A special awards ceremony will be held on January 14, at 11 a.m., at the VFW Post 1616, 1940 Black Horse Pike, Williamstown, N.J. Brig. Gen. Eugene Chojnacki, Assistant Adjutant General – Air, New Jersey National Guard, will present the New Jersey Distinguished Service Medal, the state’s top military award, to 69 Gloucester County residents who are combat veterans of World War I, World War II, Korea, Bay of Pigs, Vietnam, Lebanon Crisis, Persian Gulf and Bosnia.

An additional 37 county residents who are combat veterans will receive the New Jersey Meritorious Service Medal for their service in the military.

One medal will be given to retired Chief Warrant Officer Five Robert Wimberly, who will be receiving the award based on his National Guard service. Wimberly, who was the state’s first command chief warrant officer, served in the New Jersey Army National Guard for more than 40 years before retiring three years ago. Since that time he has been the chief of the Veterans Benefits Bureau of the N.J. Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. One of his duties has been to oversee the state’s military awards program.
The N.J. Distinguished Service Medal was originally issued in 1858 for those who distinguished themselves in the New Jersey Militia, but was used infrequently until re-authorized by Governor Kean in 1988.

After the Spanish American War, the Mexican Border Expedition and again after World War I, the State of New Jersey minted special medals for returning N.J. veterans to honor their service. After World War II, 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 N.J. DSM was then authorized for that purpose. It is New Jersey’s highest military award.

Since its re-authorization in 1988, more than 10,000 medals have been awarded to combat veterans from New Jersey.

In order to be eligible for the Distinguished Service Medal you must meet all the following criteria:
~ currently be a resident of New Jersey
~ have been a resident of New Jersey at the time you entered into military service
~ have been honorably discharged
~ have 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 N.J. Distinguished Service Medal with an oak leaf cluster.

The DSM can be awarded posthumously to the next-of-kin of a veteran who meets the criteria.
Anyone interested in applying for the New Jersey Distinguished Service Medal should send a written request, e-mail or telephone call, requesting an application form to the following–

Mail:
NJDMAVA
ATTN: Distinguished Service Medal
P.O. Box 340
Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0340

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

E-mail: robert.wimberly@njdmava.state.nj.us
Phone: 1-800-624-0508, Press 7.

The New Jersey Meritorious Service Medal is being awarded to those combat veterans who were not residents of New Jersey when they entered the military service, but who are current residents of New Jersey and have resided in the state for the previous five years. All other qualifications are the same as for the DSM. To apply for the MSM, send the application to the same address as the DSM.

NEW JERSEY DISTINGUISHED SERVICE MEDAL LIST OF RECIPIENTS

VFW Post 1616, Williamstown, N.J.

January 14, 2004

LEGEND: (WAR ) CW=Civil War, I=World War I, II=World War II, K=Korea, BP=Bay of Pigs, V=Vietnam, LC=Lebanon Crisis (1958), LPM=Lebanon Peacekeeping Mission (1982-1987), G=Grenada, P=Panama (Operation Just Cause), DSS=Desert Shield/Storm, S=Somalia (Operation Restore Hope), B=Bosnia (Operation Joint Forge), DOM=Dominican Republic, KSV=Kosovo (Operation Joint Endeavor/Joint Guard), H=Haiti (Operation Uphold Democracy), OEF=Afghanistan & Iraq (Operation Enduring Freedom), OIF=Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom), NCTS=No Combat Theater Service