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COL (Ret) Walter R. Nall | Leading up to Black History Month, retired Army Col. Walter Nall, previous acting Deputy Commissioner of Veterans Affairs in New Jersey’s Department of Military and Veteran Affairs, shared experiences from his 30+ years in public service. This includes his time in both the Alabama and New Jersey National Guards. |
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DMAVA will have a Veterans Service Officer present |
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February 24, 2023 11:00am
DMAVA MEDAL CEREMONY & VETERANS OUTREACH CAMPAIGN
Clearbrook Community
Ballroom
1 Clearbrook Drive
Monroe, NJ 08831
DMAVA will have a Veterans Service Officer present to help and assist any Veteran or family member.
For more information contact the Veterans Benefits Bureau at vbb@dmava.nj.gov. |
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February 26, 20238:30am – 12:00pm
RESERVE COMPONENT TRANSITION BENEFITS BRIEF
Joint Military & Family Assistance Center
1048 US Rt 206 South Bordentown, NJ 08505
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DMAVA will have a Veterans Service Officer present |
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DMAVA will have a Veterans Service Officer present |
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DMAVA & Community Calendar |
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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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Valentine's Day | U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ 5) presented hand-made Valentine’s Day cards to the residents at the New Jersey Veterans Home at Paramus. Before visiting the home, Gottheimer worked with the students at the Martha B Day School in Bloomingdale to make the cards for the Veterans. |
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State Partnership Program | Soldiers of the New Jersey National Guard traveled to the Republic of Albania Feb. 5-9 to train with friends and counterparts of the Albanian Armed Forces on 120mm mortars, radio communications, physical fitness, and noncommissioned officer professional development.
Read Full Story |
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Operation Winged Devil |
More than 350 U.S. Army Soldiers with the 1st Battalion, 114th Infantry Regiment, 44th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, New Jersey Army National Guard, participated in an air assault and a field training exercise at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, Feb. 10, 2023. This was on preparation for the unit’s rotation to the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana, later this year.
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177th Fighter Wing |
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Megan Atkinson, crew chief with the 177th Fighter Wing of the New Jersey Air National Guard, marshals an F-16D Fighting Falcon before launch at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., Jan. 25, 2023. F-16 pilots, maintainers and support staff from the 177th FW traveled to Tyndall for the Weapons System Evaluation Program, also known as Combat Archer training.
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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Sustainability Award
In 2022, the New Jersey Army National Guard Environment Management Bureau submitted a nomination packet under the Sustainability: Non-Industrial Installation category for a food waste study conducted at the National Guard Training Center Dining Facility in Sea Girt, NJ. This category recognizes efforts to reduce or eliminate waste through increased efficiency in the use of raw materials, energy, water, or other resources.
NJ took 2nd place in this category, and was presented with a trophy at the National Guard Bureau G9 Program Guidance Course in January 2023 at the National Guard Professional Education Center in Little Rock, AR. |
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Fiscal Law Course | The New Jersey National Guard hosted a two-day fiscal law course for nearly 150 U.S. Army and Air Force National Guard commissioned officers, non-commissioned officers, state and federal employees at the New Jersey National Guard Training Center, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst on Jan. 18-19, 2023. |
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Suicide Prevention
WASHINGTON – Starting Jan. 17, Veterans in acute suicidal crisis will be able to go to any VA or non-VA health care facility for emergency health care at no cost – including inpatient or crisis residential care for up to 30 days and outpatient care for up to 90 days. Veterans do not need to be enrolled in the VA system to use this benefit.
This expansion of care will help prevent Veteran suicide by guaranteeing no cost, world-class care to Veterans in times of crisis. It will also increase access to acute suicide care for up to 9 million Veterans who are not currently enrolled in VA. Read Full News Release |
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| Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) Proposed Open Season
Congress provided for a Survivor Benefit Plan Open Season in the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The SBP Open Season began on December 23, 2022 and ends on January 1, 2024.
The SBP Open Season allows for retirees receiving retired pay, eligible members, or former members awaiting retired pay who are currently NOT enrolled in SBP or RCSBP (Reserve Component Survivor Benefit Plan) to enroll.
The SBP Open Season also allows eligible members and former members who are currently enrolled in either SBP or RCSBP to permanently discontinue their SBP coverage.
Learn More |
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Schedule Your PACT Act Event
If your Veterans Service Office, university/college or community organization would like to host the VA New Jersey Health Care System (VANJHCS), they will bring the information, screeners and staff to you and your Veterans. Contact them at VANJHCSCommsTeam@va.gov to schedule your PACT Act event. |
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New National Parks PassA 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
Veterans Affairs Life Insurance (VALife) provides guaranteed acceptance whole life coverage of up to $40,000 to Veterans with service-connected disabilities. Lesser amounts are available in increments of $10,000. Under this plan, the elected coverage takes effect two years after enrollment as long as premiums are paid during the two-year period.
All Veterans age 80 or under with a VA disability rating of 0 to 100% are eligible for the VALife program and have no time limit to apply.
Learn More |
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PODCAST
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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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Super Bowl
On Feb 12, 2023, members of the Little Ferry Police Department teamed up with Jersey Mikes Subs and delivered subs to our Veterans Home in Paramus just in time for the Superbowl. We can't thank our Veterans enough for what they sacrificed and its an honor for us to serve you. Special thanks to Officer Mike Hinchcliffe (P.A.L. coordinator) for organizing and to Jersey Mikes Subs!
Photo and caption courtesy Little Ferry Police Department Facebook |
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Donation
On Friday, Feb. 10, the National Guard Militia Museum of New Jersey in Lawrenceville had the pleasure of hosting a check presentation going from TPC Jasna Polana to the National Guard State Family Readiness Council for their annual fundraiser, Birdies for the Brave.
The National Guard State Family Readiness Council’s main goal is to assist and support our NJ National Guard families through challenging times by trying to alleviate any undue stress through a grant program funded by private and public contributions.
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Local to Global
U.S. Air Force Colonel Derek B. Routt, commander of the 177th Fighter Wing, was the February guest speaker for the Four Seasons Veterans Club, located at the Four Seasons Active Adult Retirement Community at Smithville, New Jersey. His presentation focused on the 177th’s mission that he expressed as “Local to Global…Now and Always”. |
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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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February 26, 2005
Operation Iraqi Freedom
PFC Min Soo ChoiU.S. Army River Vale, New Jersey |
February 26, 2009
Operation Iraqi Freedom SPC Brian M. ConnellyU.S. Army
Union Beach, New Jersey |
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March 3, 2008
Operation Enduring Freedom
CPL Steven R. KochU.S. Army Milltown, New Jersey |
March 4, 2005
Operation Iraqi Freedom CPT Sean GrimesU.S. Army
Dover, 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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Cambell GonzalezWorld War II |
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Angelo ColbourneWorld War II |
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Essex Troop in Washington, D.C. in 1913 |
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February 28, 1844
| Princeton-born United States navy captain Robert Stockton took his ship, the USS Princeton, for a pleasure cruise on the Potomac River, with President John Tyler, his cabinet and 200 guests aboard. A cannon designed by Stockton was fired and exploded, killing six people, including Secretary of State Abel Upshur, Secretary of the Navy Thomas Gilmer and the president’s soon to be father-in-law as well as his personal valet. A quickly held court of inquiry absolved the captain, a personal friend of Tyler. |
February 28, 1942 |
A German submarine torpedoed the SS R.P. Resor eighteen miles east of Lavallette on a bright moonlit night. The explosion and “spectacular, towering fire” was so great that it could be seen from shore, and the Shark River Lifeboat Station was the first to report the incident. Only two men survived. The following morning, the World War I–era destroyer USS Jacob Jones was torpedoed while searching for more survivors. There were only twelve survivors of the sinking of the Jones. |
February 29, 1824 |
Arabella Wharton Griffith was born in Somerville. In 1861, Griffith married Francis Channing Barlow, a New York attorney ten years her junior. Barlow rose to the rank of brigadier general in the Union army and when her husband was badly wounded at Antietam in 1862 and at Gettysburg in 1863, Arabella brought him back to Somerville, where she nursed him back to health. In July, 1864, she contacted typhus nursing sick Union soldiers at City Point, Virginia, and died of the disease in Washington on July 27. She was buried in Somerville. |
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February 29, 1780 |
Continental Army Quartermaster General Nathanael Greene wrote from Morristown: “Our provisions are in a manner, gone. We have not a ton of hay at command, nor magazine [supply point] to draw from. Money is extremely scarce, and worth little when we get it. We have been so poor in camp for a fortnight, (two weeks) that we could not forward the public dispatches, for want of cash to support the expresses.” |
March 2, 1902 |
Morris “Moe” Berg was born in New York City. Raised in Newark’s Roseville section, Berg became the best baseball player the city ever produced, with a brilliant mind to boot, graduating from Princeton University and Columbia University Law School. He became a major league baseball player and coach, World War II OSS agent and legendary eccentric Roseville character. Berg died in Belleville on May 29, 1972. His last words were “how did the Mets do today?” |
March 2, 1933 | President Herbert Hoover signed legislation making George Washington’s headquarters and his Army’s winter camp at Morristown the first National Historical Park in the United States. |
March 4, 1913 | New Jersey Governor Woodrow Wilson was inaugurated as President of the United States. Wilson’s inaugural parade was led by the Essex Troop, a New Jersey National Guard cavalry unit from Newark wearing British-influenced full dress uniforms custom tailored by Brooks Brothers in New York City. |
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RevolutionNJ's New Website
The RevolutionNJ website is now active! It launched on November 30th and will continue to add information and photos over time. The website will be the location for all things related to RevolutionNJ around the state. Check out the new website! |
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New Jersey Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal is a project of the New Jersey Historical Commission, Rutgers University Libraries, and Monmouth University.
The Journal publishes original scholarship on all aspects of NJ studies, including military history.
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Visit Our Friends at JTJ |
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Unhoused Veterans Find A New Home In Lacey TownshipVeronica Flesher | Patch.com | February 9, 2023
LACEY, NJ — Ocean County has the highest population of veterans in the state, with more than 30,000 residing here. Not all of them have a physical place to live - many veterans statewide and in the county face homelessness. But a new project aims to provide those who served with transitional housing and help them get back on their feet.
It's called Mount Zion, named for the sacred land in Jerusalem, and it's a collaboration between Lacey United Methodist Church and Forked River-based Vetwork.
And according to Vetwork, it's the only transitional housing offered to veterans in Ocean County.
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Morris County's veterans deserve a Vet Center — and this is how we'll do it | OpinionMikie Sherrill and Tom Kean Jr. | NorthJersey.com | February 10, 2023
If you are a civilian, you may have never heard of a Vet Center. But for many of our nation’s veterans, access to the specialized mental health services provided at these centers is critical — it can mean the difference between obtaining the help you need or spending decades alone dealing with the scars of combat or military sexual trauma.
But despite the proven success of Vet Centers, there simply aren’t nearly enough to meet the needs of the men and women who’ve sacrificed so much fighting for our country. That’s why together we introduced the Vet Centers for Mental Health Act, a bipartisan bill to fix this and to ensure veterans have access to the services that we know work for them.
Real Full Story
Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill Facebook Post |
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NJ Korean War Memorial
The NJ Korean War Memorial was created to ensure that future generations remember and honor the pride and dedication of those who served, the legacy they continued, and the freedom they preserved.
The Memorial was dedicated on November 13, 2000 and stands where Park Place meets the Boardwalk on land donated by Atlantic City. Governor Christine Todd Whitman attended the dedication ceremony and laid the wreath honoring the 191,000 New Jerseyans who served in the conflict. |
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Soldier Gives Gift of LifeWe have an update to a story we ran one year ago in conjunction with Black History Month.
Sergeant First Class Contessa Nash, a Citizen-Soldier with the New Jersey Army National Guard, works full-time as a bureau chief with the Information Services Division at the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.
Read Initial Story |
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Veterans Service Offices |
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Request Military Records |
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Family Programs Office |
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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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