Veterans can receive diplomas decades later

By: RANI GUPTA - Staff Writer
Program allows those who never completed high school to earn retroactive certificate | Thursday, March 13, 2008 11:43 PM PDT ∞

Richard Rego spent his first years of high school going to Saturday night dances at the local YMCA and attending concerts with his friends.

During the time Rego would have wrapped up his high school career, he was serving as an Army scout leader during World War II, dodging fire from German aircraft and clearing the way for his fellow soldiers.

After he returned to the United States, Rego never finished high school. Last year, the Temecula resident, 82, finally had the chance to walk across the stage, receiving a diploma as part of a program started last year.

"It's something to look at now so my grandkids can see it," Rego said, "even though I didn't earn it the way most people did."

Rego was one of 93 veterans who received their diplomas last year through Operation Recognition, which is run by the Riverside County Office of Education.

The program is being offered again this year for Riverside County residents who never received their high school diplomas because of their military service in World War II, the Korean War or the Vietnam War. The program is also open to Japanese-American residents who were in internment camps during World War II, though none has applied so far.

Applicants must provide proof of military service, and the Riverside County Veterans Service Office verifies their status.

Riverside County Schools Superintendent Kenn Young said the diplomas can be essential for veterans seeking employment or a sense of closure to their school careers.

Young said the state law that allows the retroactive diplomas "recognizes the life experience they've had since that time as meeting those requirements that were not filled."

There were 93 veterans who received diplomas through the program last year. Fewer are expected to take part this year, said Tracey Rivas, facilitator of programs and student activities at the county education office. Rivas said 43 people had applied as of Wednesday. The deadline to apply is March 21.

Receiving a diploma gave Rego something to show his teenage grandchildren, who often ask him why he never finished high school.

Rego was drafted into the Army during his junior year of high school in Los Angeles. After he returned, Rego had no interest in graduating and landed a job as a machine operator.

"I thought I missed too much of the good times," he said. "It was silly of me to think that way because I should have gone back to school, but I wanted to have a good time."

When his grandchildren ask about his lack of a diploma, Rego said he tells them the truth.

"I was selfish," he said. "I wanted to have a good time and go into the service. I didn't want to finish school. I worked 45 years to support everybody, and I made sure my daughter went to college."

Like Rego, Donald Davis, 79, had little interest in school after World War II broke out. He left his high school in El Monte at age 16 to join the Merchant Marine, where he worked as a deck hand on ships delivering supplies to the military.

Instead of doing schoolwork, Davis faced the threat of being torpedoed by Japanese submarines.

"For a kid, I had quite a little experience there," said Davis, who lives in Hemet. "It was fun. I didn't have sense enough to know how dangerous it was."

After tours in the Marines and in the Army during the Korean War, Davis started working in construction and never considered going back to school. But his wife of 39 years, Jean, had always pushed him to complete his education.

"I said, 'Shoot, I'm an old man now,'" Davis said.

After Jean Davis told her husband about the diploma program, he was eager to sign up. When the ceremony rolled around in May, Davis was recovering from surgery, but didn't miss the chance to receive his diploma.

"I had just had my knee operated on and had a replacement knee," Davis said. "I really wasn't feeling it, but I had to go. It was worth everything."

Contact staff writer Rani Gupta at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2625, or rgupta@californian.com.

Operation Recognition

Certain residents whose education was interrupted by war can receive a high school diploma through a program run by the Riverside County Office of Education. They will receive their diplomas and be recognized at a ceremony May 21.

Who is eligible? Veterans who served in the U.S. armed forces during World War II, the Korean War or the Vietnam War and were honorably discharged. People who were imprisoned in a Japanese-American internment camp during World War II also can apply. Applicants must have missed graduating from high school because of the wartime conditions; those who earned a GED or another degree are still eligible. Family members may apply for a posthumous diploma. Only Riverside County residents are eligible for this program.

Requirements: Applicants must provide evidence of internment or proof of military service and discharge, such as a DD-214. For help obtaining documentation, call the Riverside County Veterans Service Office at (800) 481-2101 or (951) 955-6050.

How to apply: Download the form at www.rcoe.us/newsroom/operation_recognition.html or call (951) 826-6570. The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. March 21. There is no fee to participate.