Employer supports mobilized employee, supplements military paycheck

Photo By Sgt. Jennifer Sardam | U.S. Army National Guardsman Sgt. Michael R. Maldondo is a systems maintenance team leader in Battery A, 1st Battalion, 200th Air Defense Artillery Brigade. Sgt. Maldondo is deployed in Qatar to support Operation Enduring Freedom.  

QATAR

02.10.2006

Courtesy Story

DVIDS Hub       

By Spc. Jennifer Sardam
CENTCOM Public Affairs/ESGR Forward Team

QATAR - Holly Energy, where U.S. Army National Guardsman Sgt. Michael R. Maldondo usually works when he's not deployed, is going the extra mile to assist him financially. The company is supplementing his military pay for the duration of the deployment. "They were going to pay the differential," said Maldondo," and then went above that."

Maldondo began working for the company in Artesia, N.M., four years ago as a gauger and pipeline operator delivering crude oil down the pipeline to the refinery and maintaining and operating the pipeline.

At his home station in Roswell, N.M., he is a systems maintenance team leader in Battery A, 1st Battalion, 200th Air Defense Artillery Brigade. He previously maintained the Chaparral short-range air defense missile system until its use in the U.S. Army was phased out in the 1990s.

Now he is deployed in Qatar to support Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). During that time, he doesn't have to worry about the job at home. "They contacted me and asked me if I needed anything," said Maldondo.

Maldondo is approaching the 20-year mark of military service, and this is his first real-world deployment. While in Qatar, he is a military police augmentee for Security Forces, providing additional physical security for the installation's contracted security personnel and military policemen there at U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) Forward Headquarters.

USCENTCOM located at MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, Fla., is the unified command responsible for U.S. security interests in 27 nations that stretch from the Horn of Africa (HOA) through the Arabian Gulf region, into Central Asia. USCENTCOM is one of nine unified commands in the Department of Defense (DOD).

Central Command's mission includes enhancing regional stability and demonstrating a steadfast commitment to regional security. CENTCOM is also responsible for executing the Global War on Terror in its assigned area of responsibility (AOR), which includes Iraq, Afghanistan and HOA. Other important USCENTCOM activities include humanitarian and security assistance programs, as well as combined training and education opportunities for military members in AOR nations.

The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, commonly known as USERRA, allows Maldondo and other mobilized military members to retain their rights to return to their civilian jobs following a deployment. Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) is a Department of Defense agency established in 1972. The mission of ESGR is to gain and maintain active support from all public and private employers for the men and women of the National Guard and Reserve. ESGR volunteers provide free education, consultation, and if necessary, mediation for employers of Guard and Reserve employees.

As the 1.2 million members of the National Guard and Reserve continue to perform an increasing number of unique missions that require extraordinary actions on the part of everyday citizens, ESGR will continue to be the information agency for the employers of America's new Minutemen. More information about ESGR Employer Outreach Programs and volunteer opportunities is available at www.esgr.mil, or by calling The National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve at [phone].

• Date Taken: 02.10.2006
• Date Posted: 02.24.2006 12:09
• Story ID: 5494
• Location: QA