My Boss is a Patriot... King, Cardinal Glass honored for service

A leader. Maybe even a friend to those working under his guard.

But a patriot?

SSG Kevin Kadinger of Colfax saw the special quality in his boss -- the willingness King had to support his service in the Army National Guard.

So Kadinger nominated King for one of a civilian employer's greatest honors, the "My Boss is a Patriot" Award.

He eventually became a finalist for the award and recently the Eau Claire National Guard presented the award to King and Cardinal FG.

King and Cardinal FG are being honored for their support of employees called up for extended active duty in the Guard or Reserve following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

The "My Boss is a Patriot" certificate acknowledges the sustained support that goes beyond the requirements of federal law USC Title 38 and USERRA (Uniformed Services Employment and Re- employment Rights Act).

King has outstanding support and understanding that he extends to Kadinger when he occasionally must miss work to fulfill his National Guard commitment, the soldier said in nominating King for the award.

"The military depends on people, like Dale and Cardinal FG, to give their total support to employees who must miss work while attending weekend drills and training camps," Kadinger said.

King has never served in the military, but fully understands the commitment necessary to protect our nation.

"It's always real important to support the military. In this day and age, it's extra important," King said.

So King does what he can to support Kadinger, who has the responsibility of training troops to better serve our country through the Eau Claire-based A Co 132nd BN.

"Whenever he has weekend duty or needs his two weeks off in the summer, I'm always able to manipulate the work schedules so we have the right number of maintenance personnel on duty," King said.

"I call it shift-jockeying," he said.

King says he feels that its his duty to accommodate Kadinger's service time, even though it can be a challenge to make sure the Cardinal FG plant is covered with the necessary maintenance crews. But King says he always does what it takes to make sure Kadinger gets his time off.

"Military people are important to this country, and we need them," King said.