On September 17, 2001, President Bush announced that as many as 35,000 members of the National Guard and Reserves may be called up in the wake of terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. As a result of this massive mobilization, employers must be aware of the legal
protections afforded to their military employees. The Uniform Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), enacted in 1994, strengthened employment discrimination prohibitions and the rights of employees who leave civilian jobs for military service. The law requires that service members, reservists, and National Guard members returning to civilian employment after a period of active duty must be reemployed in the same jobs or similar ones with the status, pay, and benefits they would have attained if they had never been absent for military service. The law also protects pension rights and health benefits. Furthermore, USERRA prohibits discrimination against returning service members,
