September 2015

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Congratulations are in order for incoming Chairman Mark Lilevjen (left) (October 1) and a big Thank You to outgoing Chairman Dick Young (right) who provided outstanding leadership in making the Colorado Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Committee one of the best in the country. We also say good bye and thank you to Chandra Hance who provided outstanding support to our employer supporters and our volunteers. Chandra and her family are moving to “the land down under” and we wish them well in their new adventure.

October

Welcome and

Farewell

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Be Someone Who Matters to Someone Who Matters...Mentoring Works! At a recent statewide conference attended by some 125 representatives of several organizations here in Colorado working to help Military Service members find employment, the message kept coming through loud and clear: The piece most often missed in the various programs and methods out there is Individual Mentoring. Here in Colorado ESGR, we have felt this way for some time and have been slowly (too slowly) organizing our efforts to launch a concerted, well thought out approach to provide individual mentoring to our many Guard, Reserve, and other military service members and Veterans. Currently, for our Guard and Reserve members, we have full time paid staff members Becky Small and Kathleen Dorram, providing those members

and their spouses with excellent individualized mentoring. In order to back up Becky and Kathleen, as well as to expand our efforts under our Employment Initiatives Directorate, we have Individual Mentoring as one of the four major directorate sub blocks. Al Duff, quite new to Colorado ESGR, but well seasoned in leading individual mentoring efforts, is the lead coordinator for Individual Mentoring. Working with Al and responsible for the matching the individual mentor with the individual mentee is Geena Ibsen, who comes to us with much experience with both ESGR and the National Guard. Also providing our Colorado ESGR Individual Mentoring effort, with a wealth of experience, is Tracey Fria. While many of our individual mentors will be Colorado ESGR Volunteers, we are planning to reach out to various organizations that also promote individual mentoring of military members to join us in this effort, in the hopes of cutting down on duplication and the waste of time and talent that occurs when too many entities are competing to provide basically the same service to the same individual. Our intent is to work with them by providing assistance in the way of training their mentors, sharing our guidance and instructions as appropriate, and work to ensure that we don’t have two, three, or four mentors all trying to mentor one mentee. Under the leadership of Al Duff, a well drafted Mentoring Guide has been prepared and we are working on release of a resource book, one specific to Denver and one specific to Colorado Springs, which will provide each Mentor detailed resource information that is available at no cost to the military member. The purpose of the resource guide is to give the member a ready reference when needing a specific answer or facing problems such as who can take care of the dog when a single service member deploys, where to go for help when dealing with PTSD, assistance with VA benefit navigation, emergency financial assistance when the heat is about to be turned off, etc. National organizations Return 2 Work (R2W) and MOAA as well as several Colorado Springs organizations have already indicated that they wish to be part of this coordinated effort. We are also looking at working with the several Veterans Courts here in Colorado that use and need trained mentors to assist those veterans who are in the jurisdiction of those courts. If interested in becoming a dedicated Individual Mentor volunteer, understanding that this will require some specialized training, especially if becoming a volunteer in one for the Veterans Courts. If you are willing to make a firm commitment to this effort, please contact dickyoung123@gmail.com.

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” ― Benjamin Franklin

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The Ombudsman’s Corner

Disqualifying Service –

Thank you for supporting ESGR!

As part of the 100th

birthday celebration of the Navy Reserve, Vice Admiral Robyn R. Braun, Chief of Navy Reserve, visited Colorado and Wyoming 17-21 July, 2015. She made a special visit for a luncheon to the Naval Operational Support Center (NOSC) here in Denver on Sunday, July 19. During the luncheon she presented Letters of Appreciation to attendees thanking them for their service in the Navy Reserve.

Bio...

When would a person’s service disqualify him or her from asserting their USERRA

rights?

The statute lists four circumstances:

Separation from the service with a

dishonorable or bad conduct discharge.

Separation from the service under other

than honorable conditions.

Dismissal of a commissioned officer by

court martial or by the President.

Dropping an individual from the rolls due to being absent without authority or

imprisonment by a civilian court.

Employers should contact our National Office at 1-800-336-4590 if they have issues

or questions.

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Companies take note: hiring a veteran of the U.S.

Military comes with a host of benefits.

A number of Quora users responded to the question "What are the advantages of hiring someone who has been in the U.S. Military?" Of the responders, retired Marine sergeant and current hiring manager Jon Davis outlined ten key reasons employers should hire military veterans.

His response is summarized below.

1. Veterans come from a previous culture built for mission accomplishment in mind.

"Few cultures have been engineered like the one military veterans have been a part of and even fewer ... focuses

entirely on mission achievement, cooperation and personal development. The fact is that there is no culture in the

world that shapes people in the way the military does," Davis notes.

2. Veterans have ingrained leadership talents

The average age of a Marine, Davis notes, is 19. At 20, most Marines become non-commissioned officers who

are placed in leadership positions. As one advances through the military's ranks, the burden of leadership be-

comes greater and greater.

3. Veterans take their responsibilities seriously

"Military people get responsibility because when they were very young there were serious consequences to the

decisions they made," writes Davis. Veterans have passed through trials that most people haven't, ensuring that

they are responsible individuals who can successfully carry out their duties.

4. Intuition is a skill, and the military teaches it

"What many people think is that leaders are born. Not in the military. The fact is that many people in military are

faced with making life and death decisions in the blink of an eye," Davis writes. Military personnel have been

trained to absorb as much information as possible from a variety of sources — so as to always intuit the best

choice available to them.

5. Military people will openly tell you when something is wrong

Military personnel have a questioning and honest mentality, and will not be afraid of telling bosses when an idea

could use a second look.

6. Military people will get the job done

"Military people know what it means to have something that needs to be done. They have a sense of urgency and

have seen the world through a big picture type mentality," notes Davis.

7. When given the necessary support, veterans are extremely capable

"When given a proper framework and adequate training [veterans] can amaze you at how hard they can work and

what they can get done," Davis writes.

8. Veterans are independent

Veterans are more likely than other demographic groups to start their own businesses, and possess a

resourcefulness can help companies grow quickly from the inside.

9. Military personnel know the meaning of hard work

"When on deployment we also work every day. Every single day. There are no holidays, no weekends, no

birthdays. It is the same thing every day," notes Davis.

10. The government pays for veteran education

The government provides veterans with financial assistance for pursuing higher education. By hiring a veteran,

companies ensure that they will have employees who can consistently improve while on the job through

continuing education initiatives.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/10-advantages-of-hiring-a-veteran-2014-7#ixzz3lNpjmJJw

Training Topics included:

Overview of ESGR

Colorado ESGR Organization

Volunteer Roles & Responsibilities

Briefings by Guard and Reserve personnel of all the

military services.

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Colorado ESGR

New Volunteer Training

Taking the Oath!

The latest group of volunteers pledging their service to keep Colorado ESGR strong!!

Navy Operational Support Center - Buckley AFB

August 1, 2015

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Billie Jo Marsh, Allstate Insurance presented Billie Jo Marsh, Allstate Insurance presented

with a Statement of Support by ESGR with a Statement of Support by ESGR

volunteer Delos Howard. volunteer Delos Howard.

Colorado’s Supporting Employers

Dr. Jay Brekke , Brekke Veterinary Clinic, Castle Rock presented with a Statement of Dr. Jay Brekke , Brekke Veterinary Clinic, Castle Rock presented with a Statement of

Support by Robert Rotruck, ESGR volunteer.Support by Robert Rotruck, ESGR volunteer.

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Western Union’s Veterans Career Open House

Friday, November 6, 2015 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

at

Western Union Headquarters 12500 E. Belford Avenue Englewood, Colorado 80112

Learn about Western Union’s corporate culture and the exciting career opportunities available to military members

Hear how you can apply your military background and work with Western Union colleagues from around the globe

Hear from key leaders within Western Union as well as other veterans and reservists who are making a difference

Hear about Western Union’s new U.S. military benefits

Gain useful career advice from Western Union recruiters

**Refreshments will be provided.**

Please Click Here to register online and find out more information.

Upcoming

Events

Mark the Dates!

Click on pictures or links for websites

STAFF AND CONTACT INFORMATION

Brent Hamilton - Program Support Technician

720-250-1176 brent.l.hamilton2.ctr@mail.mil

Chandra Hance – AST-Administrative Support Technician 720.250.1189 chandra.l.hance.ctr@mail.mil

Becky Small - Employment Coordinator

720-250-1188 rebecca.s.small.ctr@mail.mil

https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits/jobs

COESGR Business Office

12200 East Briarwood Avenue, Suite 160

Centennial, Co 80112 FAX: 720.250.1199

State ESGR Vice Chair Tom Mills, Brigadier General,

CONG (Ret).

EMPLOYER OUTREACH

AREA CHAIRS

Alamosa Dan Powell

Boulder Tonia Martinez

Colorado Springs Paul Dunbar Bob Landry

Cortez Area Robert Valencia

Denver Area Bruce Erek Rick White

Douglas County Area

Bob Rotruck Dick Wilson

Estes Park Area Chair Open

Fort Lyon/Tri County Leanne Wheeler

Larimer/Weld County Jeanie & Brian Hand

Grand Junction Lou Brackett Bret Mixon

Montrose Emily Smith Rich Parr

Pueblo Harry Vogel

Jon Brude

Steamboat Springs Jim Stanko

State ESGR Chair Richard E. Young, RADM, USN (Ret)

COLORADO ESGR DIRECTORS

Military Outreach

Darrell Williamson - Director

Employer Outreach Bev Skinner - Co-director

Dave Pruett - Co-director

EO Coordinators, Major

Corporations-

Jeff Brodeur

Bosslift Coordinator - Brian Bartony

Ombudsmen

Bill Belz - Director

Martin Cobb - Co- Director

Aaron Lechner - Dep. Dir.

Lara Makinen - Coordinator

Training Lynn Albi

Paula Kauffman - Dep. Dir.

Special Programs

Kip Cheroutes - Director

National Guard Liaison

Liz Kelpis

Public Affairs

Brian Moore - Director Sandy Tiegen - Dep. Dir.

James Garrett - Newsletter Editor

Employer Initiatives Elaine Edon - Director

Robby Castle - Deputy

Mentors Coordinator - Genna Ibsen

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Colorado’s ESGR Electronic Newsletter is published not only for the information and benefit of the members of the Colorado ESGR but most importantly to our Guard and Reserve members and their employers. The contents of this newsletter highlight activities and events conducted by Colorado ESGR.

Send comments regarding this publication to the Newsletter Editor: James Garrett at ESGRcolorado@yahoo.com

Nominate your employer for the 2016 Award.

Below are the YouTube links of the ceremony and the compiled nominators video, for the 2015 Secretary of Defense Employer Support of the Guard and R e s e r v e F r e e d o m A w a r d s .

C e r e m o n y - h t t p s : / /youtu.be/0Kr5KcoKNnc Nom i na to rs - h t tps : / /youtu.be/hn1kbmERSts

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