The Arizona Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Committee, a Department of Defense program, recently announced the selection of Army and National Guard veteran and Chandler resident Richard Palmatier, Jr. as its new chairman.

Palmatier will take his oath of office for the three-year, volunteer term later this year in a Washington, D.C., ceremony. He will assume the Arizona chairmanship on Oct. 1.

Palmatier retired from the Army in 2010 after a career as a Judge Advocate. He finished his career with the Arizona National Guard where he served as a human resources officer and as chief of staff.

Following his military career, Palmatier worked for a small law firm doing veterans disability cases, before joining the State Bar of Arizona in 2017.

At the State Bar, he helps provide ethics advice to attorneys, provides employment law advice to the organization, and assists with conservatorship cases for attorneys who have passed away or are no longer authorized to practice law.

More than one-third of the U.S. military force serving in the Guard or Reserve, Palmatier will have a direct impact on these men and women, and their civilian employers.

Palmatier joins 53 other chairs who oversee the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve mission in the 50 states, three territories, and the District of Columbia.

Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve is a Department of Defense program that develops and promotes supportive work environments for service members in the National Guard and Reserve through outreach, recognition, and educational opportunities that increase awareness of applicable laws.

Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve also provides assistance in resolving conflicts between service members and their employers.

We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.