RICHMOND, Va. -- With the deadline approaching, organizers behind an effort to create a commemorative license plate to honor women veterans in Virginia are asking for more people to sign up.
"This is a great way to be able to show our women veterans that we see them, they are not invisible. We are here and we are here to support you," said Virginia Women Veterans Program Manager at the Virginia Department of Veterans Services Beverly VanTull. "This is a great opportunity to rally around an underserved, underrecognized portion of the veteran population."
VanTull is among those leading an effort to get 450 people to register and pay a fee to commit to the license plates before the January 11, 2023 deadline. She said as of last Thursday, they had 117 applications.
She said this is the fourth time supporters have tried to join 17 other states and the District of Columbia in creating such a plate.
"Virginia is proudly the home of over 107,000 women veterans," said VanTull. "With Virginia having pretty much the second or the first largest percentage of women veterans, per capita, we should have a women veterans plate to honor our women veterans."
"I think the license plate will help people realize that you know, we do serve, we do bleed, we do die in combat, just like our male counterparts," said retired Marine Corps Col. Adrienne Fraser Darling, who is among those supporting the effort.
She said it has taken women decades to get to the level of service now allowed in the military.
"When you have a team, everybody has to feel like they have merit and value. Unfortunately, for a lot of women, like you said earlier, we don't always see our roles as equal to that of men. I believe that having a female military license plate in the state of Virginia would pass that message to a lot of people that don't realize that," said Fraser Darling, who added women make up over 20% of personnel in some branches. "You take that chunk of female service people out and your mission accomplishment rate is severely decreased and you're not as effective."
Fraser Darling added she has experienced firsthand the assumption of male service, when people will salute her civilian husband, thinking he is the veteran and has even purchased a bumper sticker stating "I am not the veteran's wife. I am the veteran."
VanTull said along with supporting women veterans, the first 450 people to sign-up will get to help pick the design of the license plate.
Should they get the required number of applications by the deadline, the next step will be to introduce legislation in the upcoming General Assembly session and VanTull said it will be carried by, among others, Navy veteran Del. Jackie Glass.
Those wishing to apply for the plates can do so here.
