A 96-year-old veteran who had to quit school to fight in World War II has finally graduated with his high school diploma 79 years late.
Arthur Masterson was just 17 when he enlisted for the US Navy for the final months of the war, missing his graduation ceremony.
But when relatives were looking through family documents they noticed he had never returned to school and after the war, he transferred to the Army and fought in Korea.
Now delighted Arthur has finally got his diploma after his family asked education officials in East Greenwich, Rhode Island State, USA, to let him graduate.
His daughter Elaine Vespia told local media: “On Thanksgiving, we were here looking through some paperwork that he had and my son-in-law noticed that he had left high school to join the military.”
So Elaine sent an email to local education official Dr Brian Rica asking if Arthur could graduate.
Dr. Ricca told local media: “So often as a superintendent, my response even after doing digging and looking is ‘no’. It felt so good to say yes.”
Elaine said: “A lot of us were really in tears it was just a really happy moment that we could give it to him.”
Photos taken after the ceremony show Arthur with his diploma and wearing a graduate’s mortar board.
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Elaine said that besides the diploma school staff had dug out his old photos and records.
She said: “They also included his paperwork from 1945. His school record a picture and everything it was crazy.”
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Story By: Marija Stojkoska, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash
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