Nearly 60 years after he was on track to earn his high school diploma with the Canisteo Central School Class of 1967, Herman Bradford is finally a high school graduate.
On Friday, June 26, Canisteo-Greenwood Superintendent Thomas J. Crook awarded a high school diploma to Bradford at the district’s annual commencement exercises, fulfilling a dream that was waylaid by the Vietnam War and a distinguished military career.
Before he could graduate high school, Bradford was serving in the U.S. Army. After attending Basic Training, the Army shipped Bradford to Southeast Asia where he served as a field artillery specialist in Vietnam from 1968-69.
Bradford spent six years in the Army, and then 16 more in the U.S. Navy, according to family members. He lived on a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, for eight years. Bradford retired as an E5 Sergeant.
Bradford, affectionately known as “Herm” to friends and neighbors in Canisteo, is father to three daughters, one step-daughter and one step-son. He has eight grandchildren.
“Dad has one of the biggest hearts you’ll ever find,” said one of his daughters, Heather Bradford Campbell. “He would even give a stranger the shirt off his back. He is a dad to the world, and if you were in his life, you were considered family, and you were loved by him all of your life.”
Now 79, Bradford still dreamed of receiving his high school diploma, Bradford Campbell said.
In New York State, the Operation Recognition program confers high school diplomas to eligible U.S. veterans who left school early to serve in the military.
It took some subterfuge to get Bradford to the Canisteo-Greenwood graduation ceremony.
On Friday evening, Heather dropped her father off at the home of Josh Hoppough and Martha Jessup. Jessup, who works with the VA Home Health Care Program at the Bath VA Medical Center, has known Herman and Heather through her work and was happy to help with the surprise.
Herman thought he was simply going for a ride in Josh’s 2025 Mustang. Instead, Hoppough drove him to the graduation ceremony at Canisteo-Greenwood High School. When they arrived, Herman was led behind the bleachers, where family and friends were waiting to surprise him.
They greeted him with cheers, hugs, and balloons that read “1967–2026,” celebrating his journey from his original graduating class year to the year he finally received the recognition he had waited decades to enjoy.
Jessup presented Bradford with a framed letter of appreciation from Secretary of Veterans Affairs Douglas A. Collins and a Department of Veterans Affairs commemorative coin.
The honors had a profound impact on the newly-minted high school graduate.
“It’s all he has been talking about,” Bradford Campbell said. “You could tell it meant so much to him.”
Bradford’s family thanked Canisteo Greenwood Central School staff and graduates, VA Medical Center staff, and all who were involved in making his dream come true.
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This article originally appeared on The Evening Tribune: Vietnam veteran awarded high school diploma at Canisteo-Greenwood
Reporting by Neal Simon, Hornell Evening Tribune / The Evening Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Neal Simon, Hornell Evening Tribune | USA TODAY Network
