Wilmington, Del.  - Together with leadership of the Delaware Army National Guard, and the 198th Expeditionary Signal Battalion (ESB), Wilmington, DE, the Delaware Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) hosted a “Commander’s Breakfast with the Boss” on February 29, 2012, for civilian employers and their respective employees, who also serve in the Army National Guard.  

Being a citizen-warrior in a post 9/11 world means sacrifice.  But being the employer of a citizen-warrior means sacrifice as well.  This is especially true for the Guardsmen of the 198th Expeditionary Signal Battalion (ESB) and their civilian employers.  The 198th has spent the past two years in transition to a state-of-the- art signal unit, fielding and training on new equipment.  Now they are beginning their pre-deployment training in preparation for mobilization to Afghanistan in the spring of 2013.  All of this means extra training days spent at the armory and away from the workplace.

So it was important for commanders from the 198th, which has locations in Wilmington and Georgetown with over 300 Soldiers, to meet with their Soldiers’ civilian employers.  The event was held at the First Regiment Readiness Center in Belvedere.  The breakfast was a chance for unit leaders to meet face-to-face with civilian employers.  Employers met with multiple levels of Delaware Army National Guard leadership.  The State Command Chief Warrant Officer to Joint Force Headquarters, the 261st Signal Brigade’s Executive Officer, the 198th ESB’s battalion and company commanders all addressed the group.