RICHMOND, VA – Today, Governor Glenn Youngkin led the celebration of Virginia Women Veterans Week, March 17-23, during a special ceremony hosted by the Virginia Department of Veterans Services (DVS) in conjunction with the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) at the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond. As part of the ceremony, the Governor and First Lady Suzanne S. Youngkin also unveiled the new Support Women Veterans license plate, now available at the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.
This is the seventh consecutive year that the Commonwealth has designated the third week of March as Virginia Women Veterans Week to honor and recognize the contributions and achievements of the more than 108,000 women military veterans that call Virginia their home.
“Today, I was privileged to recognize and honor Virginia’s women veterans for their service in every branch of our armed forces to defend our Nation and our Commonwealth,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin. “By unveiling the new Support Women Veterans specialty license plates and declaring Virginia Women Veterans Week, we want our female veterans to know that Virginia values you. I remain committed to making Virginia the best state in the nation for servicemembers, veterans, and their families to live and work.”
“As a woman veteran, I fully understand the unique challenges that our women veterans face when they transition to civilian life,” said Lieutenant Governor Earle-Sears. “Our Commonwealth is blessed to have the largest percentage of women veterans per population of any state. Each brings along the skills and talents learned during their military service to their new roles in our local communities. Our women veterans truly make a major difference in assuring that Virginia remains the #1 state in America for all our citizens to live, work and, thrive. Today, we salute you.”
“Women veterans comprise eighteen percent of Virginia’s total veteran population of nearly 700,000 and their numbers grow every year,” said Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs Craig Crenshaw. “Having served with so many outstanding women during my Marine career, I am pleased that Virginia was one of the first states to establish a Woman Veterans Program with specific programs and services to address their unique challenges and opportunities when they leave active duty.”
“Our women veterans have dedicated so much to the Commonwealth and to the United States. It is an honor to pay tribute to their service by unveiling this special license plate today. I look forward to seeing them adorn vehicles across the state,” said Secretary of Transportation Shep Miller.
To read Governor Youngkin’s official Certificate of Recognition of 2024 Virginia Women Veterans Week, click here.
To learn more about purchasing a Support Women Veterans license plate. Click here.
About the Virginia Department of Veterans Services
The Virginia Department of Veterans Services (DVS) is a state government agency with 50 locations across the Commonwealth of Virginia. DVS traces its history to 1928 and the establishment of the Virginia War Service Bureau to assist Virginia’s World War I veterans. Today, DVS assists veterans and their families in filing claims for federal veterans benefits; provides veterans and family members with linkages to services including behavioral healthcare, housing, employment, education, and other programs. The agency operates three long-term care facilities offering in-patient skilled nursing care, Alzheimer’s/memory care, and short-term rehabilitation for veterans; and provides an honored final resting place for veterans and their families at three state veterans cemeteries. It operates the Virginia War Memorial, the Commonwealth’s tribute to Virginia’s men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice from World War II to the present. For more information, please visit www.dvs.virginia.gov.
