Before Military Honor Plates
Military Honor Plates was formed by lifelong friends Michael Morgan, Sr. and Timothy K. Loney. Since in his early teens, Mike has been collecting license plates and has focused on honoring Military Service members after 9/11. He then showed his collection to Tim, a retired Army Reserve Lieutenant Colonel involved in various civic veteran organizations.
Tim then told Mike about the Military Order of the Purple Heart hosting their National Convention in Saint Paul, MN in August 2011. They believed that it would be a great tribute to put up a display of Purple Heart plates from every state. At the time, Mike had all but five states, which soon became two: Rhode Island and South Carolina.
How We Started
Our display was built over the winter of 2010-2011 in Mike’s garage. We asked several local companies for donations to build our display. Tim then asked the Military Order of the Purple Heart for permission to use their logos on our display. It was readily granted. Tim then created the topper designs for both sides of the display.
Mike states, “We are willing to trade up to a better plate with a story. But only one plate from each state will be kept on the display.”
We built a second display honoring POW/MIAs. To complete the display, we are currently looking for four more plates. A third display dedicated to Disabled American Veterans is also in the works as well as a display for Pearl Harbor survivors.
Our Company Goal
We aim to learn the story of each veteran’s plate on the display. To further honor all Veterans who served our country and awarded the Purple Heart, we intend to create a book about their stories. If you are a Veteran who wants to be part of our display, kindly contact us.
Donate a Plate Today
If you would like to add a plate to one of the displays, it must follow certain criteria. We need to know the story of the Veteran. It must also be from a state that we do not know the story about the currently displayed state or subject. We would also like a photo of the Veteran if available. For more information, contact Mike at [email protected].
