Veteran Gets Diploma 76 Years After Missing Graduation to Fight in WWII

A 94-year-old Chicago man who missed his high school graduation in 1944 because he went off to war, finally received his diploma last week.

It's taken 76 years, but William C. Wagner finally walked across the stage at Tilden High School last week with the Class of 2019. His son, Forrest Wagner, secretly arranged for his dad to officially graduate.

Wagner explains he was in the second half of his senior year in 1943 when he got a draft number and had to ship off with the Navy. As a result, he missed his graduation day in 1944.

Forrest says of his father, "How awesome is that for a young teenager to sit back and put his country before his own wants and needs. What he sacrificed for me and my brothers and sisters, and then also for his country, I believe I will never be able to repay."


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