Traci Voelke was a 37-year-old mom to two young boys when her husband, Maj. Paul Voelke, died in Afghanistan, struck by a military vehicle during his fifth deployment.
“I knew as soon as I opened the door and saw the green suiters. You just know what’s happened, but it’s hard to accept," said Voelke.
The Department of Defense gave her a pin that entailed she was a Gold Star spouse. She applied for a special property tax exemption for her Springfield home and received it, but soon enough she found out that she was given the exemption incorrectly.
“I got a surprise when they said they had given me the exemption incorrectly and that I may have to pay back three years of back property taxes because Paul was not considered killed in action,” Voelke said.
She learned only three categories were eligible for the exemption: the surviving spouse of someone killed in action at the hands of the enemy, service members who are 100% disabled or their surviving spouses if they pass away. Left off the list: spouses of those who died on duty but not in action like her husband.
It was the start of Voelke's quest to change Virginia law. She teamed with retired Col. Monti Zimmerman of the Military Officer’s Association of America.
“I consider this a gap that was unintentional that shouldn’t have happened this way,” said Zimmerman.
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Zimmerman and Voelke spent years to get spouses of those who died on duty also eligible for the exemption to bring crucial financial help to Gold Star families. The two credit Del. Kathy Tran, D-18th District, and state Sen. Jeremy McPike, D-29th District, for sponsoring legislation leading to the constitutional amendment on the ballot.
“Filling that hole for the families is a great thing, seeing bipartisan unanimous support for it,” said McPike.
“I think there is a lot of patriotism in this country. We really didn’t have anybody who didn’t support us,” said Voelke.
Voelke is a civilian lawyer who works at Ft. Bevoir and is eager to cast her “yes” ballot.
“It’s a great sense of accomplishment. I’ve changed the law not just for me but for so many other families that are impacted in this category in Virginia," said Voelke.
And she says it also proves one determined person can make a significant difference.
