Bosslift shows off mission Published June 29, 2007 By Carolee Nisbet Fort Dix Public Affairs FORT DIX, N.J. -- For civilian employers of Soldiers in the National Guard and Reserve, mobilization is simple, if not easy: Valued members of their workforce disappear for a couple of years. Fort Dix partnered with the Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve June 15 to fill in the blanks with a day-long, hands-on look at training and mobilization. The nation's Reserve components (referring to the total of all National Guard members and Reserve forces from all branches of the military) comprise approximately 46 percent of our total available military manpower. In this environment, civilian employers play a critical role in the defense of the nation by complying with existing employment laws protecting the rights of workers who serve in the Reserve component. ESGR was established in 1972 to promote cooperation and understanding between Reserve component members and their civilian employers and to assist in the resolution of conflicts arising from an employee's military commitment. It is the lead DoD organization for this mission. More than 100 guests flooded through the newly-renovated Timmermann Center for breakfast, helmet fitting and a series of briefings designed to set the backdrop for a day on the training ranges. The trip to the Range 59 Complex was brief, a few noisy minutes in a UH-60 helicopter. A row of military vehicles drew lots of attention, as people got closeup looks at HUMVEES and other weapons. Then came the real treat. It was chow time and all the employers were introduced to the culinary cuisine of today's field Soldier; Meals-Ready-to-Eat. After a few short safety instructions on how to use the heater bags, lunch was on. The employers first tentatively, then voraciously, tore into the MREs, comparing favorites and techniques with the Soldiers. The visitors next moved to firing ranges, where each person had the opportunity to fire a weapon, and on to the Mobile Military Operations in Urban Terrain site. There, they got a close-up look at training as a mobilizing unit swept through the mock village and hunted down a terrorist, a session that included conversations with the local sheik. The last stop of the day was the Forward Operating Base, where visitors toured the complex and saw more training as role-players (Civilians On The Battlefield) stormed a checkpoint guarded by Soldiers. They also joined the troops currently training in the FOB for dinner. After closing comments by Col. R. David McNeil, Fort Dix commanding officer, the group headed back to main post and the end of the day-long opportunity to see how Soldiers train and what their employees do while on active duty and away from their civilian jobs.