Thursday, June 19, 2003 | 9:30 a.m.
The Nevada Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve honored 17 business and government organizations Saturday with the Above and Beyond award for support of employees in the Reserve who are active duty.
Companies given the award included Mandalay Resorts and and MGM MIRAGE.
Government organizations recognized included Henderson, Las Vegas, Metro Police, Clark County School District and Nevada Department of Taxation.
Other businesses recognized for going above and beyond in support of their citizen soldiers, sailors, airman, Marines and Coast Guard members included Gordon Biersch, International Game Technology, KAME/KRXI Television, Pepsi Cola Bottling, Rockaway Precast, Sierra Pacific Power, Southern Wine and Spirits, Sprint PCS, Washoe Medical Center and Wells Fargo Bank.
Employer retention of full medical benefits for families while reservists are activated is one example of an above and beyond policy practiced by all or most of the organizations recognized, banquet chairwoman Maria Vaught said.
Full pay differential for employees whose military pay represented a significant drop in family income was another commendable practice. Vaught noted that Metro employees also implemented an annual leave donation fund to provide a bank of up to 40 hours' leave for employees to spend with families following deactivation.
Retired Marine Maj. Ted Marshall, former Clark County district attorney and a longtime supporter of the Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, was honored at the banquet with the Secretary of Defense Outstanding Public Service Medal. Marshall served for many years as executive director and then state chairman of the organization.
Air Force group performances
Tops in Blue, the entertainment showcase of the Air Force, will perform three free shows in the Las Vegas area between June 24 and 27. The first show will be at Las Vegas Motor Speedway 7 p.m. Tuesday, followed by a show at the Fremont Street Experience at 8 p.m. Wednesday and one at the Stratosphere Outdoor Events Center 8 p.m. June 27.
Individuals who attend the speedway show can expect an increase in security. Backpacks, baby bags and similar tote bags will be inspected to ensure security.
Tops in Blue 2003 will take center stage and perform a free, 90-minute show, taking audience members on a musical journey celebrating 50 years of Air Force entertainment and 100 years of powered flight. The show, appropriately named, "Soaring with Eagles," is a musical celebration of their proud entertainment history.
As always, Tops in Blue will celebrate with music that captures their history, and our American heritage.
The Tops in Blue performances will contain a range of music as they revisit favorite songs from the past five decades. The '60s and '70s come alive with songs from the Supremes, Tina Turner's "Proud Mary," and the Village People's "YMCA." Hits from Gloria Estefan, MC Hammer, Boyz II Men, Ricky Martin and Marky Mark will round out the program.
The night's entertainment builds to the stirring medley that embraces the "Soaring with Eagles" theme.
For more information on the show, contact the base's public affairs office at 652-2750. For information on the Tops in Blue program, visit the group's website (www.topsinblue.com).
In brief
Paul is an instructor pilot assigned to the 68th Medical Co. at Fort Wainwright, Alaska. He is a Elko High School graduate.
Scott, the son of Sherrin and Randall Scott of Las Vegas, is a cannon crew member normally assigned with the A Battery, 2nd Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment at Fort Bragg, N.C.
Dodge is the daughter of Deborah and George Dodge of Las Vegas.
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