Associated Electric Cooperative earns Department of Defense Patriot Award

By: Ann Keyes
Missouri National Guard Public Affairs




SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - When deploying to the Balkans last year as part of the Missouri National Guard's Kosovo Force 10, Maj. Frank McCormick packed his gear, a few personal items and a laptop computer, the latter a parting gift from his employer.

"It was my only link to home," said McCormick of the generous gesture provided by Associated Electrical Cooperative.

McCormick, a purchasing agent for the multi-state rural electric provider, also said the company granted him security, as he knew he had a job to come home to following his service.

"I knew people who weren't going to be coming home to jobs and they worried about it," McCormick said, "I knew my company was behind me."

McCormick returned the respect shown him by Associated Electric by nominating the company for a Department of Defense Patriot Award. And in late August at the company's headquarters in Springfield, McCormick's supervisor accepted the decoration.

"Thank you," said Brad Austin to Phil Dixon, of the Missouri Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve. The committee is a Department of Defense agency that seeks to promote a culture in which American employers support and value the military service of their employees.

Austin accepted the award in front of some two-dozen company officials and other employees of Associated Electric, all happy to be a part of the presentation and glad to see McCormick back at his desk in Springfield.

In a short speech, McCormick gave credit to Austin for keeping him up to date on evolving work while deployed, integral to his return, he said.

"It was the same job and same office yet everything had changed," said McCormick, of Ozark, now back in the states four months.

Nancy Southworth, manager of corporate communications for Associated, said being receptive and accommodating to the service of those who serve is a task the company takes on willingly and proudly.

"The nature of this industry is a rural type customer, which naturally presents a certain amount of patriotism," she said. "And we're very family oriented. Our employees are a long-term investment for us."

For more information about the Missouri National Guard, please call 1-888-GoGuard or visit www.moguard.com. For additional information regarding Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), please go to www.esgr.mil