STATE COLLEGE – The Pennsylvania Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a Department of Defense office, recently announced that Hitham Hiyajneh, of Pita Cabana Cafe, was honored with a Patriot Award in recognition of extraordinary support of an employee serving in the Pennsylvania Guard and Reserve.
According to William Burkhard, Pennsylvania ESGR North Central Area 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.”
Hiyajneh was nominated for being highly supportive of the Army Reserve Service of his Reserve Component employee, Spc. Karl Lewine. Supportive supervisors are critical to maintaining the strength and readiness of the nation’s Guard and Reserve units, ESGR said in a press release.
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 the employment of guardsmen and reservists.
For more information, call (800) 336-4590 or visit www.esgr.mil.
