Cheryl Smith receives Patriotic Employer Award

AINSWORTH — City Employee Cheryl Smith has earned recognition from the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, (ESGR,) a program from the U.S. Department of Defense.

The Patriotic Employer Award allows National Guard or Reserve members and their spouses to nominate bosses for their “efforts made to support citizen warriors through a wide-range of measures,” according to a fact sheet from the ESGR.

Mitchell Byerly, the National Guard Member who nominated Smith, spoke to her support in a statement.

“Cheryl is a great boss and was able to let me attend a 42-week Army school on only two days’ notice,” Byerly said.

Iowa ESGR Chair Rebecca Coady said such efforts were greatly appreciated.

“Supportive employers like Cheryl Smith are vital to the success of our mission and the defense of this nation,” she said. “Our Guard and Reserve members could not perform their military duty without knowing their civilian employers support them 100 percent.”