ALTON – The Illinois Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense (DOD) office, announced that Gary Ingle, security manager at OSF Saint Anthony’s Health Center, received the Patriot Award for the extraordinary support of OSF Saint Anthony’s Mission Partner, Alex Dodge, who is currently serving in the Marine Corps Reserve.
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According to the ESGR, the Patriot Award was created to publicly recognize individuals who support citizen warriors through a wide-range of measures including flexible schedules, time off prior to and after deployment, caring for families and granting leaves of absence if needed.
“Again and again I have had to leave and go to drill and he has worked around my schedule without complaining or questioning it once,” Dodge said. “To me, he understands the sacrifices that have to be made in order to ensure this country’s freedoms.”
Ingle was nominated by Dodge, who serves with the 6th ESB Charlie Company in Peoria. Dodge has been employed with OSF Saint Anthony’s since 2010. In 2011, he took a two year leave of absence while serving active duty with the Marine Corps which included a tour in Afghanistan.
Also a veteran, Ingle served in the Army Infantry/Airborne from 1983 to 1990. He served with the 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Division at Fort Lewis, Washington; 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas; and 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Division at Camp Hovey, Korea.
ESGR was established by the DOD in 1972 to promote cooperation and understanding between Reserve Component Service members and their civilian employers and to assist in the resolution of conflicts arising from an employee's military commitment.
