50th Finance Battalion says “Goodbye.”
Family members gathered at the McGuire Air Force Base
passenger air terminal on Saturday, 7 February, to
say goodbye to the members of the 50th Finance Battalion,
Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, as they left
for a one-year stint in Iraq. The unit, stationed out
of the Flemington Armory, is comprised mostly of finance
specialists, but will also send supply, maintenance,
and legal personnel, who will support the troops stationed
in Iraq. The soldiers have been training for their
move to the Iraqi war zone since December of 2003 and
have received a basic training refresher course in
weapons, tactics, and other essential areas necessary
for life in Iraq.
Sunshine Foundation Dreamlift set for May 4, 2004.
The
Mercer County Sunshine Foundation is pleased to announce
that it will sponsor the 20th
annual Operation
Dreamlift on 4 May 2004. This event provides the opportunity
for special children with serious illnesses or disabilities
to spend an entire day at Walt Disney World, Orlando,
Florida. The Dreamlift is Sunshine’s way of reaching
those children whose physical condition may not allow
them to be away from home for an extended period of
time and bring them a smile and happiness on this special
day. Operation Dreamlift has touched the entire community
and the support of many great organizations and individuals
makes this day possible.
This year the Mercer County Sunshine Foundation is
especially pleased to announce that the Department
of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMAVA) and the National
Guard Army Aviation Support Facility #1 located at
Mercer County Airport, West Trenton, NJ, will be supporting
Operation Dreamlift by allowing us to use their facility.
Operation Dreamlift will be coordinated at the facility
where our special children and families will be leaving
on a plane to Disney World for the day and returning
back to the AASF #1 facility. This NJARNG facility
provides plenty of room and the necessary accommodations
for the special children, their families, organizations,
and individuals who will help send them off, as well
as a warm, dry shelter for the children, if needed.
Again this year, the Sunshine Foundation has allocated
DMAVA ten seats on the plane for five children with
a serious illness or disability and five chaperones.
The Sunshine Foundation would like to help children
from the DMAVA community experience a day in Disney
World. If anyone knows of a child that might qualify,
contact the office of the Deputy Adjutant General at
609-530-7033.
State
Cemetery Directors’ Association
contributes to Veterans Haven.
The
State Cemetery Directors’ Association met
in Atlantic City in September of 2003 for their annual
training conference. At that time, the State Cemetery
Directors pledged a minimum of $1,000 for New Jersey’s
homeless veterans program at Veterans Haven. On Wednesday,
February 4th, COL (Ret) Steve Abel, President of the
State Cemetery Directors’ Association for 2003,
presented a $7,278.33 check to Mr. Bob Durante, the
Superintendent of Veterans Haven, to fulfill their
pledge. The donation is to be used to improve the quality
of life for the residents at Veterans Haven. The Department
of Military and Veterans Affairs thanks the State Cemetery
Directors for their generosity.
1st Army holds Annual Training (AT) conference.
The Annual 1st Army AT conference was conducted in
Atlanta, Georgia, during the week of 23 January 2004.
The J-3T shop attended this conference to confirm current
schedules for AT this year, and to discuss future plans,
confirm current and future locations, and discuss AT
issues and funding. AT plans for TY-04 were submitted
and finalized for the NJ Army National Guard.
NJ
Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial and Vietnam Era
Education Center’s upcoming event schedule.
For more information about any of these events, please
call the NJ Vietnam Veterans Memorial Foundation office
at (732) 335-0033.
28 Feb
1 p.m. - Author Lecture by Gerald R. Gioglio, who will discuss his book,
Days of Decision: An Oral History of Conscientious Objectors I the Military During
the Vietnam
War.
NJ Army National Guard (NJARNG) semi-annual Logistics
Advisory Committee training program is scheduled.
The
NJARNG Semi-Annual Logistics Advisory Committee (LAC)
Training Program will be conducted
on Thursday,
19 February 2004, at the Training and Training Technology
Battle Lab (T3BL), Fort Dix, New Jersey. Scheduled
to attend the meeting are the USPFO-NJ, J4, all Major
Subordinate Command and selected Battalion and individual
level supply sergeants and or logistical representatives.
To assist unit commanders in preparing their units
for mobilization, training will be focused on subsistence
requirements at Home Station, requisitioning Chemical
Defense Equipment on-line, turn-in procedures for obsolete
or excess items of equipment, showdown inspection of
Organizational Clothing & Individual Equipment
(OCIE), Central Issue Facility Operations, PBUS-E operations,
and change of Supply Administrative Inventory. Anyone
interested in attending the training should contact
SGT Richard Coffland, LAC Training and Instruction
Committee Chairman, (609) 562-0273.
Armory
Happenings – Check to see what’s
happening at an Armory near you.
12-15 Feb |
Tool Show |
Woodbridge Armory |
13-15 Feb |
Antique Sale |
Lawrenceville Armory |
19-22 Feb |
Tool
Show & Sale |
Lawrenceville Armory |
20-21 Feb |
Auction |
Cherry Hill Armory |
22 Feb |
Sports
Card & Comics Show |
Bordentown Armory |
27-28 Feb |
High School Wrestling Tournament |
Teaneck Armory |
29 Feb |
NASCAR Collectibles Show |
Bordentown Armory |
Discounted tickets available for State employees for
Candida performances at McCarter Theater in Princeton,
NJ.
McCarter
theatre in Princeton has generously offered State
employees 50% discounts for all tickets
to performances
of George Bernard Shaw’s play, Candida, March
23-April 11. Additional information can be obtained
at the NJ Department of Personnel’s website:
http://www.state.nj.us/personnel/announcements/theatre04.htm
The National Guard will lead the way in The Great
American Race.
When
the green flag waves to open the Daytona 500, “The
Great American Race,” this coming Sunday afternoon,
the National Guard sponsored #16 car will be on the
pole. Driven by Greg Biffle, the National Guard’s
#16 won the pole position during qualifying held during
the past weekend. Lets Go Guard!
Today
in History…
Today
is Friday, 13 February 2004 and the 37th day of the
year. There
are 313 days left in the year. On
this day… • 1920 – The
National Negro Baseball League was organized
• 1935 – In
Flemington, New Jersey, a jury found Bruno Richard
Hauptmann
guilty
of the kidnapping
and death of the infant son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh. • 1960 – France
detonated its first atomic bomb.
• 1997 – Astronauts
on the space shuttle Discovery brought the Hubble
Space
Telescope aboard
for a tune up. • 2000 – Charles M. Schulz’s last
original Sunday “Peanuts” comic strip appeared
in newspapers. Mr. Schulz had died the day before.
• 2002 – Former
New York mayor, Rudolph Giuliani, received an honorary
knighthood from Queen
Elizabeth II.
Valentine’s
Day Trivia
- About 1 billion Valentine cards are
exchanged each year.
-
One-third of all Valentine’s
Day cards are accompanied by gifts.
- The Duke of Orleans sent the oldest known Valentines
in 1415 A.D. to his French wife while he was imprisoned
in the Tower of London. They are on display in a museum
in England.
-
More fresh-cut flowers are purchased for Valentine’s
Day than for any other holiday. Men purchase 73% of
the flower sold for Valentine’s Day, but only
40% of the men have every received Valentine’s
flowers. However, 61% of all men say they would like
to receive flowers for Valentine’s Day.
-
Only 40% of men have received Valentine’s
flowers.
-
3% of America’s pet owners will give a Valentine’s
Day gift to their pet.
-
Only the United States, Canada, Mexico, France, Australia,
and the United Kingdom celebrate
Valentine’s
Day.
-
The Italian city of Verona, where Shakespeare’s
lovers Romeo and Juliet lived, receives about 1,000
letters addressed to Juliet every Valentine’s
Day.
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