ELKHORN — Glenn Boyd chose to fight in World War II instead of finishing high school. He would have finally received his diploma this year, but the 101-year-old passed away just days before graduation.
Boyd would have received an honorary diploma from Elkhorn Area High School, where he had talked to students about his WWII experience every Veterans Day.
"He was younger than I am now when he chose to fight for our country, and that was just so incredible to me," said Elkhorn Area High School senior Genevieve White.
Boyd served in the Army Air Force during WWII, where he primarily carried out cargo missions over China, Burma, and India. In order to serve, he dropped out of high school during his junior year.
Watch: WWII veteran who dropped out of high school to serve is awarded honorary diploma in Elkhorn
Principal Dan Kiel came up with the idea for the honorary degree after Boyd revealed during this school year's Veterans Day event that he did not graduate high school. Kiel said Boyd knew about the honor and was excited to join the class of 2026.
"When we told him, he thought about it for a second, and we could tell it was something he wanted to do," Kiel said. "We thought about doing it at the next Veterans Day ceremony, but one of our guys said, 'Why wait?'"
Boyd died on May 18, just twelve days before he would have received his diploma.
His son Larry Boyd, who followed in his father's footsteps and served in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War, traveled up to Elkhorn from Arkansas to honor his father one final time.
"We're just so proud of him," Larry Boyd said. "We need to remember the stories that our parents and grandparents tell us. When they're gone, we won't have that story anymore. We'll only have the memory, and we need to hang on to that."
Boyd will be remembered during Elkhorn Area High School's graduation with an empty seat covered by an American flag.
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