My grandfather (WW2 vet) is getting his diploma at age 78 today

He got in trouble in high school for something he didn't do and he told them that if they tried to punish him for it he would leave and go to war. Sure enough he went to war and served in the Navy operating radios in WW2, he still remembers Japanese. I probably respect him more than anyone else in my life and I'm so proud of him today because he is finally getting something that he more than earned. I just had to share this with someone.

A vet and a soon-to-be high school graduate!:thumbsup:

You have every reason to be proud of him!:)

Give him a "congratulations" and a pat on the back from me. That's a wonderful accomplishment. :)

I bet he will tear up a little tonight. I can't express how excited I am for him and how proud I am of him. I'm thinking about calling the Newspaper down in Portland and trying to get him some press.

it esp considering memorial day news
this is very much something to celebrate! congratulations to him

That would be great!!

:woohoo:

A war where everyone sacrificed - where millionaire execs voluntarily took salaries of a dollar a year - what a concept.

http://slate.msn.com/id/2077899/

said "Well done!" and "Thank you for my life."

You should be proud of him. He sounds like a marvelous man.

Congratulations to you both........................

And a big :thumbsup:!!!

Wonderful!!!

Bravo to him!!!
He is a real hero

What ship was he on?

I study Pacific WWII history

told me about what he went through and what he told me he did. Other people have told me that when he was 17 he was sent straight to Hawaii to recover bodies from Pearl Harbor. It was very hard on him. 2 years ago the family all saved up to send him back there so he could remember it in a better light and make peace with it all. Then he told me stories about how he worked on radios on a base. He talked about how he liked it because it was a good deal because he was on duty for 12 hours or so, then off for 24 or something like that. I know I'm not %100 accurate on this stuff because it's been awhile since we talked about it but I know I'm close.

If your into HAM (armature radio) he would be glad to talk to you a little bit about some of the things he did. His call is W0QOT. The first 0 is a zero and the second is a letter. If you can, he is a great guy to talk to. I encourage you too, if your a HAMer.

Unfortunately i dont have a HAM radio
But would still love to talk with him

I took a group of 70 people to Honolulu , and to Pearl Harbor
April 2004, we first went to the Arizona, then to the Bowfin sub (I read the book) and then the Missouri, it was a trip I will never
forget.

are those the one's like what truckers use??

:toast: :toast:

DemEx

Cheers to Grandpa!

:toast:

have two years to go....and I have not gone to school for about 12 years now...but hoping to go back next year (to be a history teacher...hell, I can't retire, so why not?)

another later in life grad here. I returned after a 20+ year hiatus and took part-time courses (until the last sem. full-time) to take a degree in psychology (yes, it took almost 6 years). But, i did it. And raised 2 daughters full-time and worked a job in the process.

of course, can't find full-time work now in the field, but i can still bang nails and sort of keep ends met. . . sigh.

Good luck with your studies DebJ !

and hey Caleb, buy your grandpa a beer on me! :thumbsup:

dp

But I'll thank him for you.

They honor the men who went to fight in WWII and didn't get their diplomas.
I always bawl like a baby when they do it because they also tell about their lives.
Congratulations and THANK YOU to your grandfather. He is a hero.

You're never to old to do something you really want to do.

Reminds me of a letter to Dear Abby I read years ago. Someone wrote in that they were 40 & wanted to go to college & then medical school. The person was concerned because by the time he got out of med school he would be about 47. Abby responded, "How old will you be in 7 years if you don't go to medical school?" I've always remembered that.

I love to hear stories like this!! Thanks for the uplift & give your grandfather a pat on the back for me!

here's more CONGRATULATIONS for him!!!

GOOOOO CALEB'S GRANDAD!!! :woohoo:
:bounce: :yourock: :bounce:

Everything went great. I'll have pictures up in time.

Thanks for sharing this with us!

:party:

:toast: :thumbsup:

Congratulations to your grandpa!

otherwise horrible night. Thanks and congrats to your grandpa.

:party: :toast: :bounce: :woohoo: :applause: :patriot:

:applause:

Aw, congrats to him!

Nominated.:-)

Way to go Grandpa! :yourock: :applause: :woohoo: :bounce:

There was a program in Missouri several years ago to award WWII vets with diplomas. Many young men quit school to go to war and never got their High School diplomas. They all deserved this recognition when they returned or posthumously, it should have been done years ago.

three cheers for CalebHayes grandfather :toast:

He's the same aga as my father. My dad was forced to leave high school for WWII as he turned 18 in November of his senior year. However, his school awarded them diplomas anyway. His mom received it at graduation.

They did that at my daughter's graduation, a WWII vet who didn't get his diploma. It was absolutely incredible, not a dry eye in the place. Thank him for us!

Dang, I hope I'm able to get a degree at 78! Wow!

Thank him for his service for me. My grandfather was also a Navy radio operator in the Pacific theater during WW2, but he didn't come back, so I never had a chance to meet him...

That's a great story. I'll bet it means a lot to him.

God bless him.

TC