Wright Express was honored on May 6 by the State of Maine for its continued support of Guard members and Reservists on active duty in Iraq and Afghanistan and for its support of children and families in those countries. The Department of Defense's Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) presented the 2003 Pro Patria Award on May 6. In addition, Wright Express, a supplier of fleet cards and fleet card services, will be under consideration for the National Freedom Award, the ESGR's highest honor. This award is the highest given in Maine for employer support of Guard members and Reservists and this is the first time it has been presented in several years. "Wright Express is passionate in its support of the men and women of the National Guard and the Reservists who are serving our country," said Michael Dubyak, president and chief executive officer of Wright Express. "I am pleased and honored that the people at Wright Express are being recognized and honored by General Bill Libby, adjutant general, state of Maine, for their efforts. It is another indication of how much our employees truly care about their community." In the past year, Wright Express took up collections to create more than 60 care packages for soldiers in the field. The packages included food, books and CDs. Employees also gave support to the families of those deployed, donated more than 40 packages of toys, blankets, clothes, food and books to an orphanage in Afghanistan, sent more than 300 teddy bears to give to injured children as they were being airlifted to hospitals and raised money to support humanitarian aid. The efforts by Wright Express and its employees have continued into 2004. "Everyone at WEX was absolutely wonderful in their support for my family and their support for me while I was deployed," said Jeff Lane, an employee of Wright Express and a communications supervisor with the 265th Combat Communications Squadron in South Portland who was deployed in Kuwait for more than 120 days. The ESGR is an agency within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Reserve Affairs that was established in 1972 to promote cooperation and understanding between reservists and their civilian employers and to assist in the resolution of any conflicts that might arise from an employee's military commitment.