[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 38 (Tuesday, February 28, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E159]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        PAYING TRIBUTE TO THE CHARLESTON COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE

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                         HON. JAMES E. CLYBURN

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 28, 2023

  Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a 
distinguished South Carolina organization for its unwavering commitment 
to our reserve service members. The Charleston County Sheriffs Office 
was recently awarded the highest honor given by the United States 
government to employers who show exemplary support for their National 
Guard and Reserve employees. Their contributions to these service 
members deserve our respect and recognition.
  The Department of Defense established the Employer Support Freedom 
Award in 1996. The award honors private and public sector employers 
that demonstrate a strong commitment to military service through their 
continued support of enlisted employees. In August of 2022, the 
Department of Defense announced that the Charleston County Sheriffs 
Office was one of fifteen recipients of the 2022 Employer Support 
Freedom Award. Out of over 2,700 nominations, it was one of just four 
law enforcement agencies across the country to receive this prestigious 
national award.
  The Charleston County Sheriffs office was selected because of its 
long-standing commitment to their Guard and Reserve members and 
families. The agency has implemented a Military Support Liaison program 
to effectively attend to members' needs; provide generous paid leave 
and retirements benefits; engender a community of support for the 
families of members on active duty; and privately and publicly 
recognize members' patriotic service to our state and Nation. The 
Charleston County Sheriffs Office is proud to employ more than a dozen 
members of the South Carolina National Guard and Reserve, and I am 
pleased they are receiving this well-deserved recognition.
  South Carolina's Guardsmen and Reservists are unmatched in their 
service to our state and Nation. These honorable men and women 
sacrifice time away from their families and civilian careers to prepare 
for duty, and it is their courage and leadership during crises that 
ensures our communities remain prosperous and secure. The support 
provided by civilian employers to these service members is essential to 
the strength, readiness, and diversity of our Reserve forces.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that you and our colleagues join me in celebrating 
the outstanding support of our National Guard and Reserve employees by 
the Charleston County Sheriffs Office. Their actions ought to serve as 
an example to other organizations dedicated to the wellbeing of service 
members, their families, and the preparedness of our military. Our 
great state and Nation are safer as a result of Charleston County 
Sheriff's Office's commitment to these service members.

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