The Tale of a Veteran Whose Dream of Graduating Was Fulfilled on his Deathbed Will Move You to Tears

One of the worst casualties of conflicts in the past century, from the World Wars to Cold War and civil wars raging on in different parts of the world where even children were forced to fight, is the way young lives were ruined. One of those affected was Richard Remp who was just a teenager when he entered the battlefield for his country, as per The Sharon Herald. But for that, he had to give up his education, and his dream to graduate remained unfulfilled even after decades of coming back to civilian life. But his hopes were reignited in his 90s when he heard about a veteran earning an honorary diploma.

Remp initially contacted the commander of the American Legion Post 247 in his town of Sherman Avenue in Sharon and conveyed his desire to graduate. Considering his contributions to World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, the organization decided to fulfill this wish. Legion Post’s second vice commander James Cappuccilli got in touch with the Sharon Alumni Hall of Fame coordinators, where they encountered Superintendent Justi Glaros. Glaros took it upon herself to facilitate this wish and started looking into the requirements of giving an honorary diploma. According to the rules, an individual who was honorably discharged after serving in either World War II, the Vietnam War, or the Korean War, is eligible for an honorary diploma. Remp had served in all three and fulfilled all the requirements, which made Glaros believe that getting the whole thing done would be simple.

But while getting everything organized, Glaros discovered that Remp actually went to a neighboring high school. This meant that the whole process now needed to be transferred to a different school's board, which was so busy that they could not fit this task only in the next month's agenda. During this time Remp suffered a fall at his home and was immediately taken to the hospital and diagnosed with Stage 4 prostate cancer. At his age, it was unlikely, that he would beat his dim prognosis, and so Glaros decided to take matters into her own hands. “For me, it was a no-brainer,” Glaros said. “I knew I had to do the right thing.” She talked to the neighboring school's principal as well as the board and got them to speed up the process.

In a matter of days, Glaros had a printed diploma on her desk and jumped in the car to deliver it to Remp at his hospice, as per ABC7 News. “The last thing he remembers is the fact that she came down and gave him the diploma,” said American Legion Post 247 Commander Julian Singh. “That was his last waking moment.” Two days after receiving his diploma, Remp succumbed to his disease. “I’m blessed to be in the position to be able to do it for this man,” Glaros said. “The opportunity to give the diploma to him is what I wanted.” The man who had given so much for his country, went out having his biggest dream at the palm of his hands. Glaros also plans to do something to commemorate Remp at this year's graduation ceremony.