Last week, Washington High School Principal Ed Rathjen and Washington Superintendent Willie Stone received Department of Defense Patriotic Employer Awards. David Williams, Company D (MI) 224th Brigade Engineer in the Iowa Army National Guard made the nomination. During William’s efforts to progress in his career, the school worked with him on timeliness, and did not ask him to use any personal time. An employee serving in the National Guard or Reserve, or the spouse of a Guard or Reserve member, may nominate individual supervisors and bosses for support provided directly to the nomination Service member and his or her family. The Patriot Award reflects the efforts made to 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. Patriot Awards are issued through the Department of Defense and are presented to recipients by Employee Support of the Guard and Reserve volunteers.