WASHINGTON, D.C. – UPS (NYSE:UPS) has been presented the U.S. Defense Department’s Employers Support Freedom Award for 2002 in recognition of its unique support to National Guard and Reserve employees.

The company also was honored today in a separate ceremony by the U.S. Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper presented UPS the Outstanding Employer Support to the Air Force Award.

The Freedom Award is presented annually to employers by the Secretary of Defense to recognize their unique support to National Guard and Reserve employees. UPS was cited for its Military Reserve Program, which safeguards the economic welfare of employees mobilized to active duty by maintaining health care benefits for family members and compensating for any differences between military and company salaries.

“We must do everything possible to ensure our freedoms and support our military services and Coast Guard, because they are the protectors of the freedoms we enjoy,” said Bob Lekites, UPS’s vice president of Airline and International Operations, in accepting the award.

The second award, presented by Gen. Jumper, came at a ceremony that also launched a groundbreaking effort to communicate directly with civilian employers.

UPS, an employer of 5,000 Guard members and Reservists, became the first of some 59,000 employers that will receive the Air Force mailing aimed at strengthening the military-corporate partnership. The mailings include a special lapel pin, a contemporary adaptation of the World War II “E” Flag program.

This effort is part of the “Your Guardians of Freedom” program, aimed at touching families, employers and communities to develop a sense of partnership in support of Operations Noble Eagle and Enduring Freedom.