On Thursday afternoon, Orville Baldus, Earl "Bud" Campbell and Kermit Thomas walked across the stage at Austin High School and got their high school diplomas – 57 years late.

Friday, November 12, 1999

On Thursday afternoon, Orville Baldus, Earl "Bud" Campbell and Kermit Thomas walked across the stage at Austin High School and got their high school diplomas – 57 years late.

"War never comes at a convenient time in people’s lives," Austin Public Schools Superintendent James Hess said. "Many of our honored vets had to put plans – jobs, marriage, education – on hold to fight for our country."

Baldus, Campbell and Thomas – as well as Robert J. Dunn and Howard H. Fisher who were unable to attend – were honored Thursday in a Veteran’s Day ceremony at Austin High School. Present was the entire AHS student body, honored guests, fellow veterans, and lots of family members.

All of the recent graduates had quit high school to fight for their country during WWII and had never gone back. Somehow life got in the way and it just never happened.

"I quit school in October of 1942," Thomas said. "I was always on the honor roll, but the assistant principal didn’t say much when I told him what I was going to do. A lot of us dropped out to fight then."

Thomas went on to be a gunner’s mate on the U.S.S. Wichita and fought all over the Pacific.

Baldus went to AHS through the 11th grade, took a sheet metal course and then enlisted. He was in the US Naval Reserves for two years and eight months before coming home to Austin.

"Happy," he said, standing very straight but eyes watering a little when asked how it felt to finally get his diploma.

Campbell was happy too – he said it was something he "never expected to acquire." Campbell only made it through the 10th grade at AHS. After that, he quit school to go to work when his parents separated and then joined the army. He was a machine gunner – 30 lb water cooled machine gun – in the 1st Division of the U.S. Army. He went to Africa, Sicily and into France via Omaha Beach. Then he went into hospital for three years, after being wounded in his arm, side, stomach, head and face.

"It’s a miracle he lived," wife Martha said.

"I came back here. People asked where I’d been. I told them I’d been around," Campbell said. "From there I went looking for work. Work was difficult to find when you were a wounded veteran. Finally Mr. Huntley at Weyerhaueser hired me … I never got to thank him properly."

Ben Johnson, an AHS student, was outside the high school after the program.

"They should be honored," he said, "because we wouldn’t have the freedoms we have today if not for them."