TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KLIX) – The Idaho State Police has been named a recipient of the 2016 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award.

The award is the highest honor given to employers for exemplary support of National Guard and Reserve employees, according to information from ISP issued Thursday afternoon.

"It is with humility and a profound sense of esprit-de corps that the Idaho State Police accept this honor," Col. Ralph Powell said in a prepared statement. "This is not an award for the Idaho State Police as an agency, but rather an award for the Idaho State Police as a family.”

Of 2,424 nominations submitted, ISP was one of 15 employers chosen for the honor by members of the National Guard and Reserve. Three members of ISP, who also are Reserve members, submitted the nomination.

Powell will accept the award from Secretary of Defense Ash Carter during a ceremony on Friday at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. ISP has been the recipient of several awards since 2011.

“Our employees are who make it possible for service members to serve,” he said. “They do this by taking on the extra work during deployments and routine training missions and by going the extra mile to ensure that service members' families are taken care of as well, making it less of a hardship to serve."

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