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Carson City
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New “Gold Star” license plates are now
available from the Nevada Department of
Motor Vehicles. The license plates allow
relatives of American soldiers killed in the
line of duty to honor their fallen family
member. To be eligible to receive the
special license plates, the licensee must be
a direct relative of a soldier killed in
the line of duty.
Governor Jim Gibbons personally gave the
first two Gold Star license plates to Roger
Varela and Sally Wiley at the DMV office in
Carson City.
Roger Varela, a Fernley resident and the
founder of the Gold Star Families of
Northern Nevada, was presented Gold Star
license plate 0001. Varela’s son Ray was
killed near Baghdad May 19, 2007 when his
vehicle was struck by an improvised
explosive device (IED).
Sally Wiley, a Gardnerville resident,
received Gold Star plate 0002. Wiley’s son
Sean was killed Feb. 15, 2009 near As Salam,
Iraq. His vehicle was also struck by an IED.
“Every Nevadan who receives one of these
license plates should feel proud to carry on
the honor of their fallen family member,”
Governor Gibbons said, “And every Nevadan
who sees these license plates should
remember the sacrifices made by the men and
women of the American Armed Services.”
The Gold Star plate, available statewide as
of Nov. 9, was authorized by the State
Legislature last session and signed into law
by Governor Gibbons last May. The Gold Star
license plate does not raise funds for any
organization. The cost for a set is $1 which
is the cost to produce the plate.
The Gold Star plates feature a single gold
star next to the letters “FV”, which stand
for Fallen Veteran. The Gold Star license
plates can be purchased only by close
relatives (parent, child, brother/sister,
grandparent, step-parent, and step-child) of
a member of the military killed in the line
of duty. |
