ESGR gives bosses a lift from Niagara to MacDill

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Anna-Marie Wyant
  • 927th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  The 927th Air Refueling Wing welcomed 32 civilians and nine Airmen here from Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, N.Y., Thursday as part of a "boss lift" coordinated by Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve of Western New York.

ESGR, a Department of Defense organization, has served as a liaison between service members and their employers since it was established in 1972. Fred R. Dentinger, chairman of ESGR of Western New York, said boss lifts, incentive flights for supportive civilian employers of traditional Guardsmen and Reservists, give the employers a glimpse of what their military employees do during their drill weekends.

"It's about education," said Mr. Dentinger, a Korean War veteran and former Navy Reservist. "It's important to show employers what their employees do and the sacrifices they make."

Mr. Dentinger, who has been involved in ESGR for 20 years, never heard of ESGR then he was enlisted in the Navy from 1946-1950, more than two decades before ESGR was established. Now he has been the chairman for 7 years and has participated in 15 boss lifts, each giving supportive employers a fresh perspective of their employees' jobs in today's military.

Terrence McCann, the chief financial officer for Catholic Charities of Buffalo, N.Y., said this trip helped show him how his five employees in the Guard and Reserves operate in the military.

"I think it's a very good learning experience," said Mr. McCann, a former Guardsman.

Mr. McCann, who served as a finance officer in the Army National Guard in the 1960s, said he felt pressure from his civilian employers to get out of the military, leading him to resign his commission in 1968. He said this experience gives him a better perspective on what his military employees need from him, and he does his best to accommodate them.

"I understand [their needs] from personal experience," he said. "Back then, employers didn't care; now we have to care."

The two-day tour included visits to U.S. Central Command Headquarters, U.S. Special Operations Command Headquarters, and various other establishments on base. The group, which was transported here from Niagara Falls ARS on a C-130 Hercules, also toured a KC-135 Stratotanker static display.

This was the first time Mr. Dentinger escorted a boss lift to MacDill. He said he chose this base because of its outstanding reputation and the tremendous facilities it offers.

"It's been great," Mr. Dentinger said of the tour. "I think everyone was impressed."

Mr. Dentinger said Western New York is home to approximately 6,500 Guardsmen and Reservists. Although the employers on this trip represent only a small percentage of these service members' bosses, their support is greatly appreciated.

"We lean on you guys as employers to help us help [Reservists] do what they need to do," Col. Kenneth D. Lewis, 927th ARW commander, said to the employers. "For you to support them to come and work is incredibly important, so I want to thank you for your support and your sacrifices."