MILITARY & VETERANS AFFAIRS NEWS RELEASE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT: COL John Dwyer, Public Affairs Officer  101 EGGERT CROSSING ROAD LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ 08648 609-530-6939
RELEASE: IMMEDIATE (26 April 2000)

A special award ceremony will be held on May 10, 2000, at 10:30 a.m. at the Lawrenceville Armory, 151 Eggert Crossing Road, Lawrenceville, N.J. Major General Paul J. Glazar, The Adjutant General for the State of New Jersey, will present the New Jersey Distinguished Service Medal, the state’s top military award, to 135 state residents who are combat veterans of World War II, Korea, Vietnam, or the Persian Gulf War.

In order to be eligible for the Distinguished Service Medal, recipients must currently be a resident of New Jersey and also have been a resident of the state at the time they entered into military service; have been honorably discharged; and, must have received at least the equivalent of the Air Medal, Purple Heart, or Bronze Star or proof of having served in combat while on active duty during wartime. Those recipients whose service was recognized by the award of the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Air Medal or equivalent medal will receive a NJ Distinguished Service Medal with an oak leaf cluster.

The NJ DSM was originally authorized in the 1870’s for those who had distinguished themselves in combat while serving in the Civil War. It was also issued to veterans of the Spanish American War but then was infrequently used until re-authorized by Governor Kean in 1988.

After the Mexican Border Expedition and again after World War I, the State of New Jersey minted special medals for returning NJ veterans to honor their service. After WWII, Korea, Vietnam and subsequent combat actions no such medal was available. The State of New Jersey was looking for an appropriate way to honor all of these returning combat veterans and acknowledge the debt the state owed them for their service. The NJ DSM was then authorized for that purpose. It is New Jersey’s highest military award.

Since its re-authorization in 1988, about 2700 medals have been awarded to combat veterans from New Jersey.

Anyone interested in applying for the New Jersey Distinguished Service Medal should send a written request together with copies of all pertinent information, e.g. DD 214 (discharge document), award citation, honorable discharge, etc. to:
 

NJDMAVA
ATTN: CIO-GS-PA
P.O. Box 340
Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0340

Be sure to include full name, home address and daytime telephone number.