ASSEMBLY MILITARY AND VETERANS' AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION No. 106

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  MARCH 23, 2023

      The Assembly Military and Veterans’ Affairs Committee reports favorably Senate Joint Resolution No. 106.

      This joint resolution designates April 14 of each year as “Military Child Appreciation Day” in New Jersey.

      Members of the American military serve honorably in defense of the United States and the shared values of this nation.  Such service is accompanied by many burdens which are shared by military families.  In 1986, Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger established the month of April as the “Month of the Military Child” to highlight the trials that military children endure from having a parent who serves in the Armed Forces, and the burdens they carry in support of our nation.

      Since 1986, the Department of Defense has commemorated April as the “Month of the Military Child,” and implemented various programs to aid military children and families.  There has also been an increasing number of awareness campaigns aimed at recognizing the needs of military families, and New Jersey has already recognized April as “Military Child Appreciation Month” and the final week of April as “Military Child Appreciation Week.”

      It is therefore fitting and proper for the State of New Jersey to further commemorate military children by designating April 14 of each year as “Military Child Appreciation Day” in New Jersey.