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 | Governor's Challenge to Prevent Suicide Among Service Members, Veterans and their Families (SMVF)
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| Mental Health First Aid Training Program |
Today, I had the honor to collaborate and meet with our Governor’s Challenge partners, as we launched our Mental Health First Aid training program this morning.
This group more than most, knows how critical the work of suicide prevention is. One Veteran lost to suicide is too many, and every minute, every second, counts. That’s why the concept of Mental Health First Aid training makes so much sense. Having a medical and military background myself, I can tell you that so much of the battle is recognizing symptoms and connecting people to the right resources. Through years of national and international study, collaborative research, we know that mental health treatment makes a difference, and we know that programs that help connect people in need, those in distress, with treatment, also make a difference.
They are uniquely focused on suicide prevention for Service Members, Veterans and their families. The investment of their time and energy to protecting lives in our military community is invaluable and much appreciated.
As I have come to know, Service Members, Veterans, and their family members, make up a special group of people. Service members sign up for some of our nation’s most physically and psychologically stressful jobs. They do it for our communities, our country, our constitution, and our future generations.
But the burden they shoulder, during and after service, and the burden shouldered by their family members, is often heavy and unique. From my view, that is why Mental Health First Aid training is so important. Just like on the battlefield, we do not want to leave a Soldier, Sailor, Airman, Marine, or Guardian, behind.
Fortunately, today, in 2023, Service Members, Veterans and their family members have a great number of State and Federal mental health resources available to them, including free-of-charge PTSD counseling services through DMAVA. Mental health service providers have special skills and credentials, and a number of them have unique training or direct experience in care of Veterans and their families.
Today’s announcement is possible largely because of the sacred commitment of Governor Murphy and the legislature to ensuring the health and well-being of our Veterans. This Mental Health First Aid training is designed for community organizations that interact with Service Members, Veterans, and their families at the local level, directly.
The goal of this training is that someone in the community can better recognize the signs that a Veteran is in distress, for example, and better guide that Service Member, Veteran or family member much closer to the right kind of help, when those minutes, seconds, count. |
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Thank you to the entire community for your support.
We invite 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 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.
| - August 24, 2023 | Columbus
Veterans Outreach Campaign
- August 25, 2023 | Seaside Heights
Veterans Outreach Campaign
- August 26, 2023 | Rochelle Park
Women Veterans Stand Down / Resource Fair
- August 27, 2023 | Bayville
Veterans Picnic & Resource Fair
- August 31, 2023 | Columbus
Veterans Outreach Campaign
- August 31, 2023 | Ocean City
Veterans Outreach Campaign
- August 31, 2023 | Point Pleasant Beach
Veterans Outreach Campaign
- August 31, 2023 | Seaside Heights
Veterans Outreach Campaign
- September 7, 2023 | Bordentown
Transition/Retirement Seminar
- September 11, 2023 | Lawrenceville
NJ Motor Vehicle Commission Mobile Unit at DMAVA
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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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1-254th RTI |
US Army Soldiers from Active Duty, National Guard, and Reserve forces conduct live-fire battle drills during the Infantry Advanced Leaders Course conducted by the New Jersey National Guard's 1-254th Regional Training Institute on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, NJ, July 27, 2023.
The Advanced Leaders Course is a branch-specific course that provides selected Soldiers for promotion to Staff Sergeant an opportunity to enhance leadership, technical skill, tactical expertise and experience needed to lead squad-size units.
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Join Our Team |
100% Free College Tuition
Bonuses up to $20,000
Student Loan Repayment |
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State Medals Ceremony |
U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Lisa J. Hou, D.O., The Adjutant General of the New Jersey National Guard, addresses the audience during the New Jersey State Medals Ceremony at the Woodbridge Center Mall in Woodbridge Township, NJ on August 17, 2023.
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Are you or a loved one eligible for a medal? Refer to our website for detailed information at NJ Service Medals.
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DMAVA at the NJ State Fair | DMAVA Veterans Service Officer Yahaira Padilla provided information on Veterans Benefits to Mr. Thomas Brown at the NJ State Fair on August 9, 2023. Mr. Brown is a Veteran of the US Army and currently lives in Hopatcong.
Contact Yahaira and her VSO colleagues around the state by visiting our website at Veterans Service Offices. |
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DMAVA at the Atlantic City AirshowTom McNamara, Marine Corps Vietnam Veteran from Atlantic City, discusses Veterans Benefits with DMAVA Veterans Service Officer Alicia Kagan at our Outreach Table on the Atlantic City Boardwalk at the Atlantic City Airshow on August 16, 2023.
Our statewide network of VSOs appear at community events around the state. Refer to our Outreach Schedule for dates and locations.
Contact Alicia and her VSO colleagues by visiting our website at Veterans Service Offices. |
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"Mark & Mike's Coffee Shop" Opens at Paramus
Recreation Assistants Mark and Michael opened their very own coffee shop, Mark & Mike's Coffee Shop at the New Jersey Veterans Home at Paramus, August 2, 2023.
From caramel drizzles and extra pumps of foam to muffins and pastries, it looks like a popular brand-named coffeehouse has some competition coming! Even the CEO stopped by for a coffee break with the Home!
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Congressman Kim Reintroduces Military Family Protection from Debt ActAugust 11, 2023
Washington D.C. – Today, Congressman Andy Kim (NJ-03) reintroduced his Military Family Protection from Debt Act that would ease financial burdens for servicemembers and their families.
“When someone volunteers to serve our nation in uniform, they shouldn’t have to shoulder unnecessary financial burdens – especially when they are deployed,” said Congressman Kim. “This bill would give military families some peace of mind while their loved one is on active duty by capping interest rates on their loans. Our servicemembers and military families sacrifice so much for us, and I hope we can get them this necessary relief and helpful benefit as soon as possible.”
Full Press Release |
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Base Tour |
U.S. Air Force leadership of the 177th Fighter Wing, members of the New Jersey State Legislature, and members of the Greater Atlantic City Chamber, pose for a group photo in front of an F-16C Fighting Falcon August 10, 2023, during a tour at the 177th Fighter Wing, Egg Harbor Township, NJ.
The base tour provided the distinguished visitors with the opportunity to meet the airmen and view the resources that enable the wing to accomplish its federal and state missions.
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| Next PACT Act Deadline
Until 11:59pm local time on September 30, 2023, Veterans who deployed to a combat zone, never enrolled in VA health care, and left active duty between September 11, 2001 and October 1, 2013 are eligible to enroll directly in VA health care.
This special enrollment period gives Veterans who served in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other combat zones an opportunity to enroll directly in VA health care without first applying for VA benefits.
Learn more about how you can sign up for VA health care and apply for PACT Act benefits at VA.gov/PACT.
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Travel Discounts for Veterans from AFT
American Forces Travel (AFT) is the Department of Defense’s online leisure travel website managed by Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) and supported by Priceline. Veteran eligibility includes all veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces with a discharge status of honorable or general under honorable conditions
Learn More at VA News |
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Veterans Can Now File Supplemental Claims Online
Veterans can now file supplemental claims online at VA.gov. Filing a supplemental claim is an option for Veterans who disagree with a previously denied claim decision regarding disability compensation or pension benefits. Learn More at VA News |
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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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National Parks Pass
There is a new lifetime pass for National Parks and Federal Recreation Lands, called America the Beautiful.
This 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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VALife 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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VA Disability - with Mike Figlioli, VFW Director of National Veterans Services In this episode, theSITREP asks Mike Figlioli, VFW Director of National Veterans Services, about VA disability: what is it, how to apply, and more.
theSITREP 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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Voices of VetsThe residents and staff at the New Jersey Veterans Home at Paramus welcomed Voices of Vets on July 31, 2023.
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Woods n WaterWoods n Water held a boat fishing event for our Nation’s Heroes at Lake Carnegie in Princeton, NJ on August 13, 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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August 28, 2008
Operation Iraqi Freedom
SPC Michael L. GonzalezU.S. Army Spotswood, New Jersey |
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August 30, 2007
Operation Iraqi Freedom
SSG Jason M. ButkusU.S. Army West Milford, 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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General Donald McGowan |
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August 27, 1932
| Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt of New York arrived at the National Guard Camp in Sea Girt, where a crowd of over 100,000 enthusiastic people greeted the Democratic candidate. Following a speech in which he promised to end Prohibition, FDR and New Jersey Governor A. Harry Moore reviewed the New Jersey National Guard soldiers at the Camp. |
August 29, 1839 |
Josiah Johnson Brown was born in Newark. Brown graduated from Rutgers College in 1860, and, in 1861, enlisted in the Second New Jersey Infantry. He served in that unit through August 17, 1864, when he was captured by Confederates at Winchester, Virginia after being assigned to the Fifteenth New Jersey Infantry after reenlisting. After spending time as a POW at Lynchburg and Danville, Virginia, Brown was exchanged and rejoined his regiment in February 1865. In the postwar era he became a minister, and then an attorney, practicing in Newark. Brown’s 1885 reminiscences of his army service, preserved in the New Jersey Historical Society collections, are a valuable primary source on New Jersey soldier life during the Civil War. When he died on January 20, 1936, Brown was one of the last survivors of his regiment and the oldest living Rutgers graduate.
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August 30, 1899 |
Donald McGowan was born in Orange. McGowan, one of New Jersey’s most notable soldiers, joined the National Guard on graduating from high school, served in the Mexican Border campaign of 1916 and rose from private to sergeant major of the 114th Infantry in World War I at the unheard of age of nineteen. In the postwar era, he attended West Point but left the military academy to be commissioned a lieutenant in the New Jersey National Guard. McGowan rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel and was assistant adjutant general of New Jersey in 1940, when he was promoted to colonel and appointed to command the Guard’s 102nd Cavalry, and led the 102nd ashore at Omaha Beach, Normandy, on June 8, 1944.
Following World War II, McGowan served again as New Jersey’s assistant adjutant general and was promoted to brigadier general in 1947. He commanded the New Jersey National Guard’s 50th Armored Division as a major general from 1948 to 1955, when he was appointed chief of the Army National Guard Bureau and then chief of the entire National Guard Bureau in Washington, a position from which he retired in 1963. General McGowan died on September 24, 1967 in Lawrence Township and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
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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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Morgan Freeman on rescuing a Black WWII tank battalion from obscurity | CBS New Sunday Morning | August 13, 2023
Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman talks about his History Channel documentary, "761st Tank Battalion: The Original Black Panthers," about one of only a few African American tank battalions that saw combat in World War II. Watch CBS Video
Editors Note: The National Guard Militia Museum of New Jersey's interview with the late Johnnie Stevens, 761st Tank Battalion, is now a part of CBS News Sunday Morning (video minute marker 6:11 - 6:34) |
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Vetwork, Based in Forked River, Aids Ocean County’s Vets | Rick Mellerup | Sandpaper.net | August 16, 2023
Excerpt: The other option may be the best of all such local programs. Vets from all over Ocean County can call a Forked River-based not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization called Vetwork at 609-971-7613 to schedule a free door-to-door ride to and from medical appointments in all of New Jersey as well as Philadelphia and New York City. As long as you’re an honorably discharged vet, there are no restrictions, although reservations must be made at least two weeks in advance.
In fact, Vetwork Executive Director Thomas Kiselow said veterans’ spouses can also use Vetwork transportation to visit the vet in hospitals.
It is the most prominent of Vetwork programs, but the organization has a lot more to offer. Vetwork was founded in 1986 to provide assistance to veterans such as professional counseling for alcohol and drug abuse issues and PTSD, eliminating barriers to employment, providing emergency shelter and working on homeless prevention, free food and assisting with claims for VA benefits and other entitlements.
It runs a food pantry for vets at its HQ, located at 103 North Main St. (Route 9). It hosts a peer to peer veteran support group meeting the first Wednesday of every month at its building. It saves almost 200 veterans annually from living on the street, thanks in some part to its Mount Zion transitional housing facility.
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New Jersey native takes command of 2-star Army Reserve division | SGT Shawn Morris | 99th Readiness Div. | August 12, 2023
WRIGHTSTOWN, N.J. – The U.S. Army Reserve’s 99th Readiness Division welcomed a new commanding general Aug. 11 during a change-of-command ceremony at division headquarters on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.
Maj. Gen. Kris A. Belanger, a native of Wantage Township in Sussex County, is now responsible for providing logistic and administrative support for nearly 45,000 Army Reserve Soldiers living and serving throughout the Northeastern United States.
Read Full Story |
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Lionel Hill | DMAVA is proud to have a workforce dedicated to serving those who have served! Meet one of our heroes.
Lionel Hill is a Certified Nursing Assistant at the Veterans Home at Paramus. After being inspired by the American Red Cross' response to the earthquake in Haiti, Lionel studied to become a CNA and continues to make positive changes at the Home!
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Robert Mitchell |
Robert Mitchell is a United States Navy Veteran who currently resides at Veterans Haven North (VHN) in Glen Gardner, New Jersey. Robert is working with the team at VHN to re-build his life and begin a new chapter. He has gainful employment and continues his path to recovery as well as financial independence.
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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 our 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 & Veterans Affairs. |
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