Cape Korean War veteran receives honorary high school diploma

Gus W. Gockel Jr. of Cape Girardeau was recently presented with an honorary high school diploma from the Missouri Department of Education as part of "Operation Recognition," created for veterans who dropped out of high school to serve in the armed forces during wartime.

While attending the former College High School in Cape Girardeau Gockel played the tuba and trombone in the high school band. He served with the Army National Guard in Cape Girardeau before active duty.

Gockel joined the Navy in 1953 during the Korean War, but was drafted by the Army, where he became a field artillery communications radio operator.

Gockel was scheduled to deploy to Korea but the war ended during boot camp. He was instead assigned to the 552 AAA Battalion in Karlsruhe, Germany.

A half-century later Gockel, 75, was awarded his diploma. His reaction was one of pride but also surprise. His son, Jimmy Lee Gockel, an Air Force retiree, applied to the Missouri Veterans Commission for the diploma on behalf of his father after hearing about "Operation Recognition." He expressed joy in seeing his father receive his diploma after all these years.

Gus Gockel, a retiree from the Cape Girardeau city parks department said, "This is something I will always treasure, and Armed Forces Day being just around the corner makes it all the better."