sobering ones.
"You really see how spoiled we are," said Aimee Boyd, director of communications for the Kentucky Derby Festival. "You get a sense of what the people in the service are giving up for us."
More sobering for the group was the presentation by the Adjutant General of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Major General Donald C. Storm, who flew in that morning specifically to meet with the group of civilian employers.
"Never before have the things we do depended so much on employers," he told the group. "The active force is so small we have to really call on the reserve components."
The general told the group that the dependence on their employees has made a difference not only in the current Middle East war, but will continue in the future. It has affected not only the current crisis overseas, but also what goes on within the United States, he said. He noted the role of the National Guard and Reserves in Iraq and Afghanistan, but also during Hurricane Katrina.
The Kentucky National Guard is the biggest personnel provider to the "War on Terror," Storm said. "We have mobilized and deployed over 8,700, including multiple deployments," he said.
Storm told the employers that his first priority that day was to thank them for their support. He told them that their actions were not only for themselves, but also for future generations. "I appreciate General Storm's insight into what is happening in the world," said Vicki Perkins, an administrator with UPS. "You don't get this on the six o'clock news."
Perkins said she gained better perspective about the role of the National Guard and Reserves from the event. "I think people forget what this country is about," she said. "Today was a reminder of the role we as employers play. It was more than just a helicopter ride — although that was WOW!"
Following Storm's presentation, the employers were divided into groups of six and taken on flights aboard Blackhawk helicopters. They flew for 30 to 40 minutes around the Ft. Knox base at varying speeds and altitudes to give a sense of the helicopter's capabilities.
Keith Holeman, a group leader with LG&E, said the flight on the Blackhawk was definitely a highlight, but that the insight he gained was more important. "This gives you great respect for what Reservists do," he said. Holeman said his company has several employees who are members of the Guard and Reserves. Deployment has meant a redistribution of work and organization until the employee returns.
Creating greater understanding of the rights as well as benefits of employing Reservists is the goal of Boss Lift, Orange said. Employers are asked to sign a Statement of Support that lets customers and others know that the employer actively supports the Guard and Reserve. While Federal Law in the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) defines the rights and responsibilities of employers, education is an ongoing concern of his organization, he said.
Nearly 800 employers in Kentucky have signed the Statement of Support. ESGR also presents a series of awards honoring the support by employers in the commonwealth as well as nationally. "Once employers experience 'Boss Lift' and witness what their employees are going through, it really opens their eyes," Orange said. "Employers in Kentucky are very, very supportive."