Bill > SJR150

Introduced Session

This resolution recognizes the Orange Heart Medal in the State of New Jersey. Throughout the years, many citizens of the United States have risked their lives and left their loved ones behind to honorably safeguard the freedoms and liberties guaranteed to all Americans and to protect against those who threaten our way of life. More than eight million citizens of this country honorably served during the Vietnam War, during which time Agent Orange was widely used. Nearly 20 million gallons of Agent Orange were sprayed over the land from helicopters or low-flying aircraft, destroying vegetation and crops in order to deprive enemy guerrillas of food and cover for their activities and, in turn, exposing 2.6 million American soldiers to the herbicide and defoliant chemical. Agent Orange is a dioxin and cancer-causing chemical that enters the body through physical contact or ingestion and causes a number of serious illnesses to those exposed and has the potential to be passed down to children and grandchildren. Today, only about 800,000 Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange are alive, and approximately 390 deaths occur among them every day. While fallen soldiers are memorialized on The Wall at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., veterans who are victims of Agent Orange are not recognized as fatalities of the Vietnam War. In 2018, the Orange Heart Medal Project was founded as a privately funded 501(c)(3) organization to bring recognition for veterans who served in the Vietnam War and who were affected by exposure to Agent Orange. Applications for Orange Heart Medals have been received by this organization from across the United States, Australia, Thailand, and Puerto Rico, and approximately 4,000 Orange Heart Medals have been provided to veterans or their surviving spouses to date. Tennessee has passed legislation recognizing and honoring victims of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War, and there have been federal efforts to do the same. It is necessary for this State to recognize and honor the Orange Heart Medal and veterans who earn the medal, as they have made untold and innumerable sacrifices to preserve the liberties our nation enjoy today and that future generations will continue to cherish.

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Mike Testa (R)*, 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Military and Veterans' Affairs Committee (on 01/30/2025)

Official Document