His brother’s final high school diploma won on Veterans’ Day will not be displayed in the frame on the wall of the living room, nor will it perch on the crackling mantle of the fireplace to dispel the chill of late autumn.

Instead, Gerry Lindeman Jr. said that the beautifully bound certificate that lists Mark Thomas Lindeman as a graduate of Northern Pennsylvania High School will be put together with other souvenirs from his 20-year-old brother, including the family’s collection from him. The postmark arrived July 21, 1967. 

The day he died in action in Vietnam. 

"School is not his business, so he just dropped out and joined the Marine Corps," said Lindeman from Hallesville, who attended the ceremony on behalf of his brother with his brother Rob. "Mark just, you know, Mark. But I know he will be grateful." 

The auditorium of North Penn High School is very grateful to the school district for issuing diplomas to honorable veterans who left the school before graduating to serve in the military: Lindeman; North Wales Navy veteran Michael Joseph Rollinghoff ( Michael Joseph Roellinghoff), served in 1982-86; and Howard Allen Barrick (1955-57), a veteran from Hatfield, and David Charles Turner (1962-65), from Lansdale year). 

North Penn got it right. The high school Air Force Junior ROTC showed the colors of the military department, and the school choir used mixed military songs to emphasize emotional rituals. 

Although 58 years have passed since he graduated with his classmates, Turner is still at a loss. 

“The ceremony is an important moment for me and all of us,” said Army General Turner, now 76. Lesson 4. "The way they handled it was fantastic. The ROTC students escorted us to the designated seats. The school board members met with us. Never thought this would happen. 

"I left school at the age of 17 to join the army because I wanted to serve my country. We just started clashing there; that was the beginning of the war. I went in February 62 and accepted it at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Basic training, and then went to Fort Knox, Tennessee.

"In July, I was stationed in Bamberg, Germany, where I was a chef and a baker. When I finished my first year or a year and a half after serving, I started doing different jobs at home. 1969 In 1999, I was employed by Merck for different jobs-floor packaging, forklift operator-and worked there for 32 years until I retired around 2000."

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What made Turner's ceremony special was the re-establishment of contact with his childhood friend and former next-door neighbor: Grilindman Jr. 

"We talked about Mark and how much we miss him," Turner said. "Since we were children, Gerry and I have rarely spoken. We had a lot of fun growing up. I, Mark and Gerry played together in the sand on a site that was once close to St Stein's Church in Lansdale. . Talk to Gerry again to make the ceremony more special." 

Recognition of veterans was a recent initiative held in Northern Pennsylvania in 2005 and was relaunched this year under the direction of school board director and Air Force veteran Al Roesch. 

"We were reviewing school policies when we were elected two years ago," said Roesch. Roesch said: "We met an old one that said that veterans of the Second World War and the Korean War left school before they got their diplomas and could get One." "We just thought it would be a good idea to extend it to all veterans." 

A plaque commemorating the late members of the armed forces who graduated from Northern Pennsylvania is located on the corner of Pennsylvania and Chapel Street, at Pendale Middle School, a high school building before 1971. Lindemann hopes to add his brother's name to the list. The school district is working with the Lindemann family to realize this wish.

As for Turner, he will continue to walk with his wife in Hibna Park every day. He will soon hang his graduation certificate on the wall of his home office next to the letter of commendation he received from U.S. Representative Madeleine Dean. 

Turner said: "After so long, I still remember being very happy." 

Columnist Phil Gianficaro can be reached at 215-345-3078, pgianficaro@theintell.com and @philgianficaro on Twitter.