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Va license plate { July 2 2002 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13845-2002Jul2.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13845-2002Jul2.html
Va. Launches Anti-Terrorism License Plates
By Josh White
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, July 2, 2002; 12:58 PM
Virginia officials this morning unveiled the state's new "Fight Terrorism" license plates on a hill overlooking the repaired Pentagon facade and presented the first one to the widow of the pilot whose hijacked airplane crashed there on Sept. 11.
The brief ceremony marked the first day that Virginia's drivers can order the new plates. They feature a symbol discovered by Arlington County police at a makeshift shrine near the Pentagon crash site. The new plates were adopted into Virginia law yesterday, and motorists can now order them on the DMV's Web site or at any branch office.
The new plates come after months of discussions about how best to issue a formal state-sponsored remembrance of the attacks, and follow a concerted effort by Arlington police to honor the victims of the Pentagon and the World Trade Center.
"This symbol is a fitting and proper tribute to those who perished on Sept. 11, their loved ones, survivors and the law enforcement and fire and rescue personnel who responded to the scenes of the attacks," Arlington Police Chief Ed Flynn said.
The plate uses a pentagon-shaped border, the World Trade Center towers as the "11" in "9-11-01" and an American flag design to ask people to remember New York City, Arlington County and Somerset County, Pa., where the fourth hijacked plane crashed. The plate also has a bold, red "Fight Terrorism" slogan across the bottom and the letters "FT" on the right.
Those who were first responders to the Pentagon attack can apply to have the letters "FR" on the right side of the plate.
"This plate allows those who could not help at the Pentagon or at Ground Zero in New York to show solidarity with the first responders, remember those who died and make the statement that if we work together, we can prevent this from happening again," said Del. Bob Hull (D-Fairfax), who sponsored legislation that created the plate. Hull worked with Vince Rotundo, an 80-year-old retired Foreign Service official from Falls Church, to develop the idea after Rotundo felt he had to do something in the wake of the attacks.
Rotundo said he is now planning to go to the 49 other states and the District to lobby for similar license plates.
"This is all breathtaking, and I'm so moved by it," Rotundo said. "Now we want it to spread across the country. That will show that Americans are standing together. In unity, there is strength."
This morning, officials presented a plaque and commemorative license plate to Sheri Burlingame, the widow of Capt. Charles F. "Chic" Burlingame III, who was the pilot of American Airlines Flight 77 when it was hijacked and crashed into the Pentagon. Sheri Burlingame requested the special plates "CPT 77" for her late husband's white Jeep Cherokee and another set for her own car.
She said such symbols and showings of support give her strength.
"I feel like we as survivors and all of us as a nation are climbing out of this by taking one step at a time," Burlingame said after the ceremony. "This was a huge step toward my personal recovery. It's a perfect tribute to all who died on September 11th."
Arlington police this morning presented DMV officials with the requisite prepaid 350 applications for the plate, which should allow the state to have the first plates out to drivers before the anniversary of the attacks.
More than 2,000 inquiries about the plates poured in after they were first announced at the end of May. DMV officials said they expect the plate – which costs $10 a year – to get a significant response.
Order forms for the plates and the special commemorative edition can be found on the DMV's Web site at www.dmvnow.com
© 2002 The Washington Post Company
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