South Carolina Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (SC ESGR)

03/04/2026

SC ESGR Representative David Gayle, accompanied by SC State Chairman ESGR Jennifer Harding, presented Patriot Awards to judges of the Lexington County Magistrate’s Court. They were nominated by Judge Larry Saunders. Judge Saunders is a magistrate judge in Lexington County and also a member of the SC Army National Guard.

02/06/2026

Today Don Tretola proudly presented the ESGR Patriot Award to Matti Bedell of the Summerville YMCA.

02/06/2026

Today Don Tretola proudly presented the ESGR Patriot Award to Matti Bedell of the Summerville YMCA.

01/26/2026

On January 22nd, SCESGR volunteer Ed Holmes presented the Patriot award to four members of the Horry County Sheriff's office. The recipients were: Captain Sherri Smith, Lieutenant Brooks James, Sergeant Roy Hemingway and Corporal Cal Cox. The ceremony was held in court room, attended by 30 officers and staff members.

12/30/2025

Attention Reservists and SC Guardsman! Just a reminder that the deadline for submission for the Freedom Award is tomorrow, December 31. Please visit FreedomAward.mil to submit your supportive civilian employer!

12/09/2025

Dale Dye, Vice President, of Managed Services for Nordic Global signed the ESGR Statement of Support today. Pictured with Dale is SC ESGR Representative David Gayle.

12/08/2025

FREEDOM AWARD NOMINATION SEASON NOW OPEN:
ESGR is accepting nominations for the 2026 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. Service members, or designated individual acting on behalf of the Service member, may nominate their supportive employer for the award at Public Nomination - through midnight (ET) Dec. 31, 2025. www.FreedomAward.mil

09/05/2025

SCESGR members present the Patriot Award to the principal Ten Oaks Middle school, Myrtle Beach, SC

Lindsay Lennon, the principal at Ten Oaks Middle School , has been given the Patriot Award by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, which is an office of the Department of Defense. She was nominated by Michael Merolle, who is a teacher at Ten Oaks Middle and also a member of the National Guard.

The Patriot Award is given to supervisors of National Guard or Reserve members for their efforts to support those citizen warriors through a wide range of measures, including flexible schedules, time off before and after deployment, caring for families, and granting leaves of absence if needed.

Congratulations, Ms. Lennon, and thank you for supporting our employees in the military!

Pictured L-R: Michael Merolle, Jeffrey Butterfield (Special Education Teacher and U.S. Coast Guard veteran), Lindsay Lennon, and Edward Holmes (ESGR representative for SC).

07/21/2025

04/14/2025

US Army Corps of Engineers, Director Maurice Williams was nominated by E-5 Edward Davis, Jr. to receive the SC ESGR Patriot Award. ESGR Chair Emeritus Don Tretola stated, "It was my privilege to present this award to Mr. Williams at their facility in St. Stephen, South Carolina."

During Edwards deployment, his supervisor went above and beyond and would check in on Edwards’s family routinely.

At the end of the ceremony, Don was given a tour of their Cooper River Re-diversion Project at their facility.

Patriotism abounds at the US Army Corps of Engineers in SC.