Governor to present first two gold star license plates

Gardnerville resident Sally Wiley will recieve the second gold star license plate issued in Nevada in a ceremony in Carson City 10 a.m. Monday.

Wiley's son Sean was killed Feb. 15 near As Salam, Iraq, when his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device.

Gov. Jim Gibbons will present the first two license plates to parents of two soldiers killed in action in Iraq. The presentation is at the Carson City Department of Motor Vehicles office, 555 Wright Way.

Roger Varela, a Fernley resident and the founder of the Gold Star Families of Northern Nevada, will be presented license plate 0001. Varela's son Ray was killed near Baghdad May 19, 2007 when his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device.

"The memory of those who fought and died for our safety and liberty must be remembered by all freedom-loving Nevadans," Gibbons said, "I hope family members who display these license plates do so with honor and pride."

The Gold Star plate, available statewide on Monday, was authorized by the Legislature last session and signed into law by Gibbons last May. Only immediate families and grandparents of service members killed in the line of duty while on active duty with the Armed Forces of the United States qualify for the plate.

Former State Sen. Joe Heck, a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, sponsored Senate Bill 139 that authorized the issuance of the Gold Star license plate. Sen. Dennis Nolan, R-Clark County, assumed sponsorship when Heck lost his re-election bid. The bill passed both houses without opposition.

"We recognize and honor the sacrifices made by service members killed in the line of duty," Heck said, "and the Gold Star plate recognizes the ongoing sacrifice family members suffer after losing a loved one. The license plate is a public way of recognizing and honoring their loss."

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 plate is coded "FV" which stands for "Fallen Veteran." Details and the application form are available on the DMV's Web site, www.dmvnv.com, under Military and Veterans License Plates.