Larry Lunsford
Lunsford
Southern Company Transmission manager Larry Lunsford's support of his employees on active military duty has earned him an award from the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserves.
Lunsford, a substation construction manager in Birmingham, has three employees currently on active duty with the National Guard and Reserves. While they have been gone he has diligently checked on the welfare of the families they left behind, checking on their welfare every week and offering assistance.
"It makes me feel good that they appreciated it, though I didn't feel like I had done all that much," said Lunsford, who spent seven years in the Alabama National Guard.
Two of Lunsford's employees nominated him for the award - Christopher Rickles, currently serving in Iraq, and Aaron Miller, who recently came home after being called to Fort Benning for several months with his unit. Another employee, David W. Smith, is serving with the Tennessee National Guard in Kuwait.
The award recognizes Lunsford as a patriotic employer. He was given a plaque, and got to tour several military facilities last week with other award winners, flying on a C-130 transport plane out of Maxwell Air Force Base to Patrick Air Force Base and Cape Canaveral.
"The last time I was on one of those planes, I had to jump out of it at Fort Benning," Lunsford said.
Lunsford will continue to support his employees' families, though he hopes it won't be necessary for much longer.
"We look forward to getting them back. Not only are they excellent employees, we just want to see them back with their families," he said.