The Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) has announced that applications are available for U.S. veterans and Japanese American WW II internees to receive high school diplomas. Diplomas will be awarded through the Operation Recognition program, which honors the contributions and sacrifices of individuals who missed completing high school to serve in the U.S. military (World War II, Korean War or Vietnam War) or to relocate to a World War II internment camp for Japanese American citizens.
Operation Recognition applications are available by mail from: Operation Recognition, P.O. Box 269003, Sacramento, CA 95826-9003, or by calling (916) 228-2416. Applications are also available from the Sacramento County Veterans Service Office, located in midtown Sacramento at 2007-19th Street, and from branches of the Sacramento Public Library.
"Many young people put their educations and personal lives on hold to serve our country during times of war," said Sacramento County Superintendent of Schools David W. Gordon. "These veterans and Japanese American citizens went on to make countless contributions throughout their lives. Operation Recognition is our opportunity to honor them for the sacrifices they made."
The Sacramento County Board of Education has provided diplomas to 128 qualifying veterans and Japanese American citizens through Operation Recognition since the program's adoption in 2001. Four of the diplomas have been awarded posthumously.
Residents of Sacramento County are encouraged to request diplomas on behalf of themselves or qualifying family members, including people who are now deceased. May 8, 2009, is the deadline to submit applications. The Sacramento County Board of Education is scheduled to hold its next Operation Recognition diploma awards ceremony on Tuesday, May 26, 2009.
Qualifications
- Applicant or recipient is a Sacramento County resident;
- Veterans—show proof of Honorable Discharge from U.S. military service occurring during WW II, the Korean War, or the Vietnam War;
- Japanese American citizens—show proof of internment in a WW II relocation camp; and
- Veterans and Japanese American citizens—give name of high school applicant was attending at the time of induction into military service or internment.
A family member of a qualifying individual, living or deceased may submit an application. People who meet the qualifications, but earned a GED, are eligible. Those living outside Sacramento County will be referred to their local county office of education.
California law (Education Code § 51440) authorizes the granting of retroactive high school diplomas to eligible veterans. California Assembly Bill 781 was enacted as law (Education Code § 51430) on January 1, 2004, specifically authorizing the retroactive granting of diplomas to persons whose internment by federal order in World War II prevented them from graduating from their home town high school.