Two Iowa Vietnam veterans drop out of school to join the Army and get high school diplomas they’ll treasure for the rest of their lives

Two Vietnam veterans from Iowa who dropped out of school to join the military finally received their official high school diplomas 60 years later.

CBS News reported that when Dennis Snyder took his yearbook photo more than 60 years ago, he thought he would be a member of the 1963 graduating class.

Snyder joked, “It’s hard to believe I was that young.”

The summer before Snyder entered the 12th grade at Muscatine High School in the small town of Iowa, the Vietnam War intensified. The 17-year-old farm boy volunteered to join the Navy and was sent to serve at a base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Joining the military meant that Snyder missed the opportunity to graduate from his hometown school. Snyder later obtained a General Educational Development (GED), which is equivalent to a high school diploma, but he still hopes to get a diploma from Muscatine High School.

He said: “I hope to get a (Muscatine) high school diploma through other means.”

After decades, Snyder finally realized his dream and became one of many Iowa veterans who enlisted during the Vietnam War and finally received a high school diploma.

79-year-old Snyder and 81-year-old Hill (Richard Hill), as well as many younger students, became graduates of Muscatine High School’s 2025 school year on the 21st, wearing purple bachelor’s gowns and square hats.

Snyder said that some graduates “give me a thumbs up” and that getting a diploma “feels very valuable.”

This is part of the Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs’ “Operation Recognition”, which gives more than 100 veterans the opportunity to “graduate”.

Eric Sanders, director of the Muscatine County Veterans Affairs Department, said, “I think this is the most basic thing we can do for our veterans who have served our country, and that’s why they are in this program, so that they can have some closure.”

Snyder said he wanted to share the honor with his high school friends who died in combat. “We had seven people who died in Vietnam, and I knew them, and one of them was a very good friend of mine,” he said.

Snyder believes there are more veterans across the country who deserve a diploma and recognition. “I am honored to enjoy this moment, and you know, I don’t have much time left, but I will cherish this diploma for the rest of my life,” he said.