Recognition
The Sacramento County Board of Education conducts special ceremonies to award high school diplomas through Operation Recognition. Family and friends of the honorees are invited to attend. Since the start of the Sacramento County Office of Education Operation Recognition program in 2001, the Board of Education has awarded 128 high school diplomas to qualifying individuals. Four of the diplomas were awarded posthumously.
Sacramento County Operation Recognition ceremonies are conducted in conjunction with a meeting of the County Board of Education. The event is traditionally opened with a flag ceremony conducted by a local high school, youth, or veterans' organization. Each honoree is introduced and presented with his or her high school diploma.
In conjunction with each ceremony, diploma recipients and guests join with school board trustees and community leaders for a reception. Representatives from the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Military Order of the Purple Heart, Disabled American Veterans, and other veterans' organizations and agencies participate as well. Refreshments are served. The honorees and their families pose for photos and are often interviewed by members of the media.
Operation Recognition ceremonies are held periodically by the Sacramento County Board of Education to accommodate diploma requests. Diplomas may be requested by submitting an application. Although participation in Operation Recognition ceremonies is optional, the majority of qualifying applicants elect to attend.
The Board of Education has awarded diplomas to the following people:
May 15, 2008 [photo gallery]
- Fred W. Allen (U.S. Marines, Korean War)
- Dwight O. Baldwin (U.S. Army, Vietnam War)
- Darrell Arthur Boykin (U.S. Army, Vietnam War)
- Timothy John Callahan (U.S. Navy, Vietnam War)
- Facundo Campoy (U.S. Army, Korean War)
- Gerald Roosevelt Cheadle (U.S. Marines, Vietnam War)
- Wayne Cowin (U.S. Navy, World War II)
- Edwin Gilbert Cozby, Jr. (U.S. Army, Vietnam War)
- Jerry Fung (U.S. Army, Vietnam War)
- Roddy Fayette Gatdula (U.S. Air Force & Navy, WW II & Korean War)
- John Olivarez Gonzales (U.S. Army, Vietnam War)
- William Albert Imhof (U.S. Army, Vietnam War)
- Kazuo Denis Inouye (WW II internee, U.S. Army, WW II)
- Frank M. Kawahara (U.S. Army, Vietnam War)
- Robert Lee Keaton (U.S. Air Force, Korean War)
- Danny Lane King (U.S. Army, Vietnam War)
- Frank Joe Maldonado (U.S. Marines, Vietnam War)
- John Lloyd McElroy (U.S. Navy, Korean War)
- Wilfred Nuñez (U.S. Merchant Marines, Korean War & Vietnam War)
- Albert Emanuel Nygren (U.S. Army, WW II)
- Ernesto Muñoz Ortega (U.S. Navy, Vietnam War)
- Tsutomu Tom Ota (WW II internee)
- Melvin Aloysius Rose (U.S. Navy, WW II)
- Joe Robert Secco (U.S. Coast Guard, Korean War)
- Antonio Barrientos Tafoya (U.S. Army, Korean War)
- J.C. Terry (U.S. Army, Vietnam War)
- Ralph Cornelius Vanderhave (U.S. Army & Air Force, WW II & Korean War)
- Mark Stephen Velarde (U.S. Army, Vietnam War)
- Charles William Wagner (U.S. Navy, WW II)
- Edward Wayne Weil (U.S. Army, Vietnam War)
- Lawrence Wayne Windham (U.S. Army, Korean War)
- Robert Ybarra (U.S. Army, Vietnam War)
- Louis S. Zabala (U.S. Army, Korean War)
May 22, 2007 [photo gallery]
- David Eugene Brown (Army, Vietnam War)
- Gilbert Randall Cabrera (Army, Vietnam War)
- Henry Earl Davis (Marine Corps, Vietnam War)
- Gordon Ray Grewe (Marine Corps, Vietnam War)
- James Jerome Jimenez (Marine Corps, WW II and Korean War
- Floyd Kenneth May (Navy, Korean War)
- Gregory Charles McNeill (Marine Corps, Vietnam War)
- Robert Lee Mumphrey (Army, Vietnam War)
- Eliseo Derege Peralta (Army, WW II)
- Dan Joseph Pisani (Coast Guard, WW II)
May 24, 2006 [photo gallery]
- Sakaye Ishihara Aoki (WW II internee)
- Richard Dale Balak (U.S. Marine Corps, Vietnam War)
- Floyd Edward Carney (U.S. Army, Vietnam War)
- Carlos Cervantes (U.S. Navy, WW II)
- Lewis Wayne Easter (U.S. Navy, Korean War & Vietnam War)
- Frank Junior Garavito (U.S. Army, Vietnam War)
- Richard C. Garlinghouse (U.S. Navy, Korean War)
- Frank William Loscutoff (U.S. Army, Vietnam War)
- Rex T. Rice, Sr. (U.S. Army, WW II)
- Gordon Roberts (U.S. Navy, WW II & Korean War)
- Donald Edward Strassburg (U.S. Navy, Vietnam War)
- Floyd A. Van Dyke (U.S. Navy, WW II & Korean War)
- Jay B. Wiley (U.S. Marine Corps, Korean War)
- Danny Leon Willyard (U.S. Coast Guard, Vietnam War)
May 24, 2005 [photo gallery]
- Judge Albert, Jr. (U.S. Air Force, WW II & Korean War)
- Oliveiro Avis (U.S. Army, Korean War)
- George Combs (U.S. Army, WW II)
- Jack Criswell (U.S. Navy, Korean War)
- Cleveland Cushing (U.S. Navy, WW II & Korean War)
- Kenneth DeSouza (U.S. Army, WW II)
- Marvin Dowd (U.S. Marines, Korean War)
- William Egan (U.S. Marine Corps, Korean War)
- Thomas Ferrel (U.S. Marine Corps, WW II)
- Clifford Fleischbein (U.S. Marine Corps, WW II)
- Jay Gastelum (U.S. Navy, Korean War)
- William Hall (U.S. Coast Guard & U.S. Army, WW II)
- Paul Hamilton (U.S. Air Force, Korean War, Vietnam War)
- August Heinitz (Army Air Corps, WW II)
- Mike Ingle (U.S. Navy, WW II)
- Charles Kelly (U.S. Coast Guard & U.S. Army, WW II)
- John Koenck (U.S. Air Force, Korean War)
- Franklin McClure (U.S. Air Force, Korean War)
- John McNair (U.S. Marines, WW II)*
- Toyoko Nakatogawa (WW II Internee)
- Frank Nickelson (U.S. Navy, WW II)
- Franklin Puckett (U.S. Air Force, Korean War)
- Raymond Rodriguez (U.S. Marines, WW II)
- Clarence Schroeder (U.S. Navy, WW II)
- Jay Shifflette (U.S. Air Force, Korean War)
- Jimmy Sinetos (U.S. Navy, WW II)
- Arthur Smith (WW II)
- Earl Strauch (U.S. Navy, WW II)
- Sumiko Washino Sumida (WW II Internee)
- Henry Thienes (U.S. Navy, WW II)
*posthumous award
June 1, 2004 [photo gallery]
- Oscar Garcia (Army Airbone, Korean War)
- Lester Laird (Navy, WW II)
- Charles Edward Marshall (Navy, WW II)
- Roy C. Okino (Korean War Army & Internee)
- Frederick Howard Turner (Navy, WW II)
- Willis W. Wilson (Navy, WW II)
September 16, 2003 [photo gallery]
- Donald Eugene Risney (Navy, WW II)
May 20, 2003 [photo gallery]
- William C. Anderson (Army, WW II & Korean War)
- John Bollman (Army, WW II)
- Carl John Dahlberg (Navy, WW II)
- Harold P. Fong, Sr. (Army Air Force, WW II)
- Joseph Gomez (Army, WW II)
- Wesley J. Holden (Navy, WW II & Korean War)
- Carl J. Keehn (Coast Guard, WW II)*
- Richard W. Lee (Navy, Korean War)
- Alex O. Lopez (Army, WW II)
- Pasquale "Pat" Muzzillo (Marine, WW II)
- Joe Nagasawa (Army, Korean War; WW II Internee)
- Robert Nobuyuki Oda (WW II Internee)
- Albert Stinson (Army, WW II)
- Shiro "Albert" Tahara (WW II Internee)
- Alfred M. Thomsen (Navy, WW II)
- Stanley Tufts (Navy, WW II)
- Moses E. Turner (Army, Korean War)*
- Harry W. Winston (Army, WW II)
*posthumous award
June 4, 2002 [photo gallery]
- Leonard Harry Hansen (Army, WW II)
- Carmin Hawk (Army, Korean War)
- Billy G. Matthews (Army, WW II)
- Ray G. Sample (Army Air Corps, Coast Guard, Merchant Marines, WW II)
January 15, 2002 [photo gallery]
- Richard L. Aiello (Marine, Korean War)
- Maurice Carsey (Army, Korean War)
- Jim Noburu Fujikawa (Internee, WW II)
- Terry Teruko Fujikawa (Internee, WW II)*
- Akira Iwatsuru (Internee, Army, WW II)
- Earl Keer (Navy, WW II)
- Darrell Moore (Navy, Korean War)
- Masahiro Nakajo (Internee, Army, Korean War)
- Charles W. Perkins (Army, WW II)
- Keith L. Roberts (Navy, Korean War)
- Mike Wokich (Army Air Corps, WW II)
- William Young (Air Force, Korean War)
*posthumous award