CARSON CITY — 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 killing 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.
