Bill > S3681

Introduced Session

This bill requires that battlefield cross memorials in New Jersey that are currently erected and that will be erected in the future include replicas of a vertical rifle, a helmet, boots, and dog tags in their traditional memorial configuration. Historians have found that battlefield crosses date back to the Civil War. Soldiers who died in battle were buried in temporary cemeteries near the battlefield, with their graves being identified by wooden plaques. The configuration of the rifle pointed downward with a helmet on the stock was commonly seen during World Wars I and II, acting as a marker for the Graves Registration Service and as a memorial. Since the Gulf War in 1991, the latest configuration for the battlefield cross, which includes a vertical rifle, helmet, boots, and dog tags, has become a symbol of honor and respect for fallen soldiers as well as closure for the living. It is fitting and proper for New Jersey to require battlefield crosses in the State to incorporate the latest configuration as a way of continuing to honor and respect fallen soldiers.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Latham Tiver (R)*,  Carmen Amato (R), 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Military and Veterans' Affairs Committee (on 09/30/2024)

Official Document