90-year-old Korean War veteran finally gets degree from FDU after 70 years

A New Jersey college held a special honor for a Korean War veteran this week.

News 12 Staff

Apr 1, 2022, 10:00 PM

Updated 996 days ago

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A New Jersey college held a special honor for a Korean War veteran this week.
Fairleigh Dickinson University held a graduation ceremony on Wednesday for Richard Salkind. The 90-year-old finally got his degree more than 70 years after he first went to college.
Salkind left FDU in 1951 to enlist in the Army during the Korean War. Although he returned to school after the war, he left again to work and raise a family.
Salkind was 14 credits shy of graduating, but got credit for his work as a Morse Code Intercept Operator during the war.
"I’ve never had an occasion to be honored like this, and it’s something that I can put in my scrapbook," Salkind said. “I love my family, I love my school and I love my country and that’s really what was going through my mind all these years."
The school held the ceremony at Salkind's home in Dumont where he was given his Bachelor of Arts.