COAL TOWNSHIP, PA (WNEP/CNN) - A World War II veteran graduated high school on Wednesday, more than 70 years after he started.
Elmer Shinskie, 92, left school in 10th grade and was drafted into the Army in 1943. Thanks to the Operation Recognition Program, Shamokin Area High School is allowed to grant diplomas to honorably discharged World War II vets.
Shinskie went to the ceremony and accepted his diploma in person to a standing ovation. His wife says it was just like watching a child or grandchild graduate. "Yes, yes, he always talked about it. He always said maybe he'd go back to school, but with working, he didn't have the time to go back to school,” said Esther Shinskie, his wife.
"It's something that I never thought I'd ever see,” Elmer Shinskie said.
Shinskie's two daughters also brought their families to watch him graduate. For his Marine Corps veteran grandson, it was an especially proud moment.
Shinskie says he already has a place picked out to hang his newly earned diploma.
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