A renewed call to create special license plates to honor veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars remains alive under Senate Bill 2731, which was carried over from last legislative session.
State Sen. Chris Lee (D, Kailua-Waimanalo-Hawaii Kai) — who introduced the bill — said service men and women who served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars should be honored along with veterans who fought in previous wars, adding them to the nine “Military Service Specialty License Plates” that are already available to Hawaii drivers.
Currently, military license plates honor Purple Heart recipients, veterans, Pearl Harbor survivors, former prisoners or war, combat veterans, Vietnam War veterans, Korean War veterans, World War II veterans, Persian Gulf veterans and Gold Star family members.
Marcellus Gilmer, 35, served four years in the
Marines, including one tour in Iraq and two tours in
Afghanistan.
“We’ve already got the Purple Heart and combat veterans and Persian Gulf,” he told the Honolulu Star-
Advertiser. “So it makes sense to add these two that are a part of history.”
Gilmer supports SB 2731 because “it’s a good way to show appreciation for veterans and give them a way to show other people that they served.”
Lee said he reintroduced the bill this year to provide Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans with “the same ability to obtain a license plate that recognizes their service and commitment, similar to those who served in previous wars.”
Retired Army Lt. Col. Lawrence Basha served a year
in Iraq in 2007 and again
in 2010 and suffers from post-traumatic stress
disorder.
“The experience was extremely traumatic,” Basha told the Star-Advertiser. “I still have PTSD from my time.”
Basha, 60, lives in Kailua and submitted written testimony in support of SB 2731.
He wrote to legislators that license plates honoring Iraq and Afghanistan veterans represents “a little thing, but a symbol which carries a lot of meaning with it for our veterans, and helps keep alive the memories of those who sacrificed some or all for our country.”
He appreciates efforts by the Legislature to honor veterans who “gave it their all or have suffered deeply from that
conflict.”
Basha compared special
license plates for war veterans to college alumni who want to honor their alma maters on their license plate frames.
“It’s a way for people to see themselves, it’s a part of their character, it’s an expression of self,” he told the Star-Advertiser.
Military service specialty license plates cost the City and County of Honolulu $7.49 per pair to produce.
Bill Powers, a spokesperson for Honolulu’s Department of Customer Services, said the Iraq and Afghanistan veteran license plates would cost the same as other military service plates: a one-time fee of $5.50 for both the plate and emblem with no recurring cost.
Michael Golojuch Sr., now 80, served in the Air Force for 23 years and proudly drives around with a “veteran” license plate after retiring before the first Gulf War.
“I was extremely happy to get a veteran license plate,” Golojuch told the Star-Advertiser. “It lets others know I served and was proud to have been part of America’s defense team.”
He also said that having the label of “veteran” also lets other veterans know that they can “always come talk to me.”
It’s important to Golojuch to honor younger veterans who served in Iraq and
Afghanistan to have their service recognized.
While some veterans likely choose not to honor their services on their license plates, Gilmer said that he would like to see Hawaii recognize veterans in other ways such as designated veteran parking stalls, reduced fees and other military discounts.
To qualify for an Iraq or Afghanistan special license plate, under SB 2731, veterans would have to be certified by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the Hawaii Office of Veterans’ Services that they served.
