MANDAN, ND (KXNET) — Two North Dakota veterans of the Korean War have been awarded honorary high school diplomas. Clayton Bertsch, an 87-year-old from Ypsilanti, and Frank Kraft, a 96-year-old from Mandan were recognized by North Dakota School Superintendent Kirsten Baesler. These two men went into the service before they got the chance to graduate, so under ND law, they were able to apply for honorary diplomas. Mr. Clayton Bertsch with his honorary diploma, taken on October 10, 2024. Photo provided by ND Department of Public Instruction. Bertsch enlisted in the Navy in 1954 and served four years. He has just turned 17 and graduated from the eighth grade. Before enlisting, he had planned to attend high school, but his father was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and help was needed on the family farm. When Bertsch joined, he didn't know how to swim, and his daughter said he was taught to swim by being ordered to jump off a diving board. When Bertsch was honorably discharged, he attended North Dakota State College of Science to become a plumber and then got a job at the North Dakota State Hospital in Jamestown, where he worked for 54 years. "His family, his state, and his country were his priorities," his daughter had said. Look for blue-green algae while out hunting Kraft was drafted into the Army in 1951, right after he finished eighth grade, where he was a tank mechanic. According to his records, after two years, he was honorably discharged. During his training, he was at Camp Desert Rock — a Nevada nuclear testing site. Mr. Frank Kraft with his honorary diploma, taken on August 24, 2024. Photo provided by ND Department of Public Instruction. His daughter Sheila said he, "told us he arrived after one test and left before the next one." After tank maintenance training, Kraft was posted to the Korean War zone, working mostly on M46 Patton tanks. When he was discharged, he returned to North Dakota and worked in construction, as well as a bricklayer and mason. His daughter said that he also did farm work, worked at a Mandan creamery, and fixed radios. In 2001, it was authorized to give honorary high school diplomas to WWII veterans, and then in 2003, the honorary diploma was extended to veterans who served in the Korean and Vietnam wars. Since then, almost 300 diplomas have been awarded. Any veterans of WWII, Korea, or Vietnam who would like an honorary high school diploma should contact the Department of Public Instruction. The process involved filling out a one-page application and supplying a copy of the veteran's DD-214 (documents of a veteran's military service). Family members of a deceased veteran may apply posthumously in the veteran's name. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Today's Top Stories SIGN UP NOW