A high school diploma was awarded last Thursday, but this was no normal graduation ceremony. The honored recipient of this particular high school diploma was 87-year-old veteran George Bush.

Bush was set to graduate, for the first time, in June of 1945. However, fate had other plans. Instead of earning his high school diploma on schedule, he was drafted that January and never received that diploma.

“He never really talked about it, but I think he always wanted it,” said Bush’s daughter, Diane Knowles.

Back in November, Bush happened to be watching a news program about certain veterans from the Scranton area who were receiving their high school diplomas in a special ceremony.

“He looked at my mom and said, ‘Do you think I can get mine?'” Knowles said.

Knowles then asked the school about her aging father being able to receive his high school diploma. Well, about a month ago, George Bush received news that he would be awarded his high school diploma at the following special school assembly.

“I said, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me,'” Bush joked about getting the news.

George and Emma Bush, who have five children that are all graduates from the same high school, celebrated their 65th anniversary last Wednesday. He never thought he’d see his high school diploma, but he wasn’t bitter about being pulled out of the last months of high school to go to war. Like so many kids his age, it was just a part of life back then.

“When I was 18, I knew it was going to happen,” Bush said.

After serving in Vietnam, he returned to his hometown of Stroudsburg, Delaware and worked for Instrument Specialties in Delaware Water Gap for 56 years.

What a great story! See kids, it just goes to show that you’re never too old to reach your goals.

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