The head of the Nevada Air National Guard, Brig. Gen. Robert Fitch, calls his civilian-life employer, “extremely gracious” when it comes to extending him leave for military duties, even weeks of overseas travel. Gerry Gilmore reports that Fitch’s nomination of Sierra Pacific Resources earned the company one of the 15 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Awards that will be given out this year. The company’s president and chief executive officer, Michael Yackire, said such support for Guardsmen is “the right thing to do.”
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.