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March 5, 2025 |  | Ready To Serve ★ Proud To Have Served |
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Brigadier General Yvonne L. Mays, The Adjutant General of New Jersey, greets Soldiers with the 44th Infantry Brigade Combat Team returning from a recent deployment. |
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Connecting Heroes with Resources and Support |
In February, the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs began the formal process of supporting deploying and returning New Jersey National Guard Soldiers, Airmen, and their families.
This formal process is a U.S. Department of Defense initiative known as the Yellow Ribbon Program. It’s designed to promote the well-being of Service Members and those who love them by connecting them with resources and support throughout the deployment cycle. Yellow Ribbon events provide access to healthcare, education, employment, financial, and legal services.
Last week, I spoke with Soldiers of the 250th Brigade Support Battalion during their post-deployment Yellow Ribbon event. These events also provide leaders like me the opportunity to thank our Garden State heroes for their service to New Jersey and the United States. I also share information that I believe is critical to all going through a time of transition.
In 2023, the New Jersey National Guard established the Directorate of Joint Resiliency, headquartered at the Joint Military & Family Assistance Center in Bordentown. This includes the Office of Family Programs, whose dedicated team can provide support with finances, childcare, relationships, stress management, mental health counseling and more. There are a substantial number of no cost resources and benefits.
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As always, thank you for staying connected to DMAVA.
We invite you to share ideas, events and feedback. Please email our team at outreach@dmava.nj.gov.
Brigadier General Yvonne L. Mays
Adjutant General & Commissioner |
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DMAVA Calendar | 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. |
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We add new events to our calendar on a daily basis so please bookmark and check back often. |
| View Full Calendar |
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 | 227th Cyber Operations Squadron
Donna Jefferies | 108th Wing | February 20, 2025
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. - A second New Jersey Air National Guard cyber operations squadron is set for activation April 1, 2025, at the 108th Wing on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.
The 227th Cyber Operations Squadron’s mission is to protect and defend military and state networks from cyber threats, and ensure critical infrastructure remains secure at the national and local levels.
Recruiting efforts are underway to fill more than 70 authorized openings. Open positions include cyber warfare operators, cyber defense operations specialists, maintainers, and cyber intelligence analysts. Future opportunities to commission as a warrant officer may also be on the table for eligible prior servicemembers.
A Cyber Open House designed to share the mission and dispel misconceptions about the field is set for March 8, 2025. Read Full Story |
|  | 63rd Army Band
The New Jersey Army National Guard's 63rd Army Band marched in the 52nd Belmar St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 2, 2025.
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Join Our Team | 100% Free College Tuition
Bonuses | GI Bill
Student Loan Repayment |
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Veterans Memorial Home at Menlo Park
U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Yvonne L. Mays, The Adjutant General of New Jersey and Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, met and spoke with residents during a resident council meeting at the New Jersey Veterans Memorial Home at Menlo Park on February 26, 2025.
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 | Congressman Herb Conaway hosted a roundtable at Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3020 in Delran. |
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DCVA Joins Congressman Conaway for Veterans Roundtable
On February 20, 2025, Deputy Commissioner of Veterans Affairs Vincent Solomeno joined Congressman Herb Conaway (NJ-3) and state leaders from the American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, Jewish War Veterans, YWCA Northern New Jersey Operation Sisterhood, and the Military Officers Association of America for a morning long conversation on state and federal veterans benefits, programs, and services.
The Congressman is a U.S. Air Force Veteran and one of 82 Veterans currently serving in the U.S. House of Representatives. He reiterated his commitment to working in a bipartisan fashion on behalf of Garden State Veterans and their families. |
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 | State Medal Ceremony
The New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs held a State Medal Ceremony at the Woodbridge Center Mall in Woodbridge, NJ on February 21, 2025. View Images |
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 | Milo Hannah, Salem County VSO
Milo Hannah is the DMAVA Veterans Service Officer (VSO) for Salem County.
If you know anyone in need of assistance regarding Veteran’s benefits, please contact Milo or one of his colleagues by visiting our website at Veterans Service Offices. |
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 | Get Connected to Resources & Services |
The New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs has partnered with Unite Us to connect individuals and families to a wide variety of services and resources.
Unite Us is a coordinated care referral network of health and social service providers. Unite Us can connect our New Jersey military and veteran community to resources to obtain benefits, food assistance, housing, education, transportation, behavioral health services, peer support and more. |
| Learn More & Request Assistance |
Veteran Service Providers |
Do you provide services to Veterans? We would like to get you enrolled in this new online referral network, Unite NJ Veterans. This digital platform connects Veterans to the resources around them quickly. Learn more and enroll. |
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Office of Records and ArchivesDMAVA’s Administrative Services Division’s Office of Records and Archives is the office that receives military discharges from the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, Coast Guard, and occasionally, the Merchant Marines. This applies to both the Active Duty and their Reserves, to include the National Guard.
The DMAVA employees of the Records and Archives Office are some of the busiest people within the Department. They are responsible for the archiving, storage and issuance of copies of military records of all the State’s service members and Veterans.
For more information, visit our website at Request Military Records. |
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 | Tax season guidance for VeteransVA News | February 6, 2025
As tax season approaches, many Veterans begin gathering their necessary financial documents and consulting with tax professionals. VA wants Veterans to know they may qualify for special tax breaks and free assistance programs to help them navigate the filing process and maximize their returns.
Whether a Veteran files their taxes independently or uses a tax professional, VA encourages Veterans and their loved ones to review the following tips and resources to both help them navigate the tax season with confidence and to avoid tax season scams.
Learn More |
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Contact jaime.boyce@vnahg.org for more information |
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Armaments Center antiterrorism specialist leverages skills during deploymentEric Kowal | army.mil | February 27, 2025
PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. - James Siuzdak, recently returned stateside from a near year-long deployment with the New Jersey Army National Guard’s (NJARNG) 44th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT), the largest deployment of New Jersey Army National Guard Soldiers since 2008.
Attached to the IBCT’s 104th Brigade Engineer Battalion, Capt. Siuzdak was one of more than 1,500 NJARNG Soldiers who deployed on Jan. 26, 2024, in support of U.S. Central Command’s Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve. The Soldiers advised, assisted, and enabled partnered forces until they can independently defeat Islamic State of Iraq and Syria – ISIS – in designated areas of Iraq and Syria.
When he’s not performing his Guard duties, Siuzdak is an employee of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Armaments Center. Coming from a family with military service in its blood helped pave the way for Siuzdak to make the decision to also serve his country. With an uncle and grandfathers on both sides of the family being veterans - and having one older brother who previously served in the New York Police Department and another serving as a volunteer fireman - Siuzdak felt compelled to put on a military uniform.
Read Full Story |
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 | Area students learn about STEM careers at U.S. Army educational eventPicatinny Arsenal Public Affairs | March 3, 2025
PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. - Some 98 students from 17 area schools attended an event here on Feb. 20 designed to encourage teenagers to pursue technical careers needed to ensure our nation’s future military readiness with a technically proficient workforce.
The “Introduce a Teen to Engineering” gathering gave students an opportunity to meet and discuss STEM topics with some of the nation’s top engineers and scientists who are focused on designing and developing the next generation of U.S. Army armament systems.
Picatinny Arsenal is home to the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Armaments Center, one of the Army’s premier research and development facilities, employing thousands of workers in technical fields. Read Full Story |
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Colonel Christine HaycockIn 1952, COL Christine Haycock became the first woman officer to serve as a physician in the U.S. Army Medical Corps. Following the Korean War, she became the first woman to hold a major command in New Jersey, with responsibility for the Army’s 322nd General Hospital.
The image above is from her display case at the National Guard Militia Museum of New Jersey in Lawrenceville. |
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NJ Youth ChalleNGe Academy Class 30
U.S. Navy Admiral Mike Mullen, the 17th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, addressed graduates of the NJ Youth ChalleNGe Academy at their graduation in Trenton, NJ on August 29, 2009.
Admiral Mullen commended the cadets for enrolling in the rigorous 22-week National Guard program that uses discipline and community service to help at-risk youth turn their lives around and graduate from high school. |
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New Jersey Fallen Heroes Memorial | In Honor of all those from New Jersey who gave their lives in the fight against terrorism during Operation Enduring Freedom & Iraqi Freedom.
In humble gratitude, we remember their sacrifice. | Memorial Inscription"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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Charles Earnest Hosking Jr. |
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| March 9, 1968 |
Rutgers ROTC graduate 1st Lieutenant Jack Jacobs, advisor to a South Vietnamese infantry unit, helped save 14 American and Vietnamese soldiers under heavy enemy fire. Jacobs was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions that day. | March 12, 1822 |
Timothy Webster was born in Newhaven, England. Webster emigrated with his family to Princeton, New Jersey, at the age of eight and lived there until he became a Pinkerton agency detective in 1853. With the outbreak of the Civil War, he served as a Union spy but was discovered, tried, convicted and hanged in Richmond in 1862, the first American executed as a spy since Nathan Hale. |
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March 20, 1874 |
The Washington Association of New Jersey was formed to oversee the preservation and maintenance of the Ford Mansion, George Washington’s Morristown headquarters, recently purchased at auction by a group of prominent local citizens. | March 21, 1778 |
Loyalist raiders under Colonel John Simcoe massacred New Jersey militiamen, inadvertently killing a Loyalist judge in the process, in a night bayonet attack at Hancock’s Bridge. | March 21, 1967 |
Ramsey-born U.S. Army Master Sergeant Charles Ernest Hosking Jr. of the Fifth Special Forces Group was mortally wounded attempting to capture a Viet Cong sniper. The enemy soldier pulled the pin on a hand grenade, and Hosking grabbed him, taking the full force of the blast and saving his comrades. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism. Hosking is buried in Ridgewood. |
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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.
Subscribe to DMAVA Jobs Bulletin to stay updated on job openings.
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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. |
| Contact DMAVA |
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Please email us at outreach@dmava.nj.gov with feedback and comments regarding the newsletter. If you would like to contribute with an item of interest to our subscribers, please email us your proposal.
Visit the DMAVA archives to view previous editions of our newsletter. |
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nj.gov/military NJ Department of Military & Veterans Affairs 101 Eggerts 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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