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November 25, 2025 |  |
Ready To Serve ★ Proud To Have Served |
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 | Brig. Gen. Yvonne L. Mays addresses Soldiers and their families from New Jersey’s 350th Finance Detachment. |
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Service, Commitment, and Gratitude |
As we approach Thanksgiving, I am reminded of how often service, commitment, and gratitude show up in powerful ways across our formations and teams. These values are present in ways both seen and unseen, and they continue to shape the strength of our organization.
Last week, I had the privilege of joining Soldiers and their families from the 350th Finance Detachment at their Yellow Ribbon pre-deployment event. The energy in the room reflected exactly what service and commitment look like: families standing strong together, Soldiers preparing for the mission ahead, and a shared sense of gratitude for one another as they gear up for the next chapter. It was an honor to offer well-wishes and encouragement as they prepare to deploy.
That spirit of service, commitment, and gratitude extends across our entire DMAVA team.
This Thanksgiving, I’m grateful for all who step up and serve. From the several hundred New Jersey Soldiers and Airmen currently deployed supporting domestic and overseas missions to the families who remain committed to keeping everything steady on the home front.
I am equally grateful for our Garden State Veterans, whose legacy of service guides us, and for the dedicated DMAVA staff who ensure our service members, veterans, and families receive the support they have earned. Thank you for all you do and for the commitment you bring to our organization.
Be safe and have a very happy Thanksgiving! |
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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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Community Calendar |
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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Bringing Veterans HomeNovember 16-22, 2025 was Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, and New Jersey is taking significant strides to address these critical issues.
The NJ Department of Community Affairs is proud to announce that through coordinated efforts with the federal Department of Veterans Affairs, the NJ Department of Military & Veterans Affairs, and over 70 agencies and mission partners, the Bringing Veterans Home initiative has successfully housed and stabilized 1,426 at-risk and homeless Veterans.
This milestone is just the beginning. Together, we're committed to ensuring that every Veteran in NJ has a safe and stable home. Let's continue to support and uplift those who have served our nation.
Learn more at bvh.dca.nj.gov.
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42nd Regional Support GroupColonel David Hampton, Commander, 42nd Regional Support Group and Command Sergeant Major John Bowker conducted a sign reveal and ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Parkway Dining Facility at Erbil, Iraq on October 17, 2025.
The DFAC's logo was designed by Chief Warrant Officer 3 Sarah Zadoyko, Task Force Integrator BOS-I food advisor, to leave a legacy of New Jersey for years to come. |
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 | 350th Finance Detachment
Brig. Gen. Yvonne L. Mays spoke to Soldiers from New Jersey’s 350th Finance Detachment during a Yellow Ribbon pre-deployment event at the Bordentown Armory on November 16, 2025.
The event was held to help prepare Soldiers and their families for deployment overseas and ensure they receive information about resources and benefits they are entitled to.
The 350th Finance Detachment is deploying to the Middle East region later this year. View Images |
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 | NJ Army National Guard
On November 15, 2025, recruiters and drill sergeants with the New Jersey Army National Guard volunteered as judges for the Lenape Regional Army JROTC Competition, where schools from across the tristate area competed in events ranging from drill and uniform inspections to physical fitness and knowledge tests.
By volunteering for events like this, our recruiters demonstrate their presence as Citizen-Soldiers and highlight the vital role the National Guard plays at the local level. |
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Veterans and Military Family Appreciation Month November is Veterans and Military Family Appreciation Month. For the second year in a row, Commissioner-Designate of Veterans Affairs Vincent Solomeno is visiting each of New Jersey’s 21 counties to talk to Veterans and their families. Below are some of the highlights of his tour: |
Somerset County - Joined county, state, and federal leaders to cut the ribbon on the new state funded, county operated shuttle service to take Veterans from Lyons Train Station to Lyons VA. Middlesex County - Celebrated the Marine Corps’ 250th Birthday with the Marines of Veterans Memorial Home at Menlo Park. Mercer County - Stood with Governor Phil Murphy and other dignitaries at Drumthwacket to celebrate the military service of New Jerseyans. Monmouth County - Attended the State of New Jersey’s Veterans Day Observance at the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Museum. Salem County - Met with Together with Veterans of Salem County, an evidence-driven program dedicated to strengthening community ties and reducing Veteran suicide in rural areas. Their efforts are helping save lives and build stronger communities. Atlantic County - Visited Atlantic Cape Community College for the third annual Veteran Resource Fair and Mini-Stand Down in Atlantic City, where the spirit of service was on full display. Hunterdon County - Visited Veteran's Haven North in Glen Gardner, NJ. Today, New Jersey is doing more than ever for homeless and at-risk Veterans. Morris County - Celebrated our state’s Veterans with the students and faculty of Shongum Elementary School in Randolph, NJ at their annual Veterans Day event. Passaic County - Learned more about YWCA of Northern New Jersey’s Operation Sisterhood during a visit with their staff. Operation Sisterhood supports female Veterans through robust support services. Cape May County - Visited the team at our State of New Jersey Veterans Service Office at the National Guard Armory in Middle Township. Camden County - Joined Veterans at American Legion Tatem-Shield Post 17 for a conversation about local needs and priorities. Burlington County - Visited the Brigadier General William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery - the busiest state-run veterans cemetery in the United States. This sacred ground stands as a testament to service, sacrifice, and the families who carry that legacy forward. Sussex County - Met up with Veterans and community partners at the Sussex County DMAVA Veteran Service Office, housed in the Catholic Charities building, which also includes a community food pantry - an essential lifeline for local residents. - Learn about additional tour stops at DMAVA Facebook.
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America's Best Nursing Homes
New Jersey is proud to announce that the Paramus and Vineland Veterans Memorial Homes have both been named to Newsweek’s 2026 list of America’s Best Nursing Homes, a nationally respected and data-driven ranking that recognizes outstanding quality of care, safety, and service.
This prestigious distinction reflects the dedication of our staff and our unwavering commitment to ensuring that New Jersey veterans receive the dignity, comfort, and exceptional care they have earned through their service to our nation.
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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 |
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Veteran Homelessness | The mission of Bringing Veterans Home (BVH) is to effectively end veteran homelessness in New Jersey by enhancing existing systems, creating rapid access to housing, and ensuring homelessness becomes rare, brief and non-recurring.
BVH creates a clear path to stable housing for veterans experiencing homelessness through a coordinated network of services and support. |
| Learn More / Refer a Veteran |
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Military Retirement SeminarThe New Jersey National Guard Transition/Retirement Services Office held a retirement seminar on November 15, 2025 at the Joint Military & Family Assistance Center in Bordentown.
New Jersey National Guard Servicemembers, retirees, and spouses can register for the next retirement seminar in December at retirement.njarmyguard.com. |
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 | Fiscal Management
DMAVA Grants Manager Victoria Dearden was invited to participate in a panel, “From Idea to Funding: A Comprehensive Discussion on Grant Writing,” at the annual New Jersey League of Municipalities Conference in Atlantic City.
During her tenure, Dearden has led a team that secured over $15 million to enhance support for Garden State Service Members, Veterans, and families.
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Trump EO reinstates GI Bill benefits to Veterans discharged for refusing COVID vaccine VA News | November 17, 2025
Potentially thousands of Veterans who were discharged from service by the Biden Administration for refusing the COVID vaccine may regain eligibility for GI Bill education benefits.
Learn More | VA houses largest number of homeless Veterans in seven years
VA News | November 18, 2025 VA permanently housed 51,936 homeless Veterans across the country in fiscal year 2025.
Learn More |
VA reduces backlog of Veterans waiting for VA benefits by 57% VA News | November 18, 2025 Backlog of Veterans waiting for VA compensation and pension benefits has dropped by more than 57% since the start of the second Trump Administration.
Learn More |
VA extends caregiver support program eligibility for “legacy” Veterans, caregivers VA News | November 20, 2025 VA extends Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers eligibility for certain Veterans and their family caregivers through Sept. 30, 2028.
Learn More | Ready for December 17th eBenefits transition?
On December 17th, eBenefits will fully transition to VA.gov, where you will be able to access all applications, tools, and features. If you do not already have an account, the VA encourages you to create a VA.gov account and become familiar with the platform.
Create VA.gov Account |
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 | 2025 Freedom Brigade Ranger Challenge
Cadets with the Army ROTC programs at universities across the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions conducted the Freedom Brigade Ranger Challenge at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, NJ on November 14-15, 2025.
The Brigade Ranger Challenge is a rigorous competition for ROTC Corps across the country. The cadets who compete in this competition train rigorously in order to best represent their school.
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Oath of Enlistment Recruits from all six branches of the U.S. military recited the Oath of Enlistment during the Jets vs. Browns Salute to Service football game at MetLife Stadium in Rutherford, NJ on November 9, 2025.
The joint enlistment ceremony highlights the connection between the military and the communities service members swear to defend. View Images |
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 | National Guard State Family Readiness Council
In partnership with Trane the National Guard State Family Readiness Council replaced a failed HVAC system for a deployed Airman's family.
The family with no heat or air conditioning and small children in the house needed help. Trane donated all the equipment and the council paid $5,000 to help pay for the install.
Another great job by Trane. |
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Burlington County Honors Local Veterans, Family Members During Annual Medal CeremonyTAPinto Bordentown Staff | November 18, 2025
WESTAMPTON, NJ - The Burlington County Commissioners honored the service of dozens of veterans and their family members Thursday during the annual Burlington County Military Service Medal Ceremony.
Thirty-nine veterans from various eras received Burlington County Military Service Medals during the ceremony, along with the families of 11 deceased veterans who received medals posthumously.
Among the recipients was the family of the late Marine Corporal Edward Lipinksy from Delran.
Corporal Lipinsky served with the Marines during World War II and was severely wounded during the Battle of Iwo Jima in 1945. He spent more than two years recovering from his wounds before returning home. He returned to Delran to raise a family and later become mayor of the town. He passed away in 1993 at age 67 and is laid to rest at Brigadier General William C. Doyle Cemetery in North Hanover.
Read Full Story |
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SGT Bethanie KeirOn November 5, 2025, Sergeant Bethanie Keir represented the New Jersey National Guard at the Pioneer Academy's 25th Anniversary Gala, attended by educators and local officials.
Building relationships with schools and community leaders is essential to the success of recruiters like SGT Keir. We’re proud to highlight those who live in and serve their communities. |
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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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Air Force Ace Donald Strait with Governor Driscoll. |
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November 27, 1777 |
New Jersey Militia General Philemon Dickinson led a force of 1,400 militiamen on a massive raid on Staten Island and captured 200 men of the Loyalist New Jersey Volunteers, most of them recently recruited in Bergen County. | November 30, 1776 |
British General William Howe, then in the process of driving the remnants of General George Washington’s American Army out of New Jersey, optimistically advised Lord George Germain, Secretary of State for America, that he intended to decisively crush the rebellion in America in the forthcoming year. Needless to say, that prediction, as with many in war, did not work out. |
November 30, 1967 |  |
Captain Eleanor Grace Alexander, a US Army nurse from River Vale, was killed in an aircraft crash near Qui Nhon while returning from a mission to Pleiku. She was the only New Jersey woman to die in the Vietnam War. |
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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 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. |
December 6, 1886 | Alfred Joyce Kilmer, journalist, poet and World War I soldier, was born in New Brunswick. Kilmer was killed in action on July 30, 1918 while serving as a sergeant in the 165th Infantry regiment. |
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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
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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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