High school diplomas awarded to 3 war veterans

ASHDOWN, Ark. (KSLA) — The 100th Veterans Day came to a close with three ArkLaTex heroes receiving their high school diplomas.

They quit high school to enter military service.

But there’s a provision by the Arkansas Board of Education that allows veterans who left high school before graduation to serve in the Korean War, World War II or the Vietnam War to receive their high school diplomas.

And the Ashdown, Ark., public school district acted on it.

The School Board presented high school diplomas Monday to:

86-year-old Billy Wayne Adkinson, who served in the Korean War era,

88-year-old James Bradshaw, also a Korean War veteran, and,

64-year-old Daniel Booth Jr., a veteran of the Vietnam War.

“I like it. I never thought I would get one," Booth said.

Bradshaw knows just what he’ll do with his.

“I’ll be proud of it. I’ll mount it on the wall.”

Bradshaw’s daughter described the gesture as fantastic. “I wish they would have done it 20 or 30 years ago.”

The leaders of Ashdown Public Schools say they are open to other qualified Arkansas veterans filing for their honorary diplomas.

To do so, contact the district’s superintendent by:

• calling (870) 898-3208;
• visiting 751 Rankin St. in Ashdown;
• sending an email to cnichols@ashdownschools.org;
• sending mail to Superintendent, Ashdown Public Schools, 751 Rankin St. Ashdown, AR 71822; or,
• sending a fax to (870) 898-3709

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