INDIANAPOLIS — Each January, the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles adds new license plates to its offering. Some of those plates are new additions while others are a redesign of an existing plate. One of the redesigned plates available in 2024 is the Gold Star Family license plate.
The Gold Star Family license plate is available to the spouses, parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, siblings, or children of anyone who died while serving on duty in the military — active, Reserve or National Guard.
Lauren Tomkiewicz, the widow of Capt. Matthew J. Tomkiewicz, joined Governor Eric Holcomb to redesign the existing Gold Star Family plate. Mrs. Tomkiewicz’s husband, Capt. Matthew J. Tomkiewicz, perished tragically in a training exercise in 2022.
The plate had not seen a redesign in nearly a decade. Mrs. Tomkiewicz was pivotal in bringing about the change by asking how the plate design could be modified to better educate people about Gold Star families. Mrs. Tomkiewicz continues to advocate for Gold Star Families to better educate people on what it means to hold that title.
To highlight the redesign and honor his name, his wife, Lauren, and mother Lisa attended Gov. Holcomb’s State of the State address on Tuesday.
Combining Tomkiewicz’s ideas with plate examples from other states, conversation with other Gold Star families, and feedback from the Office of Veterans Affairs and other veterans’ organizations, the new design took shape. The plate was unveiled in late October 2023.
“The credit for this license plate goes to Lauren. Her passion for educating the public and engagement in the process is what made this redesign possible,” said Commissioner Joe Hoage. “It is incredibly rewarding for everyone on our team when we can do something that is bigger than a transaction. Something that is special to people and helps to tell a story. This plate redesign is evidence of that.”
The Gold Star Family license plate is one of seven new or redesigned plates available this January. Any Hoosier who already has a Gold Star Family plate will receive the new design upon their renewal in 2024.
For a complete list of the BMV’s Specialty Group Plates, and for more information about the Gold Star Family plate, visit BMV: Registration & Plates: License Plates Overview (in.gov).
