Designated California license plates now honor women veterans

Inside an Old Glory star, shaded with the American flag is the silhouette of a female servicemember saluting – that's the decal for the new California license plate option for female veterans.

Vietnam veteran from Santa Barbara, Jan Kays, designed the decal and said she wanted the message to be clear: strength, women and America.

One Costa Mesa veteran just got her new plate as an anniversary gift from her husband. Jane Dwong Killer's bright green minivan now honors her service and reminds people that veterans come in different shapes, sizes and genders.

"When people think of veterans they don't really always think of women veterans and when they think of what a veteran looks like, they're even less likely to think of someone like me, an Asian American woman who's also a veteran," said Killer.

The nonprofit Foundation for Women Warriors helped to get the designated plate available for California servicewomen nearly two years ago, after proposing the issue to the California Department of Veterans Affairs.

With nearly 150,000 woman veterans in California, Killer says it's important for people to know who they are. "it's important and it means a lot to me because representation matters, especially in the field of predominantly men," said Killer.