Before completing his senior year of high school in , Beckley,  , Billy F. Garretson , left to join the , U. S. Army, serving from 1958 to 1964.
A high school diploma was often elusive for him despite his military college graduation, decades of ministering, and other educational accomplishments.
That was until Tuesday, when, at 83, Garretson was awarded a high school diploma from , Raleigh County Schools , during a school board meeting.
Garretson said the sign gave him an appreciation for it and that he was humbled to be able to show him the time to his family, some of whom have also received Raleigh County Schools high school diplomas.
” It’s such an honor for the , Veterans Administration , to take care of this”, he said. ” I wanted to have that next certification because. I’d finished 11 years, and I wanted that next year. And they said if went into service before ( graduation ) that they had a form, and I remember, and so they filled it out and everything and that’s what got me here. They’re taken care of people that did n’t have a chance”.
Garretson’s company was even recognized by Del.  , Christopher Toney, a van driver for , Raleigh County Schools, who read a statement of identification on behalf of the , State of West Virginia.
In his speech, Toney said Garretson’s devotion and support for his state and country” may serve as a concept for those in , Raleigh County, the express of , West Virginia , and beyond”.
Those comments were echoed by a member from Sen.  , Joe Manchin ‘s , company, who presented Garretson with an American flag flown over the , U. S. Capitol , in honor of Garretson.
Speaking to the , Raleigh , class board members and others gathered at the conference, Garretson admitted to roughly being brought to tears by their words and actions.
” I want to thank the , Board of Education , of , Raleigh County, the , Veterans Association  , that set this up and … everyone that works in this board. I appreciate you so little, and thank you for all that you do”, he said.
Photos from his day serving in the Army and a summary of his martial support written in the terms of Garretson’s nephew, Levi Eric Garretson were displayed on windows throughout the board room while he was receiving his certificate and another accolades.
” My grandpa , Bill Garretson , joined the Army to serve this country in 1958 through 196 ( 4 )”, Levi writes. ” He was inducted into the military in , Beckley, WV , one day and was on his way to catch a train the next day at Prince train stop taking him to , Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri”.
From , Missouri, Garretson was sent to teaching in , Fort Hood, Texas, where he spent 16 months before being sent with dozens of other men to , Germany.
He recalls the deliver ramming into another huge ship because the fog is so thick that, Levi wrote. ” Anything was topsy-turvy for a while, but then they were comfortably on their way again. He said that perhaps half of the ship was dizzy the entire trip because of the difficult seas of the , Atlantic Ocean , in , November 1958″.
In , Germany, Garretson was stationed with the 36th Infantry Combat Command ‘ A’ , 3rd Armored Division. He attended the 7th , Army NCO Academy , in Bad Tolz,  , Germany, graduating with the level of commander.
Levi claimed that his father, who ran the hour and two-mile distances, even joined the Army track and field staff, but he never came out in fourth place.
He competed against an Olympic-class sprinter in a track meet held for all Army Europe. He got angry and said,” You know I should have stopped smoking them cancer sticks a long time ago,” Levi wrote.
Garrettson served in the military during a period that was noted in past: the Berlin Wall was constructed, the Vietnam War was in progress, and the Cuban Missile Crisis was raging.
” He was in , Germany  , during the time of the Berlin Wall was erected”, Levi wrote.
Due to ongoing conflict, Garretson’s time in , Germany  , was extended, making his tour of duty there four years.
He left , Germany  , in 1962 and served two years in , Fort Benning, Georgia.
Garretson recalls everyone at the center keeping their weapons and equipment out for 24 hours while awaiting an act’s command because he was present at the Cuban Missile Crisis.
In his last lines, Levi wrote that” Time will not allow me to tell of the many activities he endured. But in shut, I would like to note that he was in , Fort Benning, Georgia, taking teaching at the same time as , Elvis Presley. Therefore, when he got to , Germany, he was in the camp building right beside of , Elvis Presley ‘s , building. His companion Lewis got a photo with him, but father, being only 18 years old, was also embarrassed to ask for another. …
” Grandpa was 17 years old when he went in the Army in 1958, he is today 83 years old and living in , Beckley, WV. Retired from , General Motors , and withdrew from , The Pittston &, Brinks Company. He has been a priest presently for 43 years.
” Thanks for the thoughts”.
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