DMVA
Weekly Highlights
14
February 2003
Joint
Chief of Staff, COL (Ret) Michael B. Smith
1.
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!
2.
STATE AND FEDERAL OFFICES WILL BE CLOSED ON MONDAY, 17 FEBRUARY
2003, IN CELBRATION OF PRESIDENT'S DAY.
3.
NATIONAL SALUTE TO HOSPITALIZED VETERANS WEEK - 9-15 FEBRUARY
2003.
4.
MOBILIZING SOLDIERS: A DISPLAY OF TEAMWORK AT ITS FINEST.
5.
NATIONAL GUARD SPONSORED CAR WILL START SIXTH IN THIS SUNDAY'S
DAYTONA 500.
6.
AIR FORCE COMMENDATION MEDAL AWARDED TO LTC DENNIS W. DEVERY
OF THE NJ ARMY NATIONAL GUARD.
7.
DMVA'S 'YEAR IN REVIEW' AVAILABLE ON OUR DEPARTMENT'S WEBSITE
at http://www.state.nj.us/military/publications/annrpt/2002/index.html.
8.
REMEMBER THE FLOPPY DISK?
9.
DISTINGUISHED SERVICE MEDAL PRESENTATION CEREMONY IS SCHEDULED.
10.
ARMORY HAPPENINGS - CHECK TO SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING AT AN ARMORY
NEAR YOU.
11.
THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY
.
YYYYYY
1. HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! Every February,
across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged
between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But
who is this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this
holiday? The history of St. Valentines Day - and its patron
saint-is shrouded in mystery. We do know that February has
long been a month of romance. St. Valentine's Day contains
vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. According
to one legend, Valentine, sentenced to death by the Roman
Emperor Claudius II, actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting
himself from prison to the jailor's daughter, who visited
him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged
that he wrote her a letter, which he signed 'From Your Valentine,'
an expression still is use today. Although the truth behind
the Valentine legend is murky, the stories emphasize his appeal
as a sympathetic, heroic, and most importantly, romantic figure.
2.
STATE AND FEDERAL OFFICES WILL BE CLOSED ON MONDAY, 17 FEBRUARY
2003, IN CELBRATION OF PRESIDENTS' DAY. Until 1971, both February
12 and February 22 were observed as federal public holidays
to honor the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and George Washington.
In 1971, President Richard Nixon proclaimed a single federal
holiday, the Presidents' Day, to be observed on the 3rd Monday
of February, honoring all past presidents of the United States
of America.
3.
NATIONAL SALUTE TO HOSPITALIZED VETERANS WEEK - 9-15 FEBRUARY
2003. The purpose of this special week is to pay tribute and
express appreciation to hospitalized veterans; to increase
community awareness of the role of the Veterans Administration
medical centers; and to encourage citizens to visit hospitalized
veterans and become involved as volunteers. More than 98,000
veterans of the United States Armed Services are cared for
every day at VA medical centers, outpatient clinics, nursing
homes and other facilities. To commemorate the week, USO shows
were held at the three New Jersey Veterans Memorial Homes.
Students from local schools entertained the residents with
patriotic songs and distributed Valentine's Day cards. The
Cape May County Veterans Bureau visited all of the units at
Vineland on Valentine's Day. There were also special programs
held to celebrate Lincoln's birthday.
4.
MOBILIZING SOLDIERS: A DISPLAY OF TEAMWORK AT ITS FINEST.
The 253rd Transportation Company has been called to defend
our nation, and thanks to the extraordinary esprit d' corps
shown by the NJ National Guard, the 253rd has successfully
deployed to its mobilization station, Fort Dix, NJ. The 50th
Brigade Headquarters, the Combined Support Maintenance Shop
(CSMS-A) in Bordentown, and units of the 3/112th Field Artillery
in Morristown and Toms River, the 1-114th Infantry in Woodbury,
and the Headquarters Company of the 50th Brigade in Fort Dix,
joined forces and moved 20 medium frame tents and 78 vehicles
to Fort Dix, New Jersey. CSMS-A replaced the engine on a HUMMWV
in less than 24 hours, and the Directorate of Personnel and
Community Services (DPCS) processed the 158 soldiers from
the 253rd Transportation Company. CW4 Cwieka, Family Programs
Coordinator, worked closely with the unit members and their
families throughout the weekend providing them with family
support briefings and counseling sessions, as well as issuing
dependent identification cards to members of our soldiers'
families. Mobilization care packages were provided to the
soldiers containing stationary, envelopes and postcards. Good
luck to CPT Michael Ciarrocca, Commander of the 253rd, and
his soldiers. We will keep you and your families in our prayers.
5.
NATIONAL GUARD SPONSORED CAR WILL START SIXTH IN THIS SUNDAY'S
DAYTONA 500. The No. 54 car driven by Todd Bodine qualified
sixth in a field of 43 cars for "The Great American Race."
With a snow storm heading our way this weekend, you may want
to tune into this Sunday's race and cheer on the Stars and
Stripes of the National Guard.
6.
AIR FORCE COMMENDATION MEDAL AWARDED TO LTC DENNIS W. DEVERY
OF THE NJ ARMY NATIONAL GUARD. On 8 February 2003, Major General
Clark Martin presented the Air Force Commendation Medal to
LTC Devery for his outstanding achievement while serving as
Public Affairs Officer of the NJ National Guard. LTC Devery
initiated a media plan, which resulted in media coverage of
every veteran medal ceremony across the state and highlighted
veterans affairs personnel in their hometown newspapers. He
developed a media orientation program, which educated the
New Jersey print, radio, and television media to the role
and mission of the NJ National Guard. His efforts resulted
in extensive, favorable coverage of the NJ National Guard
and the NJ Department of Military & Veterans Affairs.
7.
DMVA'S 'YEAR IN REVIEW' AVAILABLE ON OUR DEPARTMENT'S WEBSITE
at http://www.state.nj.us/military/publications/annrpt/2002/index.html.
Visit our website for a detailed look at the Department's
2002 activities.
8.
REMEMBER THE FLOPPY DISK? Most of us started out with the
old 5 ¼" floppy disk that held 360,000 bytes of
information or 360 kilobytes. The next step was the 3 ½"
disk that held 1,200,000 of info, or 1.2 megabytes. The choice
of removable media right now is the CD at 800,000,000 bytes.
Back when the 5-¼ floppy was popular, the average hard
disk on a desktop computer was around 10 megabytes. The hard
disk on the average desktop computer today is around 40,000,000,000
bytes or 40 gigabytes of information. The storage servers
on our network today hold 2,000,000,000,000 bytes or two terabytes
of information. That's over five and a half million of the
old floppy disks. Securing and managing all of this information
is an enormous job ably handled by the people who run our
networks at Lawrenceville and Fort Dix.
9.
ARMORY HAPPENINGS - CHECK TO SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING AT AN ARMORY
NEAR YOU.
16
Feb |
Emcee
Sports Cards & Comics Show |
Bordentown
Armory |
23
Feb |
NASCAR
Collectibles Show |
Bordentown
Armory |
28
Feb |
Wrestling |
Atlantic
City Armory |
4
Mar |
Tool
Show |
Woodbridge
Amory |
21-23
Mar |
Craft
Show & Sale |
Morristown
Armory |
|
Home
Design & Landscape Show |
Westfield
Armory |
23
Mar |
Emcee
Sports Cards & Comics Show |
Bordentown
Armory |
30
Mar |
NASCAR
Collectibles Show |
Bordentown
Armory |
10.
DISTINGUISHED SERVICE MEDAL PRESENTATION CEREMONY IS SCHEDULED.
25
Feb-1000 & 1300 hrs. |
Distinguished
Service Medals |
Toms
River Elks Lodge |
11.
THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY, VALENTINE'S DAY, are on the subject
of Love
.
Y
"We
cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with
great love." -- Mother Teresa
Y
"At
the touch of love everyone becomes a poet." -- Plato
Y
"Where there is love there is life." -- Mohandas
Ghandi
Y
"Better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved
at all." -- Saint Augustine
Y
"What
the world really needs is more love and less paper work."
-- Pearl Bailey
|