Fifty Vets to Receive Jersey’s Highest Service Medal July 18

WILDWOOD — On July 18 at the Wildwood Convention Center, East Hall, 4501 Boardwalk, 50 Cape May and Atlantic county residents will receive the New Jersey Distinguished Service Medal for military service.
The medals will be presented by Brig. Gen (ret.) Frank Carlini, director of veterans health service, N.J. Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.
The award, issued in 1858 for those who distinguished themselves in the New Jersey Milita, was used infrequently until re-authorized by Gov. Tom Kean in 1988.
The medal was authorized as an appropriate way to honor all returning combat veterans and acknowedge the debt of the state owed them for that service.
The medal is the state’s highest military award. Since it was re-authorized, more than 30,000 medals have been awarded to combat veterans from New Jersey.
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General Information
Eligibility: Veterans of the Armed Forces of the United States who served in time of war or national emergency and meet the following criteria may apply for award of the New Jersey Distinguished Service Medal:
Criteria:
– Current Resident of New Jersey
– Resident of New Jersey upon entry on active duty
– Received a honorable discharge
– Served in a combat theater or were officially listed as a prisoner of war or missing in action by the U.S. Department of Defense
Application: Individuals applying for the award must forward a request in writing along with a copy of WD Form 53 or DD Form 214 ( Separation from Active Duty) attesting to the fact that an Honorable Discharge was granted and you were a resident of New Jersey at the time of entry on active duty. Proof of service in a combat theater, POW, or MIA status is also required
Eligibility: Siblings (i.e.: husband, wife, son, daughter, mother, father, brother, or sister) of a Deceased Veteran of the Armed Forces of the United States who served in time of war or national emergency and met the following criteria may apply for posthumous award of the New Jersey Distinguished Service Medal:
Criteria:
– Veteran must have resided in the State of New Jersey
– Service member must have been a resident of New Jersey upon entry on active duty
– Service member must have received a honorable discharge
– Service member must have served in a combat theater or have been officially listed as a prisoner of war or missing in action by the U.S. Department of Defense
Application: Individuals applying for the posthumous award of the New Jersey Distinguished Service Medal must forward a request in writing along with a copy of service members WD Form 53 or DD Form 214 ( Separation from Active Duty) attesting to the fact that an Honorable Discharge was granted and that the service member was a resident of New Jersey at the time of entry on active duty. In addition, your request must include a copy of the veteran’s death certificate and proof of relationship as father, mother, husband, wife, son, daughter, brother or sister. This proof may be copies of birth, marriage, baptismal certificates which clearly show relationship, or a notorized certificate
Note: In order to be eligible for the award of the New Jersey Distinguished Service Medal with Silver Oak Leaf Cluster, in addition to the requirements detailed above a service member must have received a military award of not less than the Air Medal.