99th READINESS DIVISION

Sgt. 1st Class Nichole Hill, security manager for the U.S. Army Reserve’s 99th Readiness Division, was inducted into the South Jersey Track and Field Hall of Fame this past spring for her many achievements at Oakcrest High School in Mays Landing, New Jersey. Hill, a Newark native, is a schoolteacher in her full-time civilian job. (U.S. Army photo by Mr. Sal Ottaviano, 99th RD Public Affairs)

Sgt. Emily Newsome, who serves in the U.S. Army Reserve’s 198th Army Band, takes part in the Field Leadership Reaction Course during the division-level Best Squad Competition held this past March in California. The BSC tests squad members on the depth of their military knowledge, their physical fitness, proficiency in military skills, and leadership in both individual and team scenarios. (U.S. Army photo by Mr. Shawn Morris, 99th RD Public Affairs)

Maj. Gen. Kris A. Belanger, commanding general of the U.S. Army Reserve’s 99th Readiness Division, served as guest speaker for the U.S. Army’s 249th birthday celebration June 14 in Times Square in New York City. Joining Belanger as guest speakers were James Hendon, commissioner of the New York City Department of Veterans’ Services, and Lt. Col. John “Rocky” Rhodes, commander of the NYC Recruiting Battalion. The event was highlighted by Belanger administering the Oath of Enlistment to new Army recruits and presenting a U.S. Army Minuteman scholarship along with Ronald “Ron” Shindel, Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army for New York. (U.S. Army photo by Mr. Shawn Morris, 99th RD Public Affairs)

The U.S. Army Reserve’s 99th Readiness Division and Military Intelligence Readiness Command hosted a ceremony on Fort Belvoir April 23 to memorialize the Army Reserve Center here on Kingman Road in the name of Staff Sgt. Richard S. Eaton Jr., who served as a counterintelligence agent within the MIRC. He died of heat-related injuries Aug. 12, 2003, following a protracted firefight in Al-Hit, Iraq. Serving as the event's official party were: Maj. Gen. Deborah Kotulich, Deputy Chief of Army Reserve; Brig. Gen. Melissa Adamski, MIRC commanding general; Brig. Gen. Daniel Hershkowitz, 99th RD deputy commanding general; and Sharon Noble Eaton, Staff Sgt. Eaton’s mother. (U.S. Army photo by Mr. Salvatore Ottaviano, 99th RD Public Affairs)

Retired Army Col. and Maryland Army Reserve Ambassador Edna W. Cummings stands with friends and colleagues, to include Maj. Gen. Kris A. Belanger, commanding general of the U.S. Army Reserve’s 99th Readiness Division (second from right), during the 122nd birthday celebration of the Army War College held at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, Nov. 15, 2023.

The U.S. Army Reserve’s 99th Readiness Division celebrated Earth Day at division headquarters on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, April 25 during Bring Your Child to Work Day. The central activity of the day took place when the children of 99th RD Soldiers and civilian employees planted two pollinator gardens. Staff and parents supervised the kids as they planted a variety of flowers in two garden beds built in front of the facility by the 99th RD Directorate of Public Works. (U.S. Army photo by Mr. Salvatore Ottaviano, 99th RD Public Affairs)

The U.S. Army Reserve’s 99th Readiness Division hosted its annual Holocaust Remembrance and Liberation Observation May 7 at division headquarters on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey. The Department of Defense theme of this year’s observance of the Days of Remembrance is, “Behind Every Name a Story: The Courageous.” (U.S. Army photo by Mr. Salvatore Ottaviano, 99th RD Public Affairs)

Maj. Gen. Kris A. Belanger, commanding general of the U.S. Army Reserve’s 99th Readiness Division, took part in the 248th anniversary reenactment of the Battle of Princeton Jan. 5 at Princeton Battlefield State Park in Princeton, New Jersey. (U.S. Army photo by Mr. Shawn H. Morris, 99th RD Public Affairs)

Soldiers and civilian employees of the U.S. Army Reserve’s 99th Readiness Division gather for a Battle of the Bulge 80th anniversary commemoration Jan. 10 at division headquarters on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey. Also known as the Ardennes Offensive, this battle was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The event was hosted by Stephen Harlan, 99th RD command historian. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Deziree Lau, 99th RD Public Affairs)

U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Kris Belanger, 99th Readiness Division commanding general, tours Fort Dix in a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., Nov. 20, 2023. JB MDL conducted a tour on Fort Dix to demonstrate the base’s readiness to rapidly train and respond to new threats globally. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Aidan Thompson)

Maj. Gen. Kris A. Belanger, commanding general of the U.S. Army Reserve’s 99th Readiness Division, served as keynote speaker and panelist during The Manufacturing Institute’s annual Workforce Summit Oct. 17 at the Grand Hyatt in Atlanta, Georgia. Belanger shared details about efforts the Army Reserve is making to connect Soldiers with careers in varied fields, to include manufacturing, through its Private Public Partnership Office, which collaborates with organizations that can assist Soldiers with civilian employment opportunities. (U.S. Army photo by Mr. Shawn Morris, 99th RD Public Affairs)

Maj. Gen. Kris A. Belanger (pictured) assumed command of the U.S. Army Reserve’s 99th Readiness Division from Maj. Gen. Rodney L. Faulk during a change-of-command ceremony Aug. 11 at division headquarters on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey. Belanger, a New Jersey native of Wantage Township in Sussex County, is now responsible for providing logistic and administrative support for nearly 45,000 Army Reserve Soldiers living and serving throughout the Northeastern United States. (U.S. Army photo by Mr. Shawn Morris, 99th RD Public Affairs)

The U.S. Army Reserve’s 99th Readiness Division is forging ahead with its new National Incident Management System’s Incident Command System courses. The 99th RD’s mission was to work as the lead agency in developing the Incident Command Training Program for the Army Reserve. After some pilot courses and forming a training system, the first official USAR courses will take place in January 2023. (U.S. Army photo by Mr. Shawn Morris, 99th RD Public Affairs)

Mr. Stephen Harlan, 99th Readiness Division command historian, continued the division’s Staff Ride Program this past fall as its Soldiers and civilian employees learned lessons from the history of lower Manhattan. The intent of the Staff Ride Program is to give participants a greater appreciation for, and provide historical context to, their potential role in responding to natural and manmade disasters. (U.S. Army photo by Mr. Sal Ottaviano, 99th RD Public Affairs)

Army Reserve Soldiers stationed in New York lent a hand to honor a long-missing casualty of World War II Nov. 19 at St. John Catholic Cemetery in Queens, New York. First Lt. John Joseph Heffernan Jr. served in the 490th Bombardment Squadron with the U.S. Army Air Corps. On Feb. 22, 1944, at age 24, he and six crewmates were lost when their B25G bomber caught fire and crashed into a field in Burma. From January to March 2019, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency conducted a recovery mission at the crash site of Heffernan’s bomber in Burma, now known as Myanmar. On Nov. 2, 2021, the DPAA positively identified Heffernan’s remains through DNA technology, from among those recovered. (U.S. Army photo by Mr. Sal Ottaviano, 99th Readiness Division Public Affairs)

Capt. Jared Shoemaker, Defense Support of Civil Authorities planner for the Army Reserve's 99th Readiness Division (left), briefs Mr. Jose Flores and Sgt. 1st Class Juan Figueroa of the 99th RD G3 during the division's staff exercise May 13 at division headquarters on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey. The exercise was designed to establish and validate 99th RD actions in preparation for, and response to, a natural or man-made disaster. (U.S. Army photo by Mr. Shawn Morris, 99th RD Public Affairs)