Currently, there are five states pursuing legislation this year, which include Arizona, Illinois, New Jersey, South Carolina and Kansas to have the veteran classification added to state issued ID cards & drivers licenses. Twelve states have already adopted the process since 2011: Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Utah, with New Mexico jumping on board in 2012.

Some benefits of the classification are not having to carry multiple forms of ID to identify yourself as a Veteran when attempting to get military discounts at retail stores (Home Depot, Jiffy Lube), hotels (Hilton Hotels, Marriott, Best Western) and restaurants/fast food parlors (Applebes's, Boston Market, Sonic) as well as less complicated processing for securing state veteran claims.

For law enforcement, it may prove to help with proper handling of war veterans suffering from PTSD during routine traffic stops. “It serves a multitude of purposes. I don’t know what negatives there would be,” stated Burden, a former colonel in the Kansas Air National Guard.

Some fears are that many will try to fake the IDs in an attempt to falsify military service. As a US Marine Corps Veteran, I personally think it is an excellent idea and the good outweigh the bad.

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