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As you may know, June 12th is NJ Women Veterans Appreciation Day – a day intended to honor all of our fantastic female Veterans.

As part of the State of New Jersey’s initiative to honor New Jersey’s Women Veterans, we are pleased to share that the Department celebrated our amazing women through three separate events! On June 7th we held a State Medal Ceremony specifically honoring 12 of New Jersey’s Women Veterans at the American Legion Convention in Wildwood. On Monday, June 12th we held a Ceremony at the NJ State World War II Memorial in Trenton. And on June 17th we are excited about our Resource Fair being held at the East Orange Senior Center.

It is important to note and celebrate that this year, June 12th marked the 5th anniversary of Women Veterans Appreciation Day and it is currently recognized by 13 states including New Jersey. June 12th this year also commemorated the 75th anniversary of when President Harry S. Truman signed the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act – allowing women to serve as regular permanent members of the military.

Most historians will remind us that women have played vital roles in America's wars and conflicts well prior to 1948. Whether carrying water to heat-exhausted troops in the middle of battle, providing first aid to the wounded, retrieving the dead, or manning firing positions to ensure a constant barrage of fire on an advancing enemy. Time and again throughout the formation and evolution of our country, women have continued to show their resiliency. Women have been made vital contributions to every facet of our society.

So one might ask, if women were allowed fully into the military in 1948, why still have this separate day? Don’t all Veterans serve? They do. But in the 75 years since 1948, the story of women’s integration into the military remains ongoing and women have had to overcome barrier after barrier to serve our country in different capacities in the military. In 1948, women were acknowledged as essential to the war efforts, yet, a quota limited women to only two percent of each branch of service.

The conflicts in Korea and Vietnam opened doors wider for women to volunteer to serve, and they soon took on new roles in the military, including engineering and air traffic control. But women couldn’t attain the ranks of general or admiral until 1967. They weren’t allowed into service academies until the 1970s, they weren’t allowed to get pregnant and stay in the military until 1975, and women weren’t allowed to serve on Navy combat ships until the 1990s.

It wasn’t until 2013 that the wheels were put in motion to “remove all unnecessary gender-based barriers to service” so that women could serve in combat roles. In the last 10 years, more roles within the military have been opened to any and all qualified applicants, regardless of gender. Women are being offered more opportunities in the military and proving they are up to the challenge. Job after job, rank after rank, women started proving themselves in different roles throughout all branches of the military. Pay benefits for the same ranks and roles are now equal regardless of gender, and both maternity leave benefits, and paternity for that matter, have expanded significantly in the last several years.

These conditions did not just happen. Women and men had to fight for these opportunities and benefits. Many did not receive the benefits for which they made their sacrifices, for which they endured additional discrimination. They worked for the benefit of future generations. How many doors did they open? At personal costs and personal risk, they stood up for what was right repeatedly. I hope more women Veterans will share their stories. Not all women Veterans… I dare say most… wear a black hat with pins and patches. If you know a woman Veteran or meet one, please take a minute to say thank you.

On the occasion of Women Veterans Day, I hope we can reaffirm our commitment to support and uplift the Women Veterans. We must continue to advocate for policies that address the unique needs of Women Veterans and create a more equitable environment within our military and Veteran communities.

We would like to express our deepest gratitude to all of our women Veterans for your service. Thank you to your families, too, for supporting your service and our nation. Thank you for every time you stood up to make sure integrity and human dignity prevailed.

PFC Harry J. Hartmann

On June 10, 2023, a Military Funeral Honors team from the New Jersey Army National Guard performed military honors for U.S. Army Private First Class Harry J. Hartmann, Jr., 19, of Mays Landing, New Jersey. 

PFC Hartmann, who died as a prisoner of war during the Korean War, was accounted for on July 13, 2022 by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.

In the fall of 1950, Hartmann was a member of E Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. He was reported missing in action on Nov. 2 during fighting near Unsan, North Korea. Repatriated POWs reported he had been captured and held as a prisoner of war at Camp #5, Pyoktang, North Korea, where he died on or around March 31, 1951.
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JRTC 23-08

Nearly 3,000 New Jersey Army National Guard Soldiers will be assessed on their units' ability to conduct large-scale combat operations in a multi-domain setting against a near-peer opposing force at the Joint Readiness Training Center, Fort Polk, Louisiana, May 18-June 19, 2023. It is the organization’s largest training exercise in over a decade, with approximately 2,500 additional Soldiers from a dozen states and Puerto Rico also participating.

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Staff Sgt. Abraham Rodriguez, left, and Pfc. Brandon Ramos, right, pose for a group photo with Brig. Gen. Lisa J. Hou, The Adjutant General, New Jersey National Guard, during the NJNG's leadership visit to the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana, June 6, 2023.

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NJ Guard’s 3-112th FA hits a “grand slam” with Excalibur Projectile

SGT Bruce Daddis | 44th IBCT Public Affairs | May 27, 2023

The New Jersey Army National Guard’s 3rd Battalion, 112th Field Artillery Regiment made history at the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC), Fort Polk, Louisiana by becoming the first N.J. Guard unit to successfully fire the GPS-guided M982A1 Excalibur precision projectile.

The Precision Guided Munition (PGM) and Precision Guidance Kit (PGK fuze) live-fire utilized a towed 155 mm M777A2 Howitzer from Charlie Battery, 3rd Battalion, 112th Field Artillery Regiment. The M982A1 Excalibur round can double the range of a conventional high-explosive round fired by a 155mm Howitzer. The Excalibur is a GPS-guided round which can impact within approximately four meters of a target.

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Sabre Guardian Detainee Operations

SFC William Frye | 131st MPAD | May 29, 2023

The 508th Military Police, New Jersey Army National Guard, trained detainee operations alongside Romanian, Albanian, and Bulgarian partners during Saber Guardian in Slobozia, Romania on May 31, 2023.

Saber Guardian 23, a component of Defender Europe 23, is an exercise co-led by Romanian Land Forces and the U.S. Army at various locations in Romania to improve the integration of multinational combat forces by engaging in different events such as vehicle road marches, medical training exercises, and river crossings.

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Chemical Soldiers Conduct Annual Training in Albania

SFC Armando Vasquez | NJNG | June 4, 2023

Approximately 45 Soldiers from the 50th Chemical Co., 42nd Regional Support Group, New Jersey Army National Guard spent two weeks at Zall-Herr, Albania, to conduct annual training alongside soldiers from the Albanian Armed Forces and Kosovo Security Forces, May 16-26, 2023.

The “Dragons” provided chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear training, as well as mentorship and knowledge-sharing with AAF counterparts, with whom the NJNG has shared more than two decades of friendship through the Department of Defense State Partnership Program.

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CST Trains in Camden

New Jersey National Guard Soldiers and Airmen with the 21st Weapons of Mass Destruction-Civil Support Team (21st WMD-CST) participated in a simulated crime scene training exercise, Camden, New Jersey, June 6, 2023.

The 21st WMD-CST supports civil authorities at man-made or natural disasters by identifying chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear substances, as well as assess the consequences, and advises on response measures.

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Operation Scruffy Devil 

Airman Darian Boyd | 177th Fighter Wing | May 31, 2023

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, ALASKA - In May, the 177th Civil Engineer Squadron led a Prime Base Engineer Emergency Force (BEEF) training week at Camp Mad Bull on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER), including civil engineers from the 108th Wing, 111th Attack Wing, and 176th Wing from the New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Alaska Air National Guard, respectively.

Prime BEEF week sharpens an Airman's understanding of field condition scenarios such as bare base bed-down, base sustainment and emergency service support. The Scruffy Devil exercise earned its name through its nature as expeditionary training with engineers dealing with extreme weather conditions, field conditions and limited communications. The conditions for the training were selected to simulate a real-world deployment in an austere environment.

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