Veterans Missing High School Diplomas Sought For Operation Recognition

MORENO VALLEY >> They marched through war-torn Europe, frozen winters in Korea and steamy jungles in Vietnam. Now Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard veterans are getting a chance to do something they missed out on while defending their country: they will march across a stage to receive high school diplomas. More than 300 veterans have received those all-important documents through the Riverside County Operation Recognition Program since 2007. The diplomas are awarded as a joint effort of the Riverside County Board of Education and the Riverside County Department of Veterans’ Services. “A high school diploma is part of our culture, something you had to forgo because of your service to your country,” said Kenneth Young, Riverside County Superintendent of Schools, to 10 veterans receiving diplomas last year. “You suffered and risked your lives to protect our country. It is a privilege to award you a diploma.” The 2016 Operation Recognition ceremony will be held 2 p.m. Nov. 10, at the Moreno Valley Conference and Recreation Center, located at 14075 Frederick St. in Moreno Valley. For those interested and in order to be recognized at the ceremony, completed application forms and supporting documentation must be received by 5 p.m. Oct. 6. Application forms and photos and video from last year’s ceremony are available online at www.rcoe.us/operationrecognition. Interested persons may contact Tracey Case at 951-826-6570 or tcase@rcoe.us. The program is open to current residents of Riverside County whose high school education was interrupted by military service in World War II, the Korean War or the Vietnam War. Education Code Section 51440 authorizes the granting of retroactive high school diplomas to eligible veterans. Section 51430 authorizes the retroactive granting of diplomas to Japanese-American citizens whose internment by federal order in World War II prevented them from graduating from their home town high school.