Three Vietnam War-era veterans from Iowa received their high school diplomas last week, more than 60 years after they left school to serve their country.
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Dennis Snyder, 78, Richard Hill, 81, and Robert David Holliday, 85, were honored during Muscatine High School's graduation ceremony on Sunday. Snyder and Hill walked across the stage to loud applause. Holliday, unable to attend, received his diploma at home in a private presentation surrounded by family.
All three men left Muscatine High School early to enlist in the U.S. military during a time of national upheaval and global conflict.
Snyder joined the U.S. Navy at just 17 years old, serving from 1961 to 1965. He was stationed at Pearl Harbor during his enlistment. Hill served in Vietnam until 1969. Holliday, who would have graduated in 1958, enlisted in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and served in Vietnam from 1959 to 1961. He later completed additional assignments in Germany, Denmark, France, and the Netherlands.
"I couldn't believe it," Snyder told KWQC. "I told my wife, and she said, 'What?' Of course, she started crying right away. I was just shocked."
Veterans' Moment Long Overdue
The crowd at Sunday's ceremony gave Snyder and Hill a rousing standing ovation as they became the first two graduates to walk across the stage.
"Getting it now, I look back and I think, 'Well, everything that I did with the service and everything was all worth it,'" Snyder told WQAD. "Being here today is really, really worth it."
Hill admitted the moment was difficult to fully process. "I don't know how to accept it," he said. "Because I didn't get a chance, going through school."
Though Holliday was unable to attend the public ceremony, school officials made sure he had his moment. On May 14, they visited his home and presented him with a diploma of his own.
Sacrifices Recognized
The Muscatine County Veterans Affairs office said eight veterans tied to the region have received their diplomas in the last three years. The recognitions are part of an ongoing effort to honor service members who left school early to join the military.
The Vietnam War era, which stretched from 1955 to 1975, saw millions of Americans answer the call to service, many before they had a chance to complete high school. Thanks to renewed local efforts, that sacrifice is no longer going unrecognized.
For Snyder, Hill, and Holliday, the day brought long-overdue closure, and a moment of pride decades in the making.
