Honorary diplomas are sought for vets

A Utah lawmaker wants military veterans who never finished high school to get an honorary diploma.

Rep. Lynn Hemingway, D-Salt Lake, plans to draft a bill for the 2008 session that will be aimed at older veterans who went to war and were not able to finish high school.

"I think it's more symbolic," Hemingway said of the bill's intent.

Hemingway's idea came after his wife Sherma's 40th class reunion for graduates of Tooele High School. The reunion committee contacted Hemingway about a Vietnam veteran from the class who lost an arm during combat. The vet earned his GED and even a master's degree, Hemingway said, but he's still without a high school diploma.

Hemingway also heard about a World War II veteran who was given an honorary diploma from Tooele High School.

"They're not going back to high school," Hemingway said about WWII, Korea and Vietnam vets who don't have diplomas. "The one thing they're missing in life is their high school degree."