Florida Vietnam Veterans could finally get diplomas

Fla. Vietnam vets could finally get diplomas/
By Jessica Gresko - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Mar 24, 2009 8:18:05 EDT

APALACHICOLA, Fla. — William “Charles” Wilson had already dropped out of school and was an 18-year-old iron worker when he was drafted and sent to Vietnam in 1967. Though he admits he was better at marbles and fighting than school, the army taught him to be a demolition expert and flew him all over Vietnam to blow up bridges and enemy tunnels. He was a quick learner he says, even though he never got a high school diploma.

A bill under consideration by Florida lawmakers Tuesday could change that and let Wilson and other veterans finally get a diploma, some nearly 50 years since they left school. Florida already grants diplomas to World War II and Korean War veterans who left high school to serve in the military, but the state has a far greater number of Vietnam veterans.

“I’ll be honest with you, I wouldn’t mind having one,” said Wilson, who is deaf in one ear and still hears a constant buzzing, the result of his time setting explosives. “I don’t know what good it’ll do me. I think it’s a good gesture as far as the state’s concerned.”
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