CLAREMORE, Okla. (CNN) – A World War II veteran from Oklahoma received a long-overdue honor.
95-year-old Lewis Shaw left high school early to enlist in the Marine Corps in 1943.
He was quickly drafted into WWII. Now, nearly 80 years later, Shaw is receiving a high school diploma.
All of Claremore High School gave him a standing ovation, and the pomp and circumstance of a real graduation Thursday night.
“I knew I was going to get the diploma, but I had no idea I was going to get such a turnout of people,” WWII Veteran Lewis Shaw said.
It’s all thanks to a law passed in 2001 that allows districts to award veterans of WWII and Korea their diplomas.
“As we approach Veterans Day, I think it’s important the students understand that freedom doesn’t come free,” Claremore Public Schools Superintendent Bryan Frazier said.
Shaw will also serve as grand marshal of the Tulsa Veterans Day Parade Monday.
