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Brentwood Press - AntiochPress_10.10.08 - Index

OCTOBER 10, 2008 COMMUNITY BRENTWOODPRESS.COM | 5A
by Ruth Roberts
Staff Writer
Now that the day has fi nally arrived,
Kevin Graves isn’t sure how he feels. After
nearly two years of working to secure the
passage of a state bill that will allow for the
production of Gold Star vanity plates, the
Discovery Bay resident says it’s all somewhat
surreal.
“Well, now that it’s said and done, it
does feel a bit strange,” said Graves, who
attended a formal signing ceremony of SB
1455 this week in Sacramento. “But it also
feels really good.”
Graves, whose son Joey was killed in
Iraq in 2007, was an original advocate of
the bill, which stalled on the Senate fl oor
last year because of a policy snafu. Together
with Modesto resident Mike Anderson
– who also lost a son in the war – the two began
a second effort, and this time they were
successful.
“This has really been a consolidated
effort that couldn’t have been done without
the support of groups like the California Department
of Veterans Affairs and the Blue
Star Moms,” said Graves.
Photo courtesy of Kevin and Leiann Graves
Kevin Graves, shown here with his son Joey, who was killed in Iraq in 2007, has
helped secure the passage of a Gold Star vanity plate bill.
Gold Star plates pass
Contra Costa County Supervisor Mary
Piepho was also a strong supporter of SB
1455.
“It is important that we recognize our
families of fallen heroes and pay our respects
to those whose loved ones sacrifi ced their
lives for this great country,” said Piepho. “I
am so pleased it has passed.”
Graves is too, and with the bill’s passage,
family members of anyone who has died
during active duty in the military will be able
to receive a vanity plate – free of charge.
“The importance of this bill is not just
for our children, but also for the families of
all those who have served in the military all
the way back to WWII,” said Graves. “If you
had a child that was unfortunately one of the
59,000 who died in Vietnam, you just went
into the house and kept it to yourself. This
(bill) is the perfect opportunity to give those
people that pride.”
Graves said he was recently asked what
it would feel like when he is fi nally able to
hold a gold star license plate in his hands.
The answer he said, was simple: “I told my
friend that when that time comes, I am going
to look up to heaven and say, ‘Job well done,
son; job well done.”
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4800 Golf Course Rd., Antioch, CA 94531