Boss Lift Event Provides Maryland National Guard Employers with Insight Published Nov. 8, 2023 By 1st Lt. Jasmine Matthews 175th Wing MIDDLE RIVER, Md. -- Members of the Maryland National Guard hosted the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Bosslift event at Martin State Air National Guard Base and Blum Military Reservation on November 3, 2023, giving employers the opportunity to better understand what their employees do during military service. Employers took part in orientation flights in UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters flown by Soldiers with the 29th Combat Aviation Brigade, as well as put hands on an A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft assigned to the 104th Fighter Squadron. Additional stations at Martin State consisted of an emergency management capabilities brief, weapons familiarization, and an unclassified cyber brief. They also traveled in up-armored vehicles, familiarized themselves with various weapons systems and learned combat medical care at the Blum Military Reservation. The event aims to assist employers in understanding the duties and responsibilities of National Guard and Reserve employees during their drill weekends and annual training. “Following the success of last year’s Boss Lift event, we wanted to keep as many of the hands-on elements intact as possible for employers to gain a better understanding of what their employees are doing when they don the military uniform,” said Geambro Hollis, State Chair for Maryland ESGR. During a briefing about the ESGR, a Department of Defense office, the employers learned about reemployment rights of the military reservists after training, deployments, or other tours of duty. The Maryland National Guard's ESGR Bosslift event allows employers to gain insight into their employees’ military service, ensuring meaningful civilian employment for citizen warriors and their families. enabling employers to gain insight into their employees' military service, ensuring meaningful civilian employment for our citizen warriors and their families. ESGR collaborates with national, state, local government and professional trade organizations to meet Reserve Component members' needs. “We definitely appreciate the employers that came out and we want to recognize their support,” said Hollis. “We feel very strongly that the word will spread throughout the state’s thousands of companies.” All together, more than 50 employers participated in the event. “Today was a great day for employers to get a sample of what it takes to serve in the Maryland National Guard,” said Maj. Gen. Janeen L. Birckhead, adjutant general of Maryland. “We truly can’t do our mission without their support and we are extremely grateful for all they do to take care of our citizen-Soldiers and citizens-Airman.”