A Knoxville supervisor is being recognized for his support of an employee who was called away from his new job, to go on active duty with the National Guard.

Tony Messamaker of 3M has received the Patriot Award from the Iowa Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve; he was cited for his support for Staff Sgt. Craig Feagins, who was called up for six months duty at Camp Dodge just after starting work at 3M.

Feagins says he started in December of 2017, but was activated in March; neither he nor 3M received much notice, but he lauded Messamaker for helping him with the transition and ensuring that his job would still be there when he got back.

The Patriot Award was created by the Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve in an effort to encourage companies to retain workers who are called up to active duty, enabling them to pick up where they left off on their jobs after returning to civilian life.