Conn. bill would grant diplomas to Korean war vets

Hartford Courant: Conn. bill would grant diplomas to Korean war vets
HARTFORD, Conn.— Connecticut legislators are being asked to let local school boards grant high school diplomas to veterans who left school to serve in the Korean conflict.

The legislature's education and public safety committees both recently endorsed the bill, which awaits action in the state House of Representatives this spring.

Local and regional school boards can already grant diplomas to World War II veterans who left school for military service. The proposed bill would expand that authority to let them honor Korean war-era veterans who served between June 27, 1950 and Oct. 27, 1953.

State officials haven't determined how many Connecticut veterans might qualify, but legislators say many are now well into their 80s.

U.S. military officials say almost 37,000 Americans died in the Korean conflict, including 326 from Connecticut.