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DCVA Vincent Solomeno | On May 22, 2023, Vincent Solomeno (pictured on left) was confirmed as the Deputy Commissioner of Veterans Affairs by a unanimous vote of the New Jersey Senate. |
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Message from the DAG
| May 2023 marks a full year for me as the Deputy Adjutant General (DAG). It has been a year of education and growth in my endeavor to impact in a positive way the day to day operation of our DMAVA Central Office and more importantly getting to know the people who make our Department what it is. The mission of DMAVA is unique as it is our responsibility to provide ready trained forces in response to state and federal emergencies and at the same time provide services and care for New Jersey Veterans.
It was apparent to me in very short order, that by and large, the DMAVA Team is made up of dedicated professionals from the Director level to the frontline worker. Another observation I made after meeting one on one with each Division Director was that the separation mandated by the Covid-19 Pandemic had lingering effects on the way in which we connected with one another to achieve unity of effort and accomplish the mission of DMAVA efficiently and effectively.;
One initiative was creating an environment in which all of our employees have the opportunity to reconnect and thereby recommit to one another. The main effort of this initiative was accomplished by reinvigorating our employee activity committee. The committee establishes events that bring people together in a relaxed setting to communicate, acknowledge one another, and to support the ongoing effort to provide opportunities to recognize and show our appreciation for what each person gives to the organization.
The other focus area for me this past year was personal and professional development. Much of our time and focus is on taking care of our military personnel, veterans, and their families that often times we forget about developing our skills and talents. Sharpening skills and/or learning new ones increases our capacity to achieve success in our personal and professional lives.
As I head into my second year as the DAG, I will continue to work to make DMAVA a place where all who choose to serve here have the tools they need to accomplish the mission in an environment where each person feels respected and a part of the Team. |
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Thanks to each of you for all you do to make the State a better place.
We invite you to share ideas, events and feedback. Please email our team at outreach@dmava.nj.gov.
Yvonne L. Mays
Colonel, NJANG Deputy Adjutant General |
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New Jersey's Fallen Honored |
Denis R. McDonough, Secretary of Veterans Affairs; Congressman Andy Kim, 3rd District; New Jersey Gov. Philip D. Murphy; Brig. Gen. Lisa J. Hou, D.O., The Adjutant General of New Jersey, along with the New Jersey National Guard leadership, veterans’ organizations, and several hundred attendees honored New Jersey's fallen service members during the annual State Memorial Day ceremony at the Brigadier General William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Wrightstown, New Jersey, May 27, 2023.
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Specialist Zackary Zamot | A Military Funeral Honors team from the New Jersey Army National Guard provided plane-side honors for Army Specialist Zackary Zamot at Newark Liberty International Airport on May 25, 2023.
Specialist Zamot, 24, passed away while serving on active duty with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) at Fort Campbell, KY.
Funeral services were held the following day in Wyckoff, NJ. Obituary with Videos |
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Staff Sergeant Michael Uhrin | A Military Funeral Honors team from the New Jersey Army National Guard provided plane-side honors for Army Air Forces Staff Sergeant Michael Uhrin at Newark Liberty International Airport on May 26, 2023.
Staff Sergeant Uhrin, 21, of Metuchen, NJ, was killed during World War II. He was accounted for by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency on May 12, 2022.
Funeral services were held in Metuchen on Memorial Day.
Metuchen-Edison Historical Society Facebook Post |
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DMAVA is sponsoring or will participate in the events below. A DMAVA Veterans Service Officer will be present at many of these events. Please check details to confirm.
| - June 3, 2023 | Bordentown
Transition / Retirement Seminar
- June 3, 2023 | Bordentown
Reserve Component Transition Benefits Workshop
- June 4, 2023 | Bordentown
First Aid / CPR / AED Certification
- June 7, 2023 | Wildwood
State Medals Ceremony for Women Veterans
- June 8, 2023 | Camden
Veterans Job & Resource Fair
- June 10, 2023 | Edison
Middlesex County Day
- June 10, 2023 | North Bergen
Health, Wellness & Resource Fair
- June 11, 2023 | Clifton
13th Annual Army Tank Pull
- June 12, 2023 | Bordentown
Bridging the Gap Career Fair
- June 12, 2023 | Trenton
NJ Women Veterans Appreciation Day Observance
- June 12-13, 2023 | Lawrenceville
Grant Writing Workshop
- June 14, 2023 | Mercer Community College
NJ Statewide Job Fair
- June 17, 2023 | Sea Girt
19th Annual SGT Nutter Run
- June 17, 2023 | East Orange
NJ Salutes Women Veterans Resource Fair
- June 17, 2023 | Holmdel
NJ Vet2Vet In-Person Support Group
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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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JRTC 23-08 |
Nearly 3,000 New Jersey Army National Guard Soldiers will be assessed on their units' ability to conduct large-scale combat operations in a multi-domain setting against a near-peer opposing force at the Joint Readiness Training Center, Fort Polk, Louisiana, May 18-June 19, 2023. It is the organization’s largest training exercise in over a decade, with approximately 2,500 additional Soldiers from a dozen states and Puerto Rico also participating.
View Flickr Images View DVID Images
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Dogfighting | 177th Fighter Wing - NJ Air National Guard fighter pilot, Lt. Col. Michael Long, commander of the 119th Fighter Squadron, conducts Basic Fighter Maneuver training in an F-16C Fighting Falcon over the Atlantic Ocean.
Watch Video |
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Defender Europe 23 | Brig. Gen. Lisa J. Hou, The Adjutant General of New Jersey, alongside leadership of The New Jersey National Guard and the 50th Chemical Co., 42nd Regional Support Group, took part in Defender Europe 23 ceremonial events in Tirana, Albania, May 22, 2023. "Bashkimi bën fuqinë” – unity makes strength!"
50th Chemical Co. Images
50th Chemical Co. Video
Ceremony Video |
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Best Warrior Competition | New Jersey Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Antonella Catalioti, from Recruiting and Retention Battalion and Spc. Laura Grieco, Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 113th Infantry Regiment, were among 14 National Guard soldiers from seven states who competed in the Region 1 Best Warrior Competition from May 15-19, 2023 in Bangor, Maine.
Congratulations to Spc. Zakary Toothaker from the 488th Military Police Company, Maine National Guard and Staff Sgt. Conrad Sheldon, 1st Battalion, 102nd Infantry Regiment, Connecticut National Guard, on winning the Region 1 BWC and good luck in the next stage of the competition! |
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Join Our Team |
100% Free College Tuition
Bonuses up to $20,000
Student Loan Repayment |
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Medal CeremonyDMAVA held a State Medals Ceremony at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, May 19, 2023.
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Medal CeremonyDMAVA held a State Medals Ceremony at the Ocean County Mall in Toms River, May 25, 2023.
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Veterans Outreach CampaignDMAVA Veterans Service Officers Danielle Cardoso and Christopher Wambach met with Veterans during the Power in the Pines Air Show at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst on May 20-21, 2023.
Veteran Service Officers will be out in force throughout the spring and summer months. Check the Veterans Outreach Schedule to see when we will be in your area or contact your local Veterans Service Office. |
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Military Appreciation DayThe Retirement/Transition Office held a Military Appreciation Day on May 20, 2023. This was an informational day to walk through and visit with over 30 vendors at the Bordentown Armory. Retirees and Servicemembers of all military branches attended the event.
Half-day retirement seminars are scheduled throughout the year.
Learn More |
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Mental Health Awareness MonthThe month of May is designated as Mental Health Awareness Month. To close out the month, DMAVA employees at the Lawrenceville Headquarters took a stress-relieving nature walk around the campus on May 30, 2023. |
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NJ Youth ChalleNGe Academy DocuseriesAre you ready for the ChalleNGe?
In this nine-part docuseries, experience the 22-week residential program of NJ Youth ChalleNGe Academy's Class 55, from the first day at the National Guard Training Center in Sea Girt, NJ to graduation in the summer of 2023. |
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Morris County Increases Veterans Services and Support |
The Morris County Veterans Services Office (VSO) is expanding accommodations and key services to assist veterans and their families thanks to a $300,000 investment from the Morris County Commissioners. The expansion builds upon veteran programs created in 2021. The additional square footage at the county complex in Morris Township will help to handle the growing caseload of veterans seeking services.
Learn More |
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VA now working with 1,000+ community-based coalitions to end Veteran suicide
WASHINGTON - On May 18, 2023, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced it is now working with more than 1,000 local community coalitions engaged in ending Veteran suicide. These coalitions, established through VA’s Public Health Model for Suicide Prevention, now reach more than 7.5 million Veterans nationwide.
Read Full News Release |
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Survivor Benefit Plan Open Season
Congress provided for a Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) Open Season in the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act. 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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New National Parks Pass
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.
Learn More at VA News |
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VA Life Insurance
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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Military RecordsIn this episode of theSITREP, the hosts cover how to get military records from the National Personnel Records Center and what NPRC is with Scott Levins, Director of NPRC in St. Louis.
Watch Video |
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#VetResources
| Subscribe to #VetResources to receive a weekly newsletter from the VA for Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors. |
| Subscribe |
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Rutgers Army ROTC CommissioningOn May 16, 2023, the Scarlet Knight Battalion commissioned 17 cadets as Second Lieutenants into the U.S Army. As they start their journey in the U.S Army as Lieutenants, they will look back and remember all the hard work and dedication they put into it.
They were visited by the Adjutant General of New Jersey Brigadier General Lisa J. Hou and Rutgers University Vice-Provost Dr. Carolyn Moehling.
Congratulations Class of 2023!
Image and caption courtesy of the Scarlet Knight Battalion. |
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Thank You!An ice cream truck sent by AT&T visited the residents and staff at the New Jersey Veterans Home in Paramus, May 10, 2023.
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Memorial DayMore than 900 New Jersey Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, Brownies, and family members placed more than 42,000 American flags on graves at the Brigadier General William C. Doyle Memorial Cemetery at Wrightstown, New Jersey, May 26, 2023.
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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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June 3, 2005
Operation Enduring Freedom
CPT Charles D. RobinsonU.S. Army Haddon Heights, New Jersey |
June 4, 2004
Operation Iraqi Freedom SSG Frank Timothy CarvillU.S. Army
Carlstadt, New Jersey | June 4, 2004
Operation Iraqi Freedom SPC Christopher M. Duffy
U.S. Army Brick, New Jersey |
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June 5, 2004
Operation Iraqi Freedom
SGT Ryan Edward DoltzU.S. Army Mine Hill, New Jersey |
June 5, 2004
Operation Iraqi Freedom SSG Humberto F. TimoteoU.S. Army
Newark, New Jersey | June 14, 2007
Operation Iraqi Freedom SPC Farid Elazzouzi
U.S. Army Elizabeth, 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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Princeton Battle Monument Dedication in 1922. |
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June 1, 1813
| Burlington-born Captain James Lawrence sailed the USS Chesapeake out of Boston Harbor to battle HMS Shannon. Lawrence’s crew was not yet properly trained, and the Shannon won the brief engagement, during which Lawrence was mortally wounded and gained eternal fame for his words “Don’t give up the ship.” They did. |
June 1, 1815 |
Philip Kearny, nineteenth-century New Jersey’s greatest war hero, with service in both the Mexican and Civil Wars, was born in New York City. Many historians cite his birthday as June 2, due to an early biographer’s error. Kearny spent most of his formative years on a family estate near Newark. He commanded the First New Jersey Brigade in 1861 and early 1862 during the Civil War, and was killed in action at Chantilly, Virginia, on September 1, 1862, while leading the First Division of the Third Army Corps. |
June 2, 1918 | The day that became known as “Black Sunday” when the German submarine U-151 sank six U.S. ships and damaged two others off the coast of New Jersey in the space of a few hours. |
June 6, 1780 | Hessian General Wilhelm Von Knyphausen crossed from Staten Island to Elizabethtown with 6,000 British and Hessian troops at midnight, intending to push through Hobart’s gap to Morristown the following day. |
June 6, 1862 | The First New Jersey Cavalry was ambushed in the Shenandoah Valley and suffered forty casualties, including Colonel Percy Wyndham, who was captured, and Captain Thomas Ryerson Haines, son of former New Jersey governor Daniel Haines, who was killed in action. |
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June 6, 1878 |
John P. Holland of Paterson tested his first submarine design in the Passaic River. Although he claimed it seaworthy, the U.S. Navy rejected his plans. | June 8, 1944 |
The men of the New Jersey National Guard’s 102nd Cavalry, who had floated offshore for two days, landed at Omaha Beach on D-Day plus two, as the beachhead had been expanded enough to accommodate the unit’s vehicles. In the following weeks, Sergeant Curtis Culin of Cranford and the 102nd devised the “Rhino Plow,” a device that, attached to the front of tanks, cut through the hedgerows of Normandy, vitally assisting the allied armies in breaking out of their beachhead. In the ensuing months, the 102nd fought its way across Europe, on the way gaining the honor of being the first United States unit to enter Paris in August 1944.
| June 9, 1922 |
The Princeton Battle Monument, created by sculptor Frederick MacMonnies and architect Thomas Hastings to commemorate General George Washington’s January 3, 1777 victory over the British, was dedicated by President Warren Harding. The sculpture depicts Washington leading his troops to victory and the mortal wounding of General Hugh Mercer, for whom Mercer County was later named. |
June 14, 1917 |
Two months after the United States entry into World War I, the first troop transports headed for Europe left Hoboken, which became the leading port of embarkation for American soldiers for the duration of the war. Of the approximately 2,000,000 American troops who sailed to Europe, 1,600,000 left from the Hudson County port city. |
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141st Air Refueling Squadron | At the recent Power in the Pines Air Show at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, the public got to see the bright colors of the 141st Air Refueling Squadron of the New Jersey Air National Guard's 108th Wing.
The 141st's lineage comes from the 141st Aero Squadron, a flying unit formed at the start of World War I, commanded by Capt. Hobey Baker. In honor of their commander, the Princeton Tiger became the unit's mascot, which is displayed proudly to this day. Of note, Baker was a star athlete at Princeton, and today there is an annual award bearing his name for the top college ice hockey player. |
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Blue Star Museums | Blue Star Museums is a partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts and Blue Star Families, in collaboration with the Department of Defense and museums across America, offering free admission to the nation’s active-duty military personnel and their families, including National Guard and Reserve.
The 2023 Blue Star Museums program began on Armed Forces Day, May 20, 2023 and ends on Labor Day, September 4, 2023.
Learn More |
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Specialist Francis De Leon | SGT Benjamin Martinez | 444th MPAD | May 21, 2023
LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ - New Jersey Army National Guard Soldier Spc. Francis De Leon is a Mass Communications Specialist with the 444th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment. In observance of May being Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, Spc. De Leon is recognized for his commitment to the NJNG and talks about why he decided to enlist after completing his Master Degree in Multimedia and Graphic Design.
De Leon was born in Paterson, NJ. At 12 years old, he and his family moved to the Philippines where his parents are originally from and he spent the next 17 years there before returning to NJ.
“Ever since I was a kid, I was always into video games, cartoons and certain things in pop culture…” says De Leon. “One thing that always interested me was the art of all the things I was looking at, whether it be the story telling or just the drawings or even the music in the background. Because of that I decided to go into multimedia or graphic design as my profession.”
De Leon attended the De La Salle College of St. Benilde where he earned his Bachelors of Arts in multimedia and then decided to attend Touro University Graduate School of Technology where he earned his Master Degree of Arts.
“I have a strong passion for multimedia and graphic design and I feel like a lot of people underestimate its usefulness.” De Leon says. “For me it's about making stories in various ways and one of the things that separates us from the animal world is that we connect to those stories. I did my research on specific careers that this [multimedia and graphic design] pertained to and I found that the Army has Public Affairs and I could use my discipline to be a strong service member.”
After weighting out his options, Spc. De Leon decided to enlist in the New Jersey National Guard as a 46S - Mass Communications Specialist. Keeping his Master Degree at the forefront of his mind, he chose a military occupation that aligned with his discipline and he was able to make a career out of his talents in multimedia by becoming a Public Affairs asset to the NJNG. |
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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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