Dear Governor Whitman,

It is my pleasure to forward this report which highlights the critical role the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs plays in our great state. Whether the soldiers and airmen of the New Jersey National Guard, the teachers, cadets and instructors at the Challenge Program, the Veterans Service Officers, or the dedicated staffs of our veterans homes, all have provided untiring service and support to our citizens, communities, state, and nation. With your support, and that of the citizens of New Jersey, the Department will continue to be ready to serve, and will always be there when you need us.

1999 saw great things happen: We facilitated the return of our namesake, the Battleship USS New Jersey; Over 1100 Guard soldiers and airmen were called to assist their friends and neighbors deal with Tropical Storm Floyd and its consequences; We assisted in making Fort Dix a home for 6000 Kosovar refugees and handling the donations from a generous New Jersey population; We reactivated the dormant NJ Naval Militia to assist with emergency management during times of crisis; we also activated two of our Guard units in support of military operations – the 444th Public Affairs Detachment to support Bosnia operations and the 108th Air Refueling Wing for the Air War over Yugoslavia. Guard soldiers and airmen also deployed to over 17 countries worldwide, and twenty-seven bases within the United States in support of other military operations.

In 1999 we broke ground for the total reconstruction of the Menlo Park Veterans Memorial Home and completed planning for the New Jersey Korean War Memorial in Atlantic City. New Jersey Distinguished Service Medals were presented to over 1100 combat veterans from the Garden State as we keep our promise to those who gave so much in defense of state and nation.

Our veterans cemetery, the third busiest facility in New Jersey and the largest state veterans cemetery in the United States just dedicated a new Memorial section where veterans organizations and military associations can erect memorials to those who served honorably.

The Department is providing service to the youth of New Jersey as well: Through the Challenge Program at Fort Dix; through our after school programs in the Jersey City Armory; through the hundreds of drug demand reduction programs given in schools each year; and through renewed efforts to stem the flow of illegal drugs and guns into New Jersey.

The Department remains committed to seving community and counrty every day, and helping to make New Jersey a better place to live, work, and raise a family.

Paul J. Glazar
Major General
The Adjutant General