The Tacoma-Pierce County Chambers Board of Directors has adopted a resolution that calls upon public and private employers to take action in support of U.S. troops.
The resolution – with the backing of Board Chair Joseph Wilczek, who is also president of the Franciscan Health System, and Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber President and CEO David Graybill – expresses admiration and support for soldiers, airmen, sailors, Marines, Coast Guardsmen, and the Reserves and National Guard of all services.
Fourteen of Franciscans people were called to active duty, Wilczek said. You won’t believe how much we miss them. The Chamber strongly supports their mission and looks forward to their safe return.
The resolution was presented to McChord Air Force Base, Fort Lewis and the I Corps on behalf of the organization on March 27.
The Chamber commended the South County Chambers military-family discount program as a model of business support and encourages other employers to participate in similar programs such as the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, the Association of the U.S. Army and the Air Force Association in an effort to follow suit.
For approximately 24 years, the Chamber has presented the John Anderson Military Citizen of the Year and the Howard O. Scott Citizen-Soldier of the Year awards.
This years Howard O. Scott Citizen-Soldier of the Year award will be presented on April 15, at 11:45 a.m., at the Tacoma Elks Club, and is sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Tacoma.
DEPLOYMENT BY THE NUMBERS
As of March 26, the nation has called up 150,071 Army National Guard and Reserve, 9,494 Naval Reserve, 33,365 Air Force National Guard and Reserve, 20,089 Marine Corps Reserve and 3,792 Coast Guard Reserve totaling 216,811 reserve personnel in both units and as individual augmentees.
Also called up are 3,154 volunteers from the Coast Guard Reserve in Tacoma, Army Reserve and National Guard, Air Force Reserve and National Guard, Navy Reserve and Marine Corps Reserve and additional personnel subject to activation.
Active duty service members from the Puget Sound region alone stands at more than 12,000 from Fort Lewis, McChord and Fairchild Air Force Bases, Bremerton, Everett and Whidbey Island.
