Photo caption: Passaic resident Sgt. 1st Class Minnie Hiller (second from right), assigned to Headquarters State Area Command, New Jersey Army National Guard, headquartered at Fort Dix, received the New Jersey Army National Guard Outstanding Family Readiness and Support Award from Governor James E. McGreevey (second from left), Commander-in-Chief of the New Jersey National Guard, Brig. Gen. Glenn K. Rieth (left), The Adjutant General of New Jersey, New Jersey State Command Sgt. Maj. Richard Adkins (center) and Linda Rieth, Family Programs Advisor to The Adjutant General and the spouse of Brig. Gen. Rieth, at the Annual Military Review held at the National Guard Training Center in Sea Girt, N.J., on Sept. 29.  Photo by Tech. Sgt. Mark Olsen, New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs Public Affairs.

SEA GIRT, NJ - According to Chief Warrant Officer 4 Ralph Cwieka, State Family Program Coordinator and Sgt. 1st Class Hiller’s supervisor: “Sgt. 1st Class Hiller is outstanding, she does most of the family program briefings to all the units throughout the state.  She goes above and beyond the call of duty even on her off hours.  She is there to help the families of Guardsmen no matter what time of the day.”  Sgt. 1st Class Hiller as worked in the family programs arena for close to ten years.  Before her assignment to the Family Programs Office at Headquarters State Area Command, she was in charge of Family Programs at the Division Support Command.  Prior to her Command assignment, she served in Family Programs for the 50th Main Support Battalion in Teaneck. 

Background on the Award: the annual National Guard Outstanding Family Readiness and Support Award is presented to one Army and one Air National Guard person or unit.  The award acknowledges the outstanding contributions of family members, groups or units who have provided exceptional support to Family Readiness. The criteria for nomination for this award includes significant outstanding contributions, as well as improving the quality of life for the unit or units, and providing exceptional support for Family Readiness.