98-year-old Marine veteran in hospice care receives high school diploma

POOLESVILLE, Md. — A 98-year-old Marine veteran in hospice care realized a lifelong dream on Friday when he was awarded the high school diploma he never received because he had enlisted during World War II.

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Richard Remp, of Poolesville, Maryland, dropped out of high school in Sharon, Pennsylvania, when he was 17 to serve during World War II, WJLA-TV reported.

According to U.S. military archives, Remp was born on May 10, 1926, in Sharon. He enlisted with the Marines on Jan. 17, 1944.

In addition to World War II, Remp would serve in Korea and Vietnam, WJLA reported. In between his stints during World War II and Korea, he was a roll grinder at a steel mill, according to the 1950 census.

The veteran, nicknamed “Gunny” because he was a gunnery sergeant while serving in Vietnam, fell a few weeks ago, according to the television station. Doctors examining him after the tumble discovered that Remp had stage 4 cancer.

Several of Remp’s family members and friends at American Legion Post 247 decided to see if they could get him the high school diploma he gave up to serve in the military.

The high school Remp attended was unable to produce a diploma quickly, but Justi Glaros, the superintendent for Sharon High School’s district, heard about the veteran’s situation and got a diploma printed with her school board’s approval, WJLA reported.

She drove more than four hours to deliver it personally to Remp, according to the television station.

“Thank you very much. You people just don’t know what it means to me,” Remp said. “I’ll cherish this for the rest of my life.

“On behalf of myself and the Marine Corps, I thank you very much for what you have done for me. I’ll never forget this. How can I with all you good people around me? I’m really happy.”

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