IBC shows support for ESGR

Caption: In a combined effort, members and employees from different organizations, including IBC, H-E-B, Texas National Guard Recruit and Command members and Texas Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), joined to load boxes of care packages to be sent to local and area service members who are deployed overseas.


IBC CEO Dennis Nixon signed Texas ESGR (Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve) statements of support during the annual collection of care packages for the Laredo area deployed service members last week at the parking lot of the main IBC bank on San Bernardo and Scott.

In a combined effort, volunteer employees from IBC, H-E-B, Texas National Guard Recruiting Command, and Texas ESGR Area 13 volunteers gathered to load up a U-haul truck of boxes with care packages that had been collected for deployed service military personnel serving overseas.

Both IBC banks and H-E-B stores have been combining efforts and collecting care packages for two years now to be sent to our deployed soldiers from the Laredo and surrounding areas.

This year the Texas ESGR Area 13 Chairperson, retired Master Sgt. Adolfo "Popo" Gonzalez also was able to get the IBC CEO, Mr. Dennis Nixon to sign ESGR Statements of Support for the four charter banks, the Laredo, Commerce Bank, Brownsville, and the Zapata IBC. Nixon urged other IBC banks from around the state to also join in and support the ESGR by signing SOS in their respective areas.

Laredo ESGR Area 13 chairman, Gonzalez, mentioned thatNixon was following the legacy established by the late Antonio R. Tony Sanchez Sr. who was a veteran, family man, entrepreneur and friend of youth and military.

"The late Mr. Sanchez was very instrumental in establishing the Texas National Guard Armory on Bob Bullock Loop in the early 1990s and in bringing in another National Guard company to Laredo," explained the 39-year National Guard veteran. A plaque in front of the Armory states that "the legacy of Mr. Tony Sanchez Sr. lives and benefits every citizen soldier who trains in this Armory."

ESGR recognizes Halliburton

Caption: Representatives of ESGR pose with Halliburton supervisors receiving awards at the Texas Army National Guard Armory. Pictured, from left to right: sitting, Ryan Philip, Halliburton district coordinator; Nora Henry, human resource manager; Roger Reuweler, service coordinator; standing, 436th Chemical Company Commander 1st Lt. Jose A. Perez; Texas ESGR Area 13 Chairman Adolfo "Popo" Gonzalez; Jackie Rodriguez, wife of Spc. Leonardo Rodriguez; and Rodriguez.

The Texas Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) and the 436th Chemical Company honored three supervisors from Halliburton at the Texas National Guard Armory on Bob Bullock Loop Friday morning, presenting them with the National ESGR My Boss is a Patriot Award. The 436th Company will be departing on Saturday morning for CERFP certification in Volk Field, Wisconsin from July 10-23.

Spc. Reynaldo Rodriguez from the Chemical Company nominated his employer for My Boss is a Patriot Award and ESGR maked the presentation to the employer before the service member and the commander of the 436th Company, 1st Lt. Jose A. Perez. The three recipients from Halliburton presented awards were the Human Resource supervisor, Nora Henry, district coordinator Ryan Philip, and service coordinator, Roger Reuweler.

Rodriguez mentioned in his submission to ESGR that Halliburton was very supportive whenever he was called for activation and they would work with him to get his time off to complete his military obligation. Both 436th Commander Perez and Rodriguez made the presentation as Texas ESGR Area 13 Chairman Adolfo "Popo" Gonzalez read the list and acknowledgments. The employers were presented a certificate, a pin, an ESGR cap and an ESGR pen for their reward in support of the guard and reserve.

The 436th commander thanked the employers and acknowledge the fact that the employers play an intimate part on the lives of the service members when they are deployed. Perez also announced that the company is making plans for an event in August for the employers of the 436th Chemical Company. He suggested service members follow the footsteps of Rodriguez and nominate their employers to receive the ESGR awards.

Gonzalez thanked the supervisors and managers of the local Halliburton oil and gas industry company. The 436th Commander also briefed those presented on the importance of the employers supporting their employees in attending this additional training to get certified to do mass decontamination. One of the missions of a chemical company is to provide immediate response capability to the Governor, searching an incident site, including damaged buildings; rescuing any casualties, decontaminating them; performing medical triage and initial treatment to stabilize them for transport to a medical facility (this includes extracting anyone trapped in the rubble).

The 436th Chemical Company returned in December 2007 from a tour of Afghanistan.

Grants available from the Texas Veterans Commission

Thursday the Texas Veterans Commission announced the availability of more than one million dollars in grants to be awarded to organizations that provide services to veterans and their families needing assistance with housing, transportation, counseling and other essential services.

The maximum amount of funding a single organization will receive during this grant period is one million dollars. The minimum funding amount is ten thousand dollars.

The Texas Veterans Commission Fund for Veterans' Assistance has provided more than 3.8 million dollars in grants this year.

The grant funds will be awarded to qualified charitable organizations, veterans service organizations and local government agencies to address nine areas of concern for veterans and their families. Some of the services to be funded include transportation to medical facilities, counseling for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), housing and employment assistance for homeless veterans, and family and child services.

Information outlining the grant objectives and selection criteria can be found at http://www.tvc.state.tx.us/about/fund-for-veterans-assistance. All Letters of Interest must be received by the Texas Veterans Commission no later than 5 p.m. on June 7, 2010.

Send us your photos

LMT has created a place to honor those who have served or are currently serving in the military. Send us photos of your loved ones who have served, and we will feature them here. Also, if you want to send notes of encouragement or other thoughts, e-mail jdaffern@lmtonline.com

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