Yesterday I escorted a group of Michigan employers to the US Coast Guard Station at St. Ignace, MI. It’s right at the narrow straights that a great deal of ship traffic uses to move lots of cargo, 12 months a year. But it gets cold up there and our Coast Guard keeps the shipping lanes open. I’m a volunteer with a group called the Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve (ESGR). The purpose of this trip was to familiarize employers with what the military is all about, to better help them understand what their employees who are members of the National Guard or military Reserves do when they’re performing their military duties. I’d never been on an ice breaker before; it was a blast. If you’re an employer and you’re interested in something like this, go to esgr.mil and make contact.