World War II vet gets his diploma 60 years late World War II vet gets his diploma 60 years late (July 16, 2004)

Los Altos man was scheduled to graduate from MVHS

By Julie O'Shea

Alfred Galedrige had been working in his family's cucumber garden the day Pearl Harbor was bombed. From his backyard, he watched as the Hawaiian skyline turned black from the explosion.

Galedrige, who was 16 then, said he couldn't wait "to get into that war."

But it would be another year before Galedrige saw battle. As American troops rushed to the front lines of World War II, Galedrige, his mother and siblings were sent away to live in the safety of their grandmother's Mountain View home. Their father, an Army official, stayed in Hawaii to help with the war effort. Galedrige, however, couldn't get the harbor bombing out of his mind and begged his parents to let him enter the war.

A year later, his parents finally relented, and at age 17, Galedrige dropped out of Mountain View High School and joined the Navy for a two-and-a-half-year tour of duty around the South Pacific.

"I missed out on a lot -- junior prom, senior ball, high school graduation," said Galedrige, now 78 and a Los Altos resident, in a telephone interview Tuesday. "This is the sacrifice you make when you go to the aid of your country."

A few weeks ago, Galedrige decided it was time to fill in some of the missing pieces of his childhood, namely his high school diploma, which he had earned enough credits to deserve before dropping out. On Wednesday, Galedrige along with 15 other World War II veterans, were awarded their diplomas from the Santa Clara County Office of Education.

"Operation Graduate" was started by the Department of Veterans Affairs in Massachusetts in 1999. Santa Clara County conducted one of the first graduation ceremonies in California in 2003. Another one was performed last April.

"It's very touching," said Joan Green, a spokesperson with the county education office. "When we got wind of (the program), we decided to participate in a big way."

Galedrige, who ran a barbershop in downtown Los Altos for 58 years, said he first heard about the program earlier last month while watching Larry King Live. A guest on the CNN talk show was talking about how his father had received his diploma through the program.

The following Monday, Galedrige drove over to Mountain View High School to ask Principal Pat Hyland if she knew anything about the program. Hyland eventually directed Galedrige to the office of education, where he showed up and promptly announced: "I'm here for my diploma, and I'm 60 years late."

Gilbert E. Urango, another former Mountain View High School student who is now living in San Jose, also received his diploma Wednesday. He was not available for comment.

Those interested in learning more about "Operation Graduate" can call Caroline Martin at the office of education at (408) 453-6514.

E-mail Julie O'Shea at joshea@mv-voice.com

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