War veterans employed in positions covered by any county or city public employee retirement system, established pursuant to chapter 160 of the laws of 1943, chapter 310 of the laws of 1948, chapter 218 of the laws of 1954, chapter 251 of the laws of 1954, or chapter 275 of the laws of 1964, but who are not members of any such pension fund, and who first became eligible for membership in the Public Employees' Retirement System of New Jersey pursuant to the provisions of chapter 71 of the laws of 1966, shall nevertheless be permitted to retire and be granted a pension under the provisions of article 1 of chapter 4 of Title 43 of the Revised Statutes, if they are otherwise eligible for benefits thereunder.
N.J.S. § 43:4-1.1