Ohio Reserve soldier, Manpower employee deploys to Southwest Asia

Courtesy Photo | Army Reserve Spc. Ronald A. McGaha, who usually temps at Manpower Inc.'s Cambridge, Ohio, office, is currently deployed to Southwest Asia as a finance specialist for the Wisconsin-based 376th Finance Battalion, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.  

(UNDISCLOSED LOCATION)

07.11.2006

Courtesy Story

Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve

SOUTHWEST ASIA - Army Reserve Spc. Ronald A. McGaha is currently deployed to Southwest Asia as a finance specialist for the Wisconsin-based 376th Finance Battalion. McGaha is serving in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the official name given to military operations assisting in rebuilding Iraq's economic and governmental infrastructure and training and preparing Iraqi military and security forces to assume full authority and responsibility in defending and preserving Iraq's sovereignty and independence as a democracy.

Despite the challenges of being far from home and family, McGaha said being mobilized has become easier because 'the people I work with are decent and easygoing."

Active duty and reserve component members from all branches of the U.S. armed forces are deployed under the U.S. Central Command to support the war against global terrorism outside the borders of the United States. The unified command USCENTCOM is responsible for U.S. security interests and assets in 27 nations stretching from the Horn of Africa, through the Arabian Gulf region, and into Central Asia.

When he is stateside, McGaha is also a finance specialist for the 325th Finance Bn. in Whitehall, Ohio. With two years in the military, this is McGaha's first deployment as a Reserve soldier. In his civilian occupation, the specialist was a temporary employee for three months through Manpower Inc.'s Cambridge, Ohio, office, before he was called to duty. During that time, McGaha worked through the company on an assignment as a forklift operator and warehouse worker. He added that he looks forward to returning to more work with the employment agency when he redeploys from this current mission abroad.

Today, more than 1.2 million members of the National Guard and Reserve continue to perform an increasing number of unique missions that require extraordinary actions on the part of everyday citizens. Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) is the primary resource for information about the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, commonly known as USERRA. This federal law allows McGaha and other mobilized reserve component members to retain their rights, when the deployment concludes.

Established in 1972, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a DoD agency, provides free USERRA education, consultation, and if necessary, mediation for employers of Guard and Reserve employees. The mission of ESGR is to gain and maintain active support from all public and private employers for the men and women of the National Guard and Reserve. More information about ESGR Employer Outreach Programs and volunteer opportunities is available at www.esgr.mil, or by calling the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve at [phone].

McGaha, who calls Kimbolton, Ohio, home, is the son of Donna J. Snearey, also of Kimbolton.

USAR

• Date Taken: 07.11.2006
• Date Posted: 07.11.2006 14:09
• Story ID: 7124
• Location: (UNDISCLOSED LOCATION)