Vets win license plate battle with DOT

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In Madison, the voice of the veteran has overcome the state government’s bureaucracy.

The state Division of Motor Vehicles has bowed to criticism and will give veterans their red, white and blue license plates back.

Vets howled last year when the DMV said it would go to an all-white veterans’ plate so it looks more like the state’s other specialized plates.

They said it looked too much like plates for wolf lovers or University of Wisconsin graduates, a slap in the face to those who risked their lives for their country.

Rep. Terry Musser, R-Black River Falls, a Vietnam veteran, was incensed. He proposed a bill to change the vets’ license plate back to red, white and blue.

But lawmakers said they’d rather negotiate with the Department of Transportation than pick a fight.

Veterans who’ve already ordered the white plates can get the red, white and blue ones back. But it will cost them $10, the normal fee for a replacement.

There are about 18,000 veterans’ license plates in Wisconsin.

Tags: wisconsin, news, vets, license, plates