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Charlotte Amalie
Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesV.I. Department of Health Honored by Department of Defense for Patriotic Support...

V.I. Department of Health Honored by Department of Defense for Patriotic Support of Employees Serving in VING

Department of Health; Dr. Marc Jerome, Territorial Health Officer/Medical Director, Department of Health; Acting Director of WIC Lorna Concepcion; SGT Azalea Macedon of the 610th QM CO; Beresford Edwards, ESGR Chair for the VI; SFC Joseph James; CPT Nicole Payne, Commander 610th QM CO; and Mr. Paul Radix, ESGR Employer Outreach Director were in attendance. Virgin Islands Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense office, has announced that Commissioner Darice Plaskett of the Department of Health and Lorna Concepcion, acting director of Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Special Supplemental Nutrition Program, were honored with a Patriot Award in recognition of extraordinary support of their employee serving in the Virgin Islands National Guard.
According to Beresford Edwards, V.I. ESGR state chair, “The Patriot Award was created by ESGR to publicly recognize individuals who provide outstanding patriotic support and cooperation to their employees, who like the citizen warriors before them, have answered their nation’s call to serve. Darice Plaskett and Lorna Concepcion were nominated for being highly supportive of the Virgin Islands National Guard by their Reserve Component employee. Supportive supervisors are critical to maintaining the strength and readiness of the nation’s Guard and Reserve units.”
It is a civil duty to support service members when they have duty to perform, Commissioner Plaskett remarked during the ceremony held at the Charles Harwood Complex.
Plaskett and Concepcion were nominated by SFC Charlene Bastian, a service member of the V.I. National Guard, 610th Quartermaster Company. Bastian nominated her supervisor, both past and present, and the department for the years of support she has received.
“For years my supervisors have worked with me to fulfill my military requirements,” said Bastian. “Their support has allowed me to move up through the ranks in my unit and also professionally.”
ESGR, a Department of Defense 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 ESGR volunteer opportunities, call 1-800-336-4590 or visit www.ESGR.mil.

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