Chesterfield Police Department Managers honored by Department of Defense for patriotic support

March 19, 2015

ON BEHALF OF MISSOURI ESGR:  Chesterfield Police Department Managers honored by Department of Defense for patriotic support

Missouri Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense (DoD) office, announced that the City of Chesterfield Police Department was honored with a Patriot Award in recognition of extraordinary support of its employee serving in the Missouri Army National Guard.

“The Patriot Award was created by ESGR to publicly recognize individuals who pr...ovide outstanding patriotic support and cooperation to their employees, who like the citizen warriors before them, have answered their nation’s call to serve,” said Admiral Lee Metcalf (Ret.), Missouri ESGR State Chair. “Lieutenant Greg Lehman, Sergeant Bob Wickenhauser, Sergeant Mark Bruegenhemke, and Sergeant Laura Obermeyer were nominated for being highly supportive of the National Guard and Reserve by their employee, Sgt. 1st Class Ryan Broeker. Supportive employers are critical to maintaining the strength and readiness of the nation’s Guard and Reserve units.”

“My supervisors’ efforts and accommodations for my spouse and I have made it possible for me to meet my National Guard obligations and support my wife -- also in the Guard.” Broeker said. “The department made it possible for me to be flexible and to step back into my job without skipping a beat.”

Broeker has been supported by the department over the past nine years not only his regular National Guard duty schedule, but also state emergency duty and additional training. Spc. Maria Broeker (his wife) was at a 3 weeks NCO school when she was called to state emergency duty following the unrest in Ferguson for an additional 10 days.  Additionally, his supervisors worked with Broeker to accommodate shift changes when his wife went to basic and advanced individual training for 5 months so he could tend to the care of their child.

ESGR, a DoD office, seeks to foster a culture in which all employers support and value the employment and military service of members of the National Guard and Reserve in the United States. ESGR facilitates and promotes a cooperative culture of employer support for National Guard and Reserve service by developing and advocating mutually beneficial initiatives, recognizing outstanding employer support, increasing awareness of applicable laws and policies, resolving potential conflicts between employers and their service members, and acting as the employers’ principal advocate within DoD. Paramount to ESGR's mission is encouraging employment of Guardsmen and Reservists who bring integrity, global perspective and proven leadership to the civilian workforce. 

For more information about ESGR outreach programs or volunteer opportunities, call 1-800-336-4590 or visit www.ESGR.mil.