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On August 18 retired Judge Matthew Opat was presented with a statewide Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) award, a Department of Defense program, on behalf of the Third Judicial District.
ESGR was established in 1972 and was designed to promote cooperation and understanding between National Guard and Reserve employees and their civilian employers. ESGR encourages employers to facilitate an employee’s participation with the military.
ESGR is located in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Volunteers and staff from each State Committee work to promote employer support for service in the Guard and Reserve. ESGR works to develop a culture where employers support and value the employment and service of the National Guard and Reserve, to give citizen warriors “meaningful civilian employment” for themselves and their families. This in turn will strengthen retention rates and therefore strengthen national security. This cooperation between civilian employers and Guard and Reserve employees will assist in the resolution of potential conflicts that can stem from a military commitment.
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Opat’s former law clerk Corinne Haugen nominated him for the Patriotic Employer award which he received on November 14, 2022. This award is presented to an employer/supervisor for his or her support of Guard and Reserve employees. Haugen, who is now in private practice, was supervised by Opat from April 2018 to February 2021. Haugen is currently a Major in the U.S. Army Reserve and has served in the military for about 17 years.
The recommendation write-up for the Patriotic Employer award was reviewed by the Minnesota Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) and was selected for the prestigious Above and Beyond Award. Judge Opat was recognized as the supervisor and the Minnesota Judicial Branch, Third Judicial District was recognized as the employer. Only 25 were honored with this award statewide from the hundreds of recommendations received.
The State Committee selects employers who “have gone above and beyond legal requirements of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act.” One supervisor, in this case Judge Opat, must first be recognized with the Patriotic Employer award to be eligible for the Above and Beyond Award.
Judge Opat said it is truly an honor to receive this recognition. He expressed his appreciation for Haugen’s initial nomination and was very proud of her for her military service.