Jim Stanko, right, the ESGR chairman for Northwest Colorado, presented Rio Blanco County Sheriff Anthony Mazzola with a Patriot Award on Monday evening at the Meeker VFW Hall. The ESGR is a Department of Defense office established to promote cooperation and understanding between military Reserve/National Guard members and their civilian employers, fostering a culture in which employers support and value the employment and military service of members of the National Guard and Reserve in the United States. Undersheriff Brice Glasscock, a member of the National Guard, nominated Mazzola for the honor because of the support that Mazzola and the department have shown him, as a member.