SENATE MILITARY AND VETERANS' AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION No. 71

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  MAY 16, 2024

      The Senate Military and Veterans' Affairs Committee reports favorably Senate Joint Resolution No. 71.

This joint resolution designates the first full week of May of each year as Wounded Warrior Appreciation Week in New Jersey. 

     With advancements in battlefield medicine and body armor, an unprecedented percentage of military service members are surviving severe wounds and injures in the service of the United States.  It is estimated that during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, over 48,000 servicemen and women were physically injured.  In addition to the physical wounds, it is estimated that as many as 400,000 service members live with the invisible wounds of war including combat-related stress, major depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder, with another 320,000 believed to have experienced a traumatic brain injury while on deployment.

     This State should honor and empower all wounded warriors, encouraging them in their adjustment to civilian life and achievement of their goals.