TURNED DOWN RECENTLY WHEN HE
APPLIED FOR A "VETERAN"
DESIGNATED DRIVERS LICENSE.
BO:
AS A RESULT OF THE OVERSIGHT, A
NEW BILL HAS BEEN INTRODUCED IN
NASHVILLE THAT WILL CHANGE THE
WORDING OF THE LAW MAKING WORLD
WAR TWO VETS ELIGIBLE.
LORI:
TONIGHT, WATE SIX ON YOUR SIDE
REPORTER DON DARE EXPLAINS HOW
THIS NEW LEGISLATION
DEVELOPED.
DON:
THE FORM THAT'S REQUIRED TO GET
THE SPECIAL LICENSE DIDN'T
EXIST WHEN VETERANS WERE
DISCHARGED 73 YEARS AGO.
DAVE STEVENSON LEFT THE SERVICE,
HONORABLY, IN 1946.
WHEN HE GOT OUT, HE RECEIVED A
DOCUMENT, HIS HONORABLE
DISCHARGE.
IT INCLUDES HIS RECORD OF
SERVICE. DAVE HAS THE ORIGINAL
COPY.
BUT IT WAS NOT A DD FORM 214,
WHICH HE NEEDED WHEN HE VISITED
THE DRIVERS LICENSE CENTER
RECENTLY.
DAVE SAYS: HERE WE GO.
DAVE STEVENSON IS AN ENERGETIC
92 YEAR OLD. MARRIED FOR 69
YEARS, THIS
RETIRED PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER
FROM OAK RIDGE HAS
FOLLOWED RULES ALL HIS LIFE. AS
AN 18-YEAR OLD IN 1945, HE
VOLUNTEERED FOR MILITARY
SERVICE. HIS FIRST EXPERIENCE IN
FOLLOWING STRICT REGULATIONS.
DAVE STEVENSON, WORLD WAR 2
VETERAN: WHEN YOU GOT OF
HIGH SCHOOL IN 44 AND 45, YOU
KNEW YOU WERE GOING IN
THE SERVICE. SO, I CHOSE THE
NAVY.
TRUMPET BLOWS
IN EARLY 1945, THOUSANDS OF MEN
WERE DRAFTED AND
VOLUNTEERED TO SERVE IN WORLD
WAR 2. BUT THE CONFLICT ENDED
IN THE SPRING AND LATE SUMMER OF
THAT YEAR. DAVE REMAINED IN THE
NAVY UNTIL JULY OF 1946.
A FEW WEEKS AGO, HE VISITED A
STATE
LICENSE CENTER TO GET A NEW
DRIVERS
LICENSE. HE WANTED A SPECIAL
"VETERAN" DESIGNATION ON HIS
LICENSE AS SHOWN IN THIS
SAMPLE. IT'S PROVIDED TO ALL
VETS WHO WERE HONORABLY
DISCHARGED.
DAVE: THIS IS MY HONORABLE
DISCHARGE FROM THE NAVY IN
1946.
DAVE CARRIED HIS DISCHARGE WITH
HIM AS HE WENT TO A DRIVER'S
LICENSE
OFFICE. THE DOCUMENT SHOWS THE
ENTIRE HISTORY OF HIS
WORLD WAR 2 SERVICE. DAVE: THE
CLERK LOOKED AT IT AND TOOK IT
TO HER
SUPERVISOR AND SHE SAID, WE
CAN'T ACCEPT THAT.
THIS STATE DOCUMENT FROM
SEPTEMBER 2013 SAYS TO ACQUIRE
THE DESIGNED DRIVERS LICENSE
THE VETERAN MUST PRESENT A COPY
OF
THEIR DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FORM
214.
DARE: BUT IN 1946? DAVE: THERE
WAS NO DD 214. THE
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE CAME INTO
EXISTENCE IN ABOUT
SEPTEMBER OF 1947.
HE'S RIGHT. THE DEPARTMENT OF
WAR WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1789. THE
ARMED FORCES WERE
UNDER ITS CONTROL. IN SEPTEMBER
1947, A NEW NAME WAS
ADOPTED. THE WAR DEPARTMENT
BECAME THE DEPARTMENT OF
DEFENSE.
THE DISCHARGE PAPER DAVE
PRESENTED WAS LIKELY NEVER SEEN
BEFORE AT THE LICENSE CENTER.
DAVE: THEY SAID IT DOESN'T
VERIFY OR CERTIFY YOUR
VETERAN'S STATUS. HAD TO BE A
214? DAVE: HAD TO BE A DD
FORM 214, THAT'S WHAT THE
LEGISLATION SAYS. IT'S PRETTY
CLEAR CUT.
KEN YAGER, STATE SENATOR: THIS
SENDS A TERRIBLE
MESSAGE TO ALL OF OUR WORLD WAR
2 VETERANS.
STATE SENATOR KEN YAGER THE
OTHER DAY FILED A NEW BILL IN
NASHVILLE.
SENATOR YAGER SAYS WHEN DAVE
STEVENSON BROUGHT THE "VETERAN"
DESIGNATION ISSUE TO HIS
ATTENTION, STEPS WERE TAKEN TO
ASSIST OTHER WORLD WAR 2 VETS.
KEN YAGER: TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE
FOR VETERANS WHO
WERE DISCHARGED BEFORE SEPTEMBER
OF 1947 TO BE ABLE TO RECEIVE
THIS DESIGNATION, IT'S A BILL
THAT
CHANGES THE LAW TO ALLOW
VETERANS WHO DON'T HAVE
THAT PARTICULAR FORM BECAUSE
THEY WERE
DISCHARGED BEFORE THERE WAS A
DEPARTMENT OF
DEFENSE, TO PROVIDE OTHER
DOCUMENTATION IN ORDER TO
HAVE THE DESIGNATION ON THEIR
LICENSE. DAVE'S PLAN NOW IS TO
VISIT A
DRIVER'S CENTER AS SOON AS THE
NEW BILL IS PASSED.
DAVE STEVENSON: I'LL GO GET THE
STRIP ON MY DRIVER'S
LICENSE. MAYBE I'LL GET A FREE
DINNER SOMEWHERE.
DON:
SENATOR YAGER SAYS HE
IMMEDIATELY FOUND A CO
SPONSOR FOR THE REVISED
LEGISLATION, AS WELL AS A
SPONSOR
IN THE TENNESSEE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES.
BY THE WAY, THE FIRST DD FORM
214'S WERE ISSUED IN 1950,
REPLACING THE OLDER WAR
DEPARTMENT AND NAVAL PERSONNEL
DISCHARGE DOCUMENTS. AND, FOR
MOST WORLD WAR TWO
VETS, A VERIFIED DOCUMENT OF
THEIR HONORABLE DISCHARGE SERVED
THEM WELL FOR MANY YEARS.
LORI AND BO
THANKS TO MR. STEVENSON AND
SENATOR YAGER FOR CORRECTING
THIS OVERSIGHT.
BO:
IF YOU HAVE A CONSUMER QUESTION
FOR DON -- SEND HIM AN
EMAIL AT D-DARE AT W-A-T-E DOT
COM, OR CALL HIS SIX ON YOUR
SIDE HOTLINE
NUMBER AT 865- 633-5974.
LORI:
STILL TO COME -
A LOCAL BREWERY - RAISING FUNDS
TO
HELP COMMUNITIES IN AUSTRALIA.
BO:
HOW YOU CAN HELP RECOVERY
EFFORTS AFTER TRAGIC BUSH