✨ At 98, WWII veteran and Poolesville resident Richard Remp received the high school diploma he forfeited to serve our country. Hand-delivered to his hospice bedside, this diploma marks a heartfelt tribute to his lifetime of bravery and service.
https://t.co/lPqfoBEbM4 pic.twitter.com/TG3bb8EuMV
— Montgomery County MD (@MontgomeryCoMD) May 20, 2024
Maryland resident Richard Remp was 17 when he dropped out of high school to enlist in the military during World War II. After this, he remained in the Marines and went on to serve in the Korean War, and then in the Vietnam War as a decorated gunnery sergeant. But despite his distinguished military career, Remp—like so many men and women who served in World War II—never received his high school diploma. That was, until Sharon High School in Pennsylvania issued Remp, now 98, a high school diploma in May.
This feat of human kindness was made possible by Remp’s family, American Legion Post 247, and Superintendent Justi Glaros. After Glaros convinced her school board to approve the diploma, she drove 4.5 hours to Remp’s home in Poolesville, Maryland, to hand-deliver the diploma to the veteran.
Remp, who is currently in hospice care at his home for stage four cancer, was surrounded by his family as Glaros presented him with the long-overdue diploma, as well as a Sharon Tigers t-shirt. Even though the veteran didn’t attend Sharon High School, the importance of the gesture can’t be overstated. After spending years serving his country, his community has found a way to give back in a big way.
Congratulations to Remp for becoming a member of the Class of 2024. You can watch the moment he receives his diploma, as well as his heartwarming response, below.
A veteran named Richard Remp finally earned his high school diploma at the age of 98.
h/t: [Neatorama]
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