FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, March 9, 2005

AUSTIN – The Pearl Harbor Survivor specialty license plate, one in a group of plates offered by the Texas Department of Transportation that honor members of the United States Armed Services, now features a new design that fittingly commemorates the brave service of these special World War II veterans.

The new design includes an illustration of the USS Arizona Memorial on a background of blue skies and seas. The words "Pearl Harbor Survivor" and "USS Arizona Memorial" are displayed above the illustration on the left side of the plate, and the date "December 7, 1941" is on the bottom of the plate.

"I’m delighted that the Texas Department of Transportation worked with members of the ‘greatest generation,’ our Pearl Harbor Survivors, to produce a Pearl Harbor Survivor license plate of which we can all be proud," said State Representative Leo Berman.

Members of the U.S. Armed Forces who were stationed in the Hawaiian Islands and survived the attack on Pearl Harbor are eligible to obtain Pearl Harbor Survivor specialty license plates. Applicants need to have received an honorable discharge. The surviving spouse of a veteran who would have been eligible for Pearl Harbor Survivor plates is entitled to one set of these specialty plates as long as the spouse does not remarry.

The Pearl Harbor Survivor license plate was first introduced in 1990. In 2004, more than 720 of these plates were issued or renewed. The Pearl Harbor Survivor license plates are available for a $3 annual fee for the first vehicle. Additional sets of these license plates are available for a $15 annual fee in addition to regular registration fees. A set of plates may also be personalized for an additional $40 per year.

Information about eligibility requirements, as well as applications for the Pearl Harbor Survivor specialty license plates, are available at county tax offices, on TxDOT’s Web site (www.dot.state.tx.us), or by calling the TxDOT Help Desk at (512) 465-7611 or TxDOT’s Fax-On-Demand forms at (888) 232-7033. To view the new Pearl Harbor Survivor plate, visit www.dot.state.tx.us/vtr/spplates/allplates.htm and click on "Pearl Harbor Survivor" under the "Military/Veterans" heading.

TxDOT started its specialty license plate program in 1965. Today, there are more than 100 different plate designs, many of them benefiting a particular group, organization, college or university. Since 1994, more than $10 million has been raised for sponsoring organizations, colleges or universities.

For more information, call Darah Waldrip in TxDOT Vehicle Titles and Registration Division, (512) 302-2076. Ordering information is available at http://www.dot.state.tx.us/vtr/spplates/allplates.htm.