Decades later, local veterans get their diplomas
By Santa Ynez Valley Star Staff · Tue Mar 17 2020
By Brooke Holland
Noozhawk Staff Writer
John Blomstrand entered the U.S. Air Force during the 1960s from Santa Barbara and then served as an aircraft maintenance technician during the Vietnam War.
Margarito Delgadillo entered the U.S. Army in 1951 from Goleta and suffered significant injuries to his right leg from an enemy hand grenade four months after arriving in Korea, where he served as a combat infantryman supporting American operations in the Korean War.
These veterans left their high schools before graduation to fight in wars. On March 7, decades later, they finally received their diplomas.
The Santa Barbara County Education Office offered diplomas to seven U.S. veterans who could not receive theirs due to their service during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
Two diplomas were awarded posthumously, and surviving family members accepted the certificates.
The ceremony at the county Education Office's auditorium included the traditional commencement activities.
“Pomp and Circumstance" played, and a graduation march occurred.
Graduates wore black robes and mortarboards with tassels.
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Brooke Holland / Noozhawk photoHarry Pico of Goleta, a U.S. Army veteran, was recognized posthumously with a high school diploma.[/caption] Once the name of a high school degree candidate was called, the individual took the route of walking across the stage and was handed a diploma in front of more than 200 audience members. Henry Alvarado, a San Marcos High School alumnus who works for the Buellton Union School District, entered the U.S. Marine Corps in 1964 from Santa Barbara. He served as an infantryman and squad leader. He was a security guard at the Naval Annex in Washington, D.C., before being deployed to the Mediterranean. Alvarado achieved the rank of corporal and was honorably discharged in 1967 from Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia. He served an additional three years in the Marine Corps Reserve, and earned the National Defense Service Medal. After all those experiences, all those years, why does the high school diploma matter to Alvarado? “It gives me closure,” he told Noozhawk after the ceremony. “It means a lot.” The seven honorees recognized were: