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NJ Delegation to the Cyprus Embassy |
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September of this year, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security announced that the Republic of Cyprus was paired with the New Jersey National Guard to participate in the National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program. Our partnership with Cyprus will be our second as we have been partners with Albania for more than twenty years.
The announcement of the partnership with Cyprus was one of many steps required to move forward with our partnership and this past week The Adjutant General and the Director of the Joint Staff traveled to Washington to meet with the Cypriot Ambassador to the United States, Marios Lysiotis. This meeting was another milestone in the process to get our partnership underway.
The Adjutant General and her senior leadership team from the Army, Air and Department of Military and Veterans Affairs will close out the week with a year end Town Hall and a ceremony to rename the main street on the Lawrenceville campus in honor of our Gold Star families and at the same time dedicate trees that were planted in memory of five New Jersey Army National Guard Soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice for our state and nation. We will never forget!
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Thanks for reading. We look forward to continuing the conversation.
We encourage you to share ideas, events and feedback. Please email our team at outreach@dmava.nj.gov.
Brigadier General Lisa J. Hou, D.O. The Adjutant General & Commissioner |
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DMAVA Calendar |
DMAVA will have a Veterans Service Officer present at some of these events. Check details to confirm. |
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- December 4, 2022 | Bordentown, NJ
First Aid/CPR/AED Certification
- December 7, 2022 | Bordentown, NJ
Transition / Retirement Seminar
- December 8, 2022 | Paterson, NJ
Career & Resource Fair
- December 11, 2022 | Paramus, NJ
Bergen County Police Chiefs Holiday Wreath Ceremony
- December 16, 2022 | Bordentown, NJ
Child & Youth Programs / Family Programs Winter Wonderland
- December 17, 2022 | Toms River, NJ
Survivor Outreach Services Holiday Party
- December 18, 2022 | Bordentown, NJ
Reserve Component Transition Benefits Brief
- December 19, 2022 | Rio Grande, NJ
Veterans Information Session
- December 22, 2022 | Trenton, NJ
NJ Youth ChalleNGe Academy Class 54 Graduation
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We add new events to our calendar on a daily basis so please bookmark and check back often.
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Veterans Service Officer
Trejen Strickland is our newest Veterans Service Officer (VSO). Her office is located at the Lawrenceville Armory. You can contact Trejen and her VSO colleagues around the state by visting the DMAVA website at Veterans Service Offices. |
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NJ Veterans' Benefits Hotline
888-865-8387 |
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ALWAYS READY, ALWAYS THERE |
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NJ National Guard
|  | Combat Medics Train with Albanian Counterparts
Albanian Armed Forces Soldiers took part in training with New Jersey National Guard combat medics at the Land Forces Headquarters in Zall-Herr, Albania, November 16, 2022. View Images |
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NJ Army National Guard
|  | 63rd Army Band
The New Jersey National Guard’s 63rd Army Band performed with the Albanian Armed Forces Band to mark the 78th Liberation Day of Tirana in Tirana, Albania, November 17, 2022. Soldiers and Airmen of the New Jersey National Guard are also working with Albanian counterparts on cyber defense, medical training and military readiness as part of the Department of Defense's State Partnership Program.
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NJ Air National Guard
|  | NJ Grand Master leads Airmen in PT alternative
Though professionally known as, Staff Sgt. David E. Correa, a network systems operator of the 140th Cyber Operations Squadron, he is both Airman and Grand Master. As a 7th degree Black Belt in Taekwondo, a black belt in Hapkido and Judo, and a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Correa now shares his expertise and passion of martial arts with the 108th Wing.
Read Full Story |
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Join Our Team
| 100% Free College Tuition
Bonuses up to $20,000
Student Loan Repayment |
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Sailors Visit Sea Girt Museum
Sailors assigned to the USS New Jersey (SSN-796) visited the National Guard Militia Museum of New Jersey in Sea Girt, NJ and toured the rest of the National Guard Training Center on November 18, 2022.
The Sailors got to tour the state’s previous namesake, The Battleship New Jersey in Camden, before seeing the museum's Civil War-era submarine, The Intelligent Whale, which seemed to have much cozier confines than the Navy's new Virginia-class attack sub.
The Sailors also made a special visit to talk with the Cadets of the New Jersey Youth ChalleNGe Academy about their experiences in the Navy.
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Camden County Honors VeteransIn honor of Veterans Day, the Camden County Board of Commissioners and the Camden County Veterans Advisory Committee held the Padre Peter Molnar Appreciation Breakfast at the Collingswood Ballroom on November 11, 2022. The event included a roll call of military services and a medal ceremony, where ten Camden County Veterans were honored.
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Burlington County Offering Gold Star IDs
The Burlington County Clerk’s Office is now issuing Gold Star Family identification cards to the spouses, domestic partners, civil union partners and children of military members who died while serving on active duty with the U.S. Armed Forces.
Learn More |
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VA opens health care eligibility for Vietnam, Gulf War, post-9/11 Veterans under PACT Act
Washington — On October 1, The Department of Veterans Affairs will expand and extend eligibility for VA health care for certain Veterans of the Gulf Wars and post-9/11 era.
This expansion will increase health care eligibility for hundreds of thousands of toxic-exposed Veterans. Additionally, VA has already expanded health care eligibility for certain Veterans of the Vietnam War. More detailed information about this expansion can be found on VA.gov/PACT.
President Biden signed the bipartisan PACT Act into law August 10, authorizing one of the largest expansions of VA health care and benefits in U.S. history. Veterans can go to VA.gov/PACT to apply for health care or learn more about what this bill means for them and their families.
Read the full press release. |
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Eligibility Extension on VA Family Caregivers Program
Washington — 10/1/2022
VA’s Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers is expanding to include eligible Veterans and family caregivers of all eras.
Previously, PCAFC was only available to eligible Veterans who served on or after Sept. 11, 2001. This expansion opens the program to eligible Veterans who served after May 7, 1975, and before Sept. 11, 2001.
PCAFC provides caregivers of eligible Veterans with resources, education, financial assistance, health insurance, beneficiary travel, peer support and more. The program is a cornerstone of VA health care, ensuring that Veterans get the world-class care they deserve and that caregivers get the comprehensive support they need. Read the full press release. |
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VA Disability Claims for Burn Pits, Agent Orange and More
If you served in Vietnam, Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan or select locations, in the past 60+ years, the PACT Act established new, presumptive conditions for those exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, radiation, and more. In this episode of theSITREP, the hosts chat with leadership in Washington, DC about how many Veterans are affected by the PACT Act and how to prepare for submitting a new or supplemental claim for VA Disability Compensation. To watch the short video please go to #theSITREP. |
|  | New National Parks Pass
Just announced. A new lifetime pass for National Parks and Federal Recreation Lands, called America the Beautiful.
This new lifetime pass for Gold Star Families & Veterans is being offered to demonstrate the country's immense gratitude and respect for those who have served and defended our country.
The Interagency Military Pass has been part of the America the Beautiful – The National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass Series since 2012. On December 27, 2021, President Biden signed into law S. 1605 “The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022” (NDAA). Section 641 of the NDAA makes Gold Star families and Veterans eligible for lifetime passes to federal recreational lands.
Learn More at VA News |
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 | VA Life Insurance
Important changes are coming to VA Life Insurance programs. Veterans Affairs Life Insurance (VALife) is launching on Jan. 1, 2023, as a new guaranteed acceptance whole life insurance program for service-connected Veterans. VA’s current offering for service-connected Veterans—Service-Disabled Veterans Life Insurance (S-DVI)—closes to new enrollment after Dec. 31, 2022. Veterans currently enrolled in S-DVI may keep their coverage or switch to VALife.
While both VALife and S-DVI cover Veterans with any level of service-connected disability (0-100%), there are key program differences to consider before deciding which program is right for you.
So, what is the difference between VA Life Insurance and Service-Disabled Veterans Life Insurance? Read more at VA News. |
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 | FEDVIP Open Enrollment
Sponsored by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), FEDVIP is a voluntary, enrollee-pay-all dental and vision insurance program. It replaced the former TRICARE Retiree Dental Program (TRDP). In general, retired uniformed service members, their families, and survivors are eligible for FEDVIP dental coverage and, if enrolled in a TRICARE health plan, FEDVIP vision coverage. Please note: Opportunities to enroll outside of open season are limited.
The Federal Benefits Open Season is your annual opportunity to enroll in, change, or cancel a FEDVIP dental and/or vision plan. This year, open season runs from November 14 through December 12, 2022, with coverage effective January 1, 2023.
Learn More
Virtual Benefits Fair
The Virtual Benefits Fair is an online health fair that houses 2023 FEDVIP plan information in a single location, allowing military families to browse exhibits, download plan brochures, register for educational webinars and chat with BENEFEDS and FEDVIP representatives. BENEFEDS is the secure online portal to enroll in FEDVIP.
Log in anytime during the Federal Benefits Open Season, from November 14 to December 12, 2022. Representatives will be available to take your questions during live chat days:
Thursday, Dec 1, 2022 10 am-5 pm ET
Thursday, Dec 8, 2022 10 am-5 pm ET
Learn More and Register |
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USFHP
The Uniformed Services Family Health Plan (USFHP) @ Saint Vincents is a TRICARE® Prime military health plan sponsored by the Department of Defense (DoD). Lunch and Learn briefings are now scheduled in New Jersey.
Learn more about USFHP from Roberta McNeill, Chief Medical Officer at USFHP @ Saint Vincents. |
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#VetResources
| Subscribe to #VetResources to receive a weekly newsletter from the VA for Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors. |
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Montgomery's Brigadier General Reports for DutyBarbara Preston | Montgomery News | Nov. 10, 2022
More than 100,000 U.S. troops are supporting NATO allies in European countries that surround Ukraine, according to “Face the Nation.” Montgomery Township’s Brigadier General John Walker Lubas is one of them.
Lubas hails from Belle Mead, N.J. where his family still lives. A baseball field on Route 601 is named for his grandfather, Theordore J. Lubas, who served as mayor of Montgomery Township at one point.
Brig. Gen. Lubas landed in Romania with the 101st Airborne Division in October – on the edge of NATO territory. He appeared on “Face the Nation” in a Black Hawk helicopter somewhere near the border of Ukraine, over the Black Sea Coast.
Read Full Story |
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Veterans Day Is Just One Day on New Jersey Man's Trek Across US to Help Homeless VeteransUSAToday.com | Nov. 11, 2022
For all its sacrifices, the COVID-19 pandemic has been a trigger for many to discover new dreams. For Tommy Pasquale, that's meant a journey that seemed impossible when it first crossed his mind during the lockdown.
On Sept. 19, the native of Morris County, New Jersey joined friends and family on a Jersey Shore beach to start the adventure of a lifetime. He's walking 3,000 miles across the continent, pushing a shopping cart spray-painted red, white and blue to raise money for homeless veterans.
"They all thought I was a little bit crazy, and I guess that is understandable," the 24-year-old said last week from Tennessee, where he's currently trundling along the back roads and byways of America.
Pasquale, who grew up in Randolph, N.J., and lives in Manasquan, N.J., has raised $15,000 so far, in a trip he's documenting on various social media feeds. To date, he's made his way 925 miles through Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia. He plans to end his journey seven months from now in Venice Beach, California.
Read Full Story |
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National Guard Militia Museum of New Jersey offers treasure trove of historyLeah Kahn | CentralJersey.com | Nov. 16, 2022
The National Guard Militia Museum of New Jersey, housed in a contemporary-looking building at the New Jersey National Guard complex at the Lawrenceville Armory is a treasure trove of the history of the state’s militia.
The museum is in a 6,000-square-foot building that opened in October 2021 at 151 Eggerts Crossing Road. It tells the story of the state’s militia and National Guard, from its earliest days under the Dutch, Swedish and British colonization in the 17th century and up to the present.
The National Guard Militia Museum of New Jersey in Lawrenceville is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It is closed on Sunday. Docents are available to guide visitors and answer questions. Admission is free.
Read Full Story |
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In Honor of all those from New Jersey who gave their lives in the fight against terrorism during Operation Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. In humble gratitude, we remember their sacrifice. |
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December 3, 2004
Operation Iraqi Freedom
SPC David P. MahlenbrockU.S. Army Maple Shade, New Jersey |
December 4, 2007
Operation Iraqi Freedom SGT Eric J. HernandezU.S. Army
Waldwick, New Jersey |
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December 10, 2005
Operation Iraqi Freedom
SGT Clarence L. Floyd, Jr.U.S. Army Newark, New Jersey |
December 11, 2011
Operation Enduring Freedom SPC Ronald H. Wildrick Jr.U.S. Army
Blairstown, New Jersey |
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"But on the battlefield their feet stood fast, and in an instant at the height of their fortune, they passed away from the scene, not of their fear, but of their glory."
~ Pericles |
| NJ Fallen Heroes Memorial |
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John BoylanWorld War II |
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Frederic VarleseCold War / Vietnam War |
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Air Force Ace Donald Strait with Governor Driscoll |
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December 5, 1944
| Major Donald Strait, US Army Air Force, flying a P51 Mustang, shot down two German Focke-Wulf 190s, officially qualifying as an Ace. He ended the war with thirteen and a half kills. Born in East Orange in 1918, Strait was an enlisted man in the New Jersey National Guard’s 119th Observation Squadron before the war, and one of only two prewar National Guardsmen to become Aces. Strait rejoined the New Jersey Air National Guard after the war and rose to the rank of major general before retiring in 1978.
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December 3, 1918 |
New Jersey National Guard Sergeant William O. Nicol of Jersey City was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for “extraordinary heroism…in action near Verdun, France” while serving with Company A of the Twenty-ninth Division’s 111th Machine-Gun Battalion. His citation noted that “Sergeant Nicol’s section was caught in a hostile barrage, by which two of his men were killed and five wounded. Sergeant Nicol led the rest of the section to shelter and then returned under shell fire and rescued the wounded.” Nicol, a Jersey City police officer in civilian life, retired from the New Jersey National Guard in 1947 as a major.
| December 7, 1942 | The Imperial Japanese Navy attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Army sergeant George Schmersahl of Bloomfield was killed in action that day, perhaps the first New Jerseyan to die in World War II. |
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December 7, 1942 |
Governor Charles Edison spoke a few words and then his wife Carolyn smashed a champagne bottle on the ship’s bow at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard launching ceremony for the battleship USS New Jersey. The ship was commissioned in 1943 and subsequently served in the Pacific during World War II and in Korea, Vietnam and the Middle East. The New Jersey, now a floating museum in Camden, became the most decorated American battleship in history. |
December 8, 1941 |
The United States declared war on Japan in the wake of the Pearl Harbor attack. Around 560,500 New Jerseyans, including 10,000 women and 360,000 draftees, served in all branches of the armed forces during World War II. A total of 10,372 of them, including ten of the state’s seventeen Medal of Honor awardees, made the ultimate sacrifice and were killed in action or died of wounds or other causes. |
December 13, 1776 | American General Charles Lee, a former British officer, was captured while dallying at Basking Ridge as the British army crossed New Jersey in pursuit of the retreating Americans. |
December 13, 1862 | Most of the New Jersey regiments in the Union Army of the Potomac were present at the disastrous Civil War battle of Fredericksburg. Some units suffered heavy losses, including the Twenty-fourth New Jersey regiment, with 136 casualties, and the Twenty-eighth New Jersey regiment, with 193. |
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Governor Murphy Announces $25 Million Investment into New Jersey’s Historic Sites
Titusville — 11/29/2022
Governor Phil Murphy today announced a $25 million investment towards New Jersey’s Revolutionary War historic sites in preparation for the United States of America’s Semiquincentennial anniversary. The Semiquincentennial anniversary, which will take place in 2026, will mark the signing of the Declaration of Independence and our nation’s 250th year of independence.
“New Jersey’s contribution to our nation’s independence is undeniable. From the battlefields where the tide of the American Revolution turned, to the many other sites where our nation’s identity was forged, New Jersey was arguably more deeply involved in the cause of independence than any other state,” said Governor Murphy. “As we celebrate our nation’s 250th anniversary, it is important that our historic sites are prepared to welcome the hundreds of thousands of visitors that will undoubtably travel from around the world to witness these sites in person on such a momentous occasion. This investment will allow us to revitalize our historic sites and make sure we are prepared when they come.”
Read Full Press Release |
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The First Muster
The history of the National Guard began on December 13, 1636, when the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony ordered the organization of the Colony's militia companies into three regiments: The North, South and East Regiments.
The colonists had adopted the English militia system which obligated all males, between the ages of 16 and 60, to possess arms and participate in the defense of the community. The early colonial militia drilled once a week and provided guard details each evening to sound the alarm in case of attack. The growing threat of the Pequot Indians to the Massachusetts Bay Colony required that the militia be in a high state of readiness.
First Muster, a National Guard Heritage Painting by Don Troiani, courtesy the National Guard Bureau.
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Family Assistance Centers
Brenda Irwin of the Sea Girt Family Assistance Center represented Family Programs on November 17, 2022 at the Military Appreciation Night at the Flight Community Center, Lakehurst. |
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Veterans Service Offices |
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Request Military Records |
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Veterans Memorial Homes |
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NJ State Medals |
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Military Funeral Honors |
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 | Doyle Veterans Cemetery
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We Are Hiring!
At the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs we take our work in support of Veterans, Servicemembers and their families very seriously. Whether supporting our Veterans with nursing care, transitional housing, or assisting them in navigating access to their Veteran benefits, the Department provides valuable services and can offer rewarding career opportunities to members of the public.
We also have opportunities in facilities management and program management. In addition, we have job openings for members of our military to serve in AGR and Federal Technician roles.
Stay updated on job openings by subscribing to our Jobs Bulletin.
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We hope you enjoy receiving our newsletter and find it both educational and engaging. If you have questions about our department, our programs or your benefits, please visit our website at nj.gov/military to get contact information.
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| Contact DMAVA |
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We welcome feedback and comments from the public regarding the newsletter. If you would like to contribute with an item of interest to our subscribers, please email us your proposal. Contact the newsletter team at outreach@dmava.nj.gov.
To view previous editions of our newsletter, please visit the DMAVA archives.
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nj.gov/military NJ Department of Military & Veterans Affairs
101 Eggert Crossing Road Lawrenceville, NJ 08648
Privacy Notice |
Disclaimer: The appearance of any non-DMAVA information or hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement of the products or services on the part of the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. |
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