From the Alaska DMV Veteran plates page:
Applicants for Veteran's plates must submit proof they have served or are currently serving with a branch of the United States Armed Forces. Acceptable proof of service include copies of discharge papers, (DD Form 214), a letter of verification from the Veteran's Administration, Military Identification card or other comparable proof of service. Veteran's plates may be used on non-commercial vehicles and motorcycles only.
Most of the first Veteran plates were prefixed based on the branch of service. (VAR, VAF, VMC, etc.) Later, Veteran plates were broken up across the VET prefix itself in the following way:
VET 1xx | Marines |
VET 2xx | Army |
VET 3xx | Army |
VET 4xx | Army |
VET 5xx-7xx | Air Force |
VET 8xx | Army |
VET 9xx | Navy |
Thanks to Judd Clemens ( ALPCA #5960) for pointing this out. Judd was there on the first day that Veteran plates were available (some time in '91) to get his Army and Purple Heart plates.
Once the VET prefix ran out, other prefixes unique to each branch were used, and were incremented in the standard way (VBA, VBB, VBC, etc.)
Plates for a particular branch of the military are sorted here in chronological order.
Personalized Veteran plates are now also available.
There are close-ups of most of these plates' emblems on the artwork page.
View a closeup of this plate's emblem.
Missing: [VET 8xx]
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Missing: [VET 2xx]; [VET 4xx]
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Missing: [VCB]
Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska.
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From AS 28.10.181:
(m) Special request plates for Alaska National Guard personnel. Upon application by the owner of a passenger vehicle, noncommercial van or pick-up truck, or motor home who presents satisfactory proof of current membership in the Alaska National Guard, the department may design and issue registration plates that identify the vehicle as registered to a member of the Alaska National Guard. The owner shall return the registration plates to the department within 10 days following discharge from the Alaska National Guard.
Unlike the other military plates, this plate is for current members of the National Guard, and the plate title reads 'NATIONAL GUARD' rather than 'VETERAN'.
View a closeup of this plate's emblem.
Missing: [VHA]
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From AS 28.10.181:
(q) Vehicles owned by recipients of the Purple Heart. The department, upon receipt of written proof that the person is the sole or joint owner of a noncommercial motor vehicle, shall issue special registration plates for the noncommercial motor vehicle to a requesting person who has received the Purple Heart medal awarded for wounds suffered in action against an armed enemy or as a result of the hostile action of an armed enemy. The commissioner, after consulting with the director of the division of veterans affairs, shall determine the design and color of the Purple Heart medal recipient plates.
View a closeup of this plate's emblem.
Possibly the rarest of current Alaska plates. I just happened to luck out one day and spotted it parked outside my workplace when I glanced out the window. I ran out as if the building (or my head, for that matter) was on fire. I waited for a while to see if the owner was going to return any time soon, but he or she did not, so I wasn't able to talk to him or her.
To receive a Prisoner of War plate, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs must send written verification of a person's POW status to the DMV.
(front and back plates)
From AS 28.10.181:
(l) Vehicles owned by Pearl Harbor survivors and former prisoners of war. The department, upon receipt of written proof, shall issue without charge special registration plates for one noncommercial motor vehicle to a person who was on active military duty in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, or who has been a prisoner of war during a declared war or other conflict, as determined by the Department of Defense under federal regulations. The design and color of the Pearl Harbor survivor or prisoner of war plates shall be solely within the discretion of the commissioner.
According to Fred Agree, this plate was designed by Orville Gilman of Chugiak, Alaska. Orville served on the USS Vestal at Pearl Harbor in 1941.
Prisoners of War
The Vietnam-Era POW/MIA Database
Also a very rare plate. I've spotted only two of these in town, and one of them was next to a camper at Wal-Mart, so I suspect that the owner lives elsewhere. Always a surprise to see one.
To be issued a Pearl Harbor Survivor plate, a person must provide proof that they were on active military duty in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Acceptable forms of proof include proof of membership in the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association, a copy of military orders assigning someone to duty in Pearl Harbor on that date, newspaper clippings, etc.
A spouse or surviving family member can keep the Pearl Harbor Survivor plate on their own vehicle after the primary recipient is deceased, but a flag is placed on the plate in the DMV's records so that it cannot be transferred to anyone else.
View a closeup of this plate's emblem.
Note: The Disabled Veteran plates are included in the list of handicapped plates.