2 WWII vets receive diplomas

Two World War II veterans received honorary diplomas from Granite High School Friday night.

Bud Thomas Eatchel would have been in the class of 1947; R. Kay Mower, in the Class of 1943.

Eatchel was drafted in May 1945 and served in the occupation forces in Japan. Upon his return, he worked for Bamberger Railroad, served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and worked 34 years in the Hill Air Force Base missile department's paint shop. He has been a school crossing guard for the past 11 years.

Mower joined the Merchant Marines at age 16, later trained as an Army gunner and was wounded during the Battle of the Bulge. He was 19 years old. After the war, he was part of the occupation force in Germany. Upon his return to Holladay, he built a resort on a family lake and worked 42 years as a car salesman and manager. He now works at Dan's market.