Operation Recognition Provides Assistance in Obtaining High School Diplomas

By Chuck N. Baker
(Nevada) — The word “operation” can conjure up several varied meanings. In the military, a planned exclusion into enemy territory can be called an “operation.” In medicine, “operation” generally refers to a surgical procedure. In manufacturing, preparing machinery pertains to ascertaining that it’s in working “operation.” But in Nevada when it comes to earning a high school diploma that should have been awarded long ago, one has to connect with Operation Recognition. That’s the name of legislation that authorizes presenting diplomas to local veterans who left high school without graduating due to the military draft, or because they left on their own to join the service.

Charm McElree is a one-woman band when it comes to locating and recognizing those individuals. She is a former adult education teacher who understands the importance of a diploma. “Those pieces of paper are just small tokens of the recognition that those veterans deserve,” she said.

She explained that while there are untold numbers of veterans who are eligible to receive their diplomas, “Most of them don’t know about the program. Or if they heard something about it, a lot of them don’t think the recognition will ever happen to them.” McElree is tireless when it comes to helping those individuals, and, once identified, she assists them in filling out the paperwork.

Her work is all voluntary. She receives no compensation from the Veterans Administration (VA) or the Nevada Department of Veterans Services (NDVS). As a former educator, who is appreciative of the service veterans have provided, she feels compelled to identify eligible individuals and provide the recognition they have long deserved.

Most of those men and women have moved on with their lives and have been successful regarding employment and family life. But they always felt something was missing. In at least one case, McElree said a veteran who had left high school to join the military later went on to graduate from college through a strong aptitude, positive SAT testing and other educational and administrative requirements. He had already achieved a high level of education. “But he always felt there was a void in his background in that he never graduated from high school,” she said. Enter McElree, who helped him come full circle when he received his diploma through Operation Recognition.

In some cases, local veterans left high school in other states, so their records are elsewhere. In those instances, they are asked to provide affidavits affirming that they once attended secondary schools before leaving to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces. Once all the required paperwork is verified and approved, including DD214s, application is made to the NDVS. That department forwards the information to the appropriate school district so that diplomas can be awarded.

Veterans can receive their diplomas during the next school graduation as part of a senior class, or they can request individual ceremonies. A third option is to have the diploma sent through the mail sans fanfare.

Semantics aside, years ago students and teachers had fun talking the “Three R’s” of education — “Readin’, ‘Rritin’, and ‘Rithmatic.”  Today, they would have to add a fourth R for many students — Recognition. In the case of Charm McElree, maybe even a fifth R — Rectitude. Her veracity, moral virtue and credibility in helping select veterans obtain their high school diplomas deserves the highest praise.