ESGR Forward Operation Iraqi Freedom Kuwait

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ESGR ForwardOperation Iraqi FreedomKuwait

• LTC Matthew Tittmann, USAR
• LCDR Lindsay Kough, USNR
• MSG Robert Cossel, ANG

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Situation

• Approximately 285,000 reserve and guard members
  have been mobilized in support of Operations
  NOBLE EAGLE, ENDURING FREEDOM, and IRAQI FREEDOM
• Approximately 100,000 guard and reserve members
  are currently serving in the CENTCOM AOR

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• Most of the reserve and guard members currently
  serving will be redeployed and demobilized in the
  next several months
• Additional guard and reserve forces may be
  utilized to continue the current mission overseas
• Many of these guard and reserve members have
  little or no knowledge of ESGR, or they have
  unanswered concerns that ESGR can resolve

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Operation Iraqi FreedomConditions

• 130 to 140 degrees F
• Just under 50 of the service members live in
  tents with no air conditioning
• Many service members have to drive 40 minutes in
  a HUMVEE to get a shower every three days
• Unknown redeployment/demob dates

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Mission

• Assess practicality of establishing ESGR cells at
  major embarkation and debarkation sites
• Exploit impactful opportunities to brief incoming
  and outgoing reserve and guard members about
  their USERRA rights and ESGR programs
• Pre-emptive Strike to encourage the service
  member to communicate with their employer as they
  would with their family

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• Create and publicize ESGR brand awareness for all
  active and reserve members so that they know ESGR
  is the valuable resource that we are
• Educate DoD leadership in theater
• Generate publicity for ESGR and patriotic
  employers Heroes Among Us initiative
• Identify and forward Ombudsman type
  employer-related issues

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ESGR Forward Team

• Fiscally conscious
• Rotator from BWI to Kuwait
• Space A on a C-5 back to CONUS
• Stayed in tents with the service members their
  level they listen
• No rental cars transportation and security lined
  up with MP Brigade
• No less than 18-hour workdays
• Service members could not be more appreciative

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Briefings

• Cemented liaison and briefed at 6 of the 8 major
  camps where we have the largest number of reserve
  and guard members and from most are redeploying
• 90 of all active and guard/reserve service
  members deploy and redeploy, to and from, two
  adjoining camps thus, focus location for ESGR

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DEMOB Kits

• USERRA Card
• Fact sheet and Frequently Asked Questions
• My Boss is a Patriot nomination form
• Desert Tan pouch on a lanyard with Identification
  Card Window prized item morale booster

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Heroes Among Us

• Capture the stories of the actual employer
  support of the guard and reserve member in
  conjunction with his/her operational story
• Digital imagery
• Forward to NCESGR PA team with additional support
  from a PA team working with California ESGR
• Local/regional media target ESGR website

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Next Steps

• Deploy, on an ongoing rotating basis, two to
  three 3-person teams
• Base team staged at the main deployment/redeployme
  nt camps
• Roving team(s) to outreach the rest of the major
  camps, including Baghdad International Airport,
  Iraq
• Sustain for the duration of the mission overseas

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