A World War II veteran received a diploma Wednesday from a high school in Needham, Massachusetts, 77 years after he left to fight in the Pacific.
Officials at Needham High School presented Louis Picariello, 95, with the diploma on the Marine Corps’s 246th birthday, also the day before Veterans Day.
“I can’t explain it. There’s no words here,” Picariello said, according to WCVB5. “I can’t believe this. Everybody went out of their way and I appreciate it.”
OLDEST LIVING WWII VETERAN GETS A NEW UNIFORM FOR VETERANS DAY
Picariello, who joined the Marines after turning 18, never went back to get his diploma from the school after the war, instead choosing to work as a heavy equipment operator and start a family.
The ceremony was held by the district’s superintendent, Daniel Gutekanst, and the principal of the school, Aaron Sicotte.
“Today NHS Principal Aaron Sicotte & I awarded WWII vet Louis Picariello his diploma 77 years after he left Needham High in his senior year, just shy of his graduation with the Class of ‘44,” Gutekanst tweeted. “Vets, family & friends congratulated Louis on his service and a lifetime of learning.”
https://twitter.com/NPS_Supt/status/1458626778520596482
Members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars organization reached out on Picariello’s behalf to request the diploma under Operation Recognition, which works with high schools across the country to get diplomas to service members who did not obtain the certificate due to military service.
There are three qualifications veterans must meet in order to receive the diploma, according to New York’s Operation Recognition: They must be a resident of New York, have been in the military for at least one day, and must have been discharged under honorable conditions.
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Dead members of the military are allowed to receive a posthumous diploma if someone from their family files a request on their behalf, according to New York State’s Division of Veterans’ Services.
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There are approximately 19 million veterans in the United States, according to the White House.
“For generations, millions of Americans have answered the call to serve — taking the sacred oath to defend and preserve our Nation’s ideals of liberty and democracy,” the White House said in a Veterans Day proclamation. “These patriots represent the best of us. On Veterans Day, we honor their service, dedication, and valor and are forever grateful for their sacrifice. Our Nation has only one truly sacred obligation: to properly prepare and equip our service members when we send them into harm’s way and to care for them and their families when they return home.”
