New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs

Dmva Highlights

DMVA Weekly Highlights
24 January 2003

Joint Chief of Staff, COL (Ret) Michael B. Smith

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42d DISCOM'S ANNUAL HAIL AND FAREWELL BENEFITS THE VETERANS AT THE PARAMUS HOME. On Saturday, 18 January 2003, 42d DISCOM held their Hail and Farewell at Fort Monmouth. In lieu of the traditional 50/50, $313 was raised for DISCOM's Veterans Home Partnership Program with the Veterans Home at Paramus. These funds will be donated to the Paramus Home during Valentine's week in February.

MEMBERS OF THE 1/150^TH GENERAL SUPPORT AVIATION BATTALION (GSAB) ARRIVED SAFELY IN PANAMA. The first eight soldiers of the 1/150^th GSAB arrived in Panama on 13 January 2003 to begin their five-month mission providing aviation support to Task Force Chiriqui during Operation New Horizons '03 humanitarian mission. Their equipment, including three shrink-wrapped UH-60 helicopters, arrived by sea from the Port of Philadelphia on 19 January 2003. During the next five months 59 soldiers will rotate through Panama to provide medical evacuation and air transport for the Task Force.

OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE SERVICES (OLS) AUDITORS ARRIVE AT DMVA. A team of auditors from OLS arrived at DMVA Headquarters on Wednesday, 22 January 2003. They are here on a routine State audit of Department records for Fiscal Year 2002 and FY 2003. They will be examining all State related financial records as well as program data and records. Program Managers will be interviewed on a random basis for programmatic information and data. The auditors will focus their emphasis and efforts within Fiscal Division operations. Our Department's point of contact for the audit is LTC Eric Anderson.

THE NJ DEPARTMENT OF MILITARY & VETERANS AFFAIRS TURNS 15. On Sunday, 21 January 1988, Governor Thomas Kean, along with MajGen Francis R. Gerard, The Adjutant General, signed the law merging the NJ Department of Defense and the NJ Department of Human Services' Division of Veterans Services. The department was originally known as the Department of Veterans Affairs and Defense, and subsequently became what is now the Department of Military & Veterans Affairs.

A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF ERRONEOUS "911" CALLS HAVE BEEN MADE BY DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEES originating from both Lawrenceville and Fort Dix where the caller has hung up the phone after the call was answered. These calls appear to have been made inadvertently, and the calls were terminated when the user realized the mistake. Local and post police must respond to these calls. Fort Dix and Lawrenceville are supported by a Private Branch Exchange (PBX) and only the phone number of the trunk line into the PBX is displayed at the local police station. The police cannot determine if there is an actual emergency, if it was accidental, or if it was intentional. Regardless of your facility location, in the event that a "911" call is placed - accidentally, inadvertently, or otherwise; stay on the line, state to the police operator that it was accidental, and only then terminate the call.

23-24 Jan	Antique Show	Morristown Armory
23-26 Jan	Tool Show	Lawrenceville Armory
25 Jan	Medieval Festival	Westfield Armory
28 Jan - 2 Feb	Tool Show	Mount Holly
16 Feb	Emcee Sports Cards & Comics Show	Bordentown Armory
23 Feb	NASCAR Collectibles Show	Bordentown Armory
28 Feb	Wrestling	Atlantic City Armory
4 Mar	Tool Show	Woodbridge Amory
21-23 Mar	Craft Show & Sale Home Design & Landscape Show	Morristown Armory Westfield Armory
23 Mar	Emcee Sports Cards & Comics Show	Bordentown Armory
30 Mar	NASCAR Collectibles Show	Bordentown Armory

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE, VIETNAM SERVICE, AND MERITORIOUS SERVICE MEDAL PRESENTATION CEREMONIES ARE SCHEDULED.

29 Jan - 1100 hrs	Vietnam Service Medal	Middlesex County College
4 Feb -- 1000 & 1300 hrs.	Distinguished Service/ Meritorious Service Medals	Toms River Elks Lodge
25 Feb - 1000 & 1300 hrs.	Distinguished Service Medals	Toms River Elks Lodge

"The man who complains about the way the ball bounces is likely the one who dropped it." -- Lou Holtz
"If a man watches three football games in a row, he should be declared legally dead." - Erma Bombeck.
"American football is an occasion at which dancing girls, bands, tactical huddles, and television commercial breaks are interrupted by short bursts of play." -- The London Times
"Show me a good loser, and I'll show you a loser." - Vince Lombardi
"Baseball players are smarter than football players. How often do you see a baseball team penalized for too many men on the field?" - Jim Bouton
"Sure, luck means a lot in football. Not having a good quarterback is bad luck." - Don Schula