Current DMVA Highlights

1. THE DMVA 2002 COAT DRIVE WAS A HUGE SUCCESS!
   
   
2. THE NEW JERSEY AIR NATIONAL GUARD (NJANG) HOSTS A HOLIDAY PARTY FOR VETERANS.
   
   
3. NEW STATE DIVISION DIRECTORS CHOSEN.
   
   
4. CASTING CALL!! IT'S NOT HOLLYWOOD CALLING; IT'S THE ARMY CALLING ARMY NATIONAL GUARD (ARNG) SOLDIERS TO AUDITION FOR THE 2003 UNITED STATES ARMY SOLDIER SHOW. 
   
   
5. THE RETIRED OFFICERS ASSOCIATION (TROA) ANNOUNCES A SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM TO BENEFIT STUDENT APPLICANTS AMONG THE DEPENDENT CHILDREN OF THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL GUARD.
   
   
6. 108^TH AIR REFUELING WING IS COLLECTING TEDDY BEARS FOR "OPERATION TEDDY BEAR." 
   
   
7. COAST GUARD SERVES UP A HOLIDAY MEAL TO VETERANS HAVEN RESIDENTS.
   
   
8. THE THRIFT SAVINGS PLAN'S OPEN SEASON FOR THE AIR FORCE'S CIVILIAN AND MILITARY EMPLOYEES ENDS 31 DECEMBER 2002. 
   
   
9. THE 108^TH AIR REFUELING WING WELCOMES COLONEL TIM CARROLL AS ITS LOGISTICS GROUP COMMANDER.
   
   
10. NEW JERSEY VIETNAM AND DISTINGUISHED SERVICE MEDALS WILL BE PRESENTED AT CEREMONIES THROUGHOUT THE STATE.
    
    
11. WILL YOUR HOLIDAY PLANT SICKEN A CHILD OR PET? HOW SAFE ARE HOLIDAY PLANTS AND GREENERY?
    
    
12. THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY...

1. THE DMVA 2002 COAT DRIVE WAS A HUGE SUCCESS! We collected a grand total of 110 coats, 54 men's, 50 woman's, and 6 children's. The coats will go to residents of DMVA's Veterans' Transitional Housing Program at the Veteran Haven facility and to the Vietnam Veterans of America for distribution to needy Veterans. Thank you to all the DMAVA employees who donated a coat this year to help keep a Veteran warm.
   
   
2. THE NEW JERSEY AIR NATIONAL GUARD (NJANG) HOSTS A HOLIDAY PARTY FOR VETERANS. Over 40 members of the NJANG joined Veterans and the staff at the Vineland Veterans Memorial Home for an afternoon of holiday cheer. Visiting those who served before us was a time of reflection, friendship and gift giving. Mrs. Linda Dunn, wife of the 177^th's SMSgt Thomas Dunn, brought her fourth grade class and paired them with NJANG members for caroling and visits throughout the Home.
   
   
3. NEW STATE DIVISION DIRECTORS CHOSEN. Congratulations to LTC Wayne R. Hunt Sr. and Lt Col (Ret) Edward R. Sain for having been selected to replace the retiring James Brey and COL William Bertsch. LTC Hunt will be the Department's Chief Financial Officer and Director of the Fiscal Division. Lt Col (Ret) Sain will become the Installations Division Director. The effective date of the change is 1 July 2003.
   
   
4. CASTING CALL!! IT'S NOT HOLLYWOOD CALLING; IT'S THE ARMY CALLING ARMY NATIONAL GUARD (ARNG) SOLDIERS TO AUDITION FOR THE 2003 UNITED STATES ARMY SOLDIER SHOW. Applications are being accepted for singers, dancers, specialty acts, and technicians. The US Army Soldier Show is an Army morale, welfare, and recreation activity produced by the Army Entertainment program housed at Fort Belvoir, VA. The show is a highly integrated, high-energy ensemble offering a range of popular music and stage spectacle. Performers should be versatile in their musical style and experience. Selecting officials examine applicant's military records as carefully as they review the artistic resume. ARNG Soldiers must be fully deployable and ready to perform in all kinds of environments. In addition to performing, cast and crew act as their own "Roadies" by setting up and dismantling 32,000 pounds of stage equipment for each performance during their 180 day road tour. Interested soldiers should contact SFC Darrell Stokke (703) 607-3574 NGB-ASM-A for further information.
   
   
5. THE RETIRED OFFICERS ASSOCIATION (TROA) ANNOUNCES A SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM TO BENEFIT STUDENT APPLICANTS AMONG THE DEPENDENT CHILDREN OF THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL GUARD. "Base/Post Scholarship" is a TROA program to honor 100 college-bound or current undergraduate students with individual $1000 scholarship grants for the 2003-2004 school year. This year students will be selected by a random drawing. TROA membership is not required and there are no need-based criteria, no GPA minimum, no essays, and no fees. Students need only to complete the on-line application located on TROA's website: http://www.troa.org by noon, March 1, 2003.
   
   
6. 108^TH AIR REFUELING WING IS COLLECTING TEDDY BEARS FOR "OPERATION TEDDY BEAR." The toys that are collected are given to the children of deployed unit members. Please contact Operation Teddy Bear Coordinator, A1C Elizabeth Mozzo at 609-754-3109, or the 108^th Family Readiness Coordinator, Tiffany Colby at 609-754-4479, to donate stuffed animals, dolls, and toys. Brighten a child's day and give him or her something soft to hug until Mom or Dad returns home.
   
   
7. COAST GUARD SERVES UP A HOLIDAY MEAL TO VETERANS HAVEN RESIDENTS. On Wednesday evening, 11 December 2002, the residents and staff of Veterans Haven rang in the holiday season. A traditional feast was prepared for the residents by the staff and served by a Coast Guard contingent from Fort Dix. The Coast Guard's participation was a first this year, and demonstrates the continued support that our Veterans Haven residents are receiving from the local community.
   
   
8. THE THRIFT SAVINGS PLAN'S OPEN SEASON FOR THE AIR FORCE'S CIVILIAN AND MILITARY EMPLOYEES ENDS 31 DECEMBER 2002. With the holiday season rapidly approaching, employees should be reminded that Open Season dates have changed. Changes made after December 1 will become effective the beginning of the following pay period for civilians and the following month for military personnel. Specific information for civilian employees is available from the Thrift Savings website at http://www.tsp.gov or the BEST homepage at http://www.afpc.randolph.af.mil/dpc/BEST/menu.htm Air Force military personnel can obtain information at http://www.afpc.randolph.af.mil/mpf/TSP/thrift_savings_plan.htm 
   
   
9. THE 108^TH AIR REFUELING WING WELCOMES COLONEL TIM CARROLL AS ITS LOGISTICS GROUP COMMANDER. Colonel Tim Carroll has returned to New Jersey from his position as a National Guard Bureau STAT Tour Officer, the Air National Guard's Director of Logistics.
   
   
10. NEW JERSEY VIETNAM AND DISTINGUISHED SERVICE MEDALS WILL BE PRESENTED AT CEREMONIES THROUGHOUT THE STATE. Listed below is the schedule for upcoming award ceremonies. You're invited to join the State of New Jersey and the Department of Military & Veterans Affairs as we honor our veterans. 
    
    

18 Dec 02

11:00 a.m.

Distinguished Service Medal

Westfield Armory

11. YOUR HOLIDAY PLANT SICKEN A CHILD OR PET? HOW SAFE ARE HOLIDAY PLANTS AND GREENERY? "Toxic" covers a lot of ground. Eating a toxic plant could cause anything from a mild upset stomach to a major problem. The poinsettia, that icon of Christmas, is not considered toxic in small amounts - although nibbling on it might make your dog or cat throw up. Cyclamen falls into the toxic category because it can cause gastric upset if ingested. The same is true of amaryllis. But Christmas cactus is not toxic to humans, and begonias are more likely to be just an irritant to the mouth. Holly berries and leaves - ingesting large amounts of the berries can be serious, and the leaves with sharp spines could become a choking hazard. Mistletoe is toxic. The berries can cause stomach upset. Christmas trees aren't poisonous, but the needles are sharp and could get lodged in the throat of a toddler. Pinecones are generally harmless. Pets are a different matter - chocolate is the top troublemaker for dogs at this time of year. Teach children not to put plants, seeds, berries and such into their mouths and take a few practical precautions: When you buy a seasonal plant, keep the tag bearing its specific name with the pot so you can identify the plant in an emergency; keep one bottle of Syrup of Ipecac on hand for every child under the age of 5 in the house; and keep the following numbers handy:


Poison Control Center 1-800-222-1222

ASPCA's National Animal Poison Control Center 1-888-426-4435 (there may be a $45 fee)



12. THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY.

• "So few people think. When we find one who really does, we call him a genius." Unknown
• "It is never too late to be what you might have been." - George Eliot
• "Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortune; great minds rise above them." -- Washington Irving
• "Christmas is not a date. It is a state of mind." -- Mary Ellen Chase