Local army veteran surprised with an honor 55 years in the making

RIO VISTA (CBSNewsTexas.com) - A local army veteran was surprised Thursday with an honor 55 years in the making. Photojournalist Mike Kinney takes us to a veterans program and parade where one veteran was honored with some long overdue recognition. 

Rio Vista High School student Guadalupe Garza Reyna put his education on hold when he joined the military April 17, 1967. 

"My dad went to school here, and he left school to join the army, and went to Vietnam," said Linda Reyna Martin. "It just never bothered him about getting his high school diploma."

He became a sergeant, serving in the United States Army working for communications.

"My sister had found out about this act that was recently passed—any veteran that went to school and dropped out to go and serve in the military during wartime was eligible [to get] their diploma," Reyna Martin continued. "He knew he was getting honored as a veteran but didn't know he was getting his high school diploma."

"It was a surprise," Sgt. Reyna said. "I didn't expect anything like this. But, I appreciate it."

Rio Vista ISD Superintendent Paul Ryan said it was a no-brainer to give Sgt. Reyna what he deserved.

"He put his high school career on hold to go serve our country, and there's no better education than the real world and serving our country,"  Ryan said.

Reyna Martin says her father didn't have a parade after he came home from the army. 

"He said he wasn't treated with any honor when he returned back from Vietnam," she shared.

"You know, for us veterans—a lot of us—it's a big deal, because we really never got recognized for what we did," Sgt. Reyna expressed.

"To see the veterans now—they're being honored, people are saying thank you for the service and the time, and they deserve that," Reyna Martin said. "They deserved it then just as much as they deserve it now."