The Graduate — Benjamin Brett Braun

The Graduate.

Lou Picariello, 95, adjusts his Marine bolo necktie before leaving for his graduation ceremony in Needham, Mass., on Nov. 10, 2021. “Once a Marine, always a Marine,” Mr. Picariello commented.

(L-R) Lou Picariello, a World War Two veteran, is interviewed by Lila Goldstein and Kaitlyn Concannon from the Support Our Troops Club in Needham, Mass., on Nov. 8, 2021. The Two Girls are Needham High School Juniors and will be airing Mr. Picariello's interview in the coming weeks on Needham’s cable station.

Lou Picariello, 95, calls and invites Lee Fabbri, a friend of over thirty years and fellow World War Two veteran, to come to his high school graduation ceremony in Needham, Mass., on Nov. 10, 2021.

Lou Picariello, 95, granddaughter Jodie Martine puts on a graduation cap before Mr. Picariello’s graduation ceremony at Needham High School on Nov. 10, 2021.

Needham's Superintendent Dan Gutekanst applauds Lou Picariello, 95, as he performs the Pledge of Allegiance over the intercom for Needham High before he graduates on Nov. 10, 2021.

Lou Picariello salutes an applauding crowd as he stands next to fellow members of the Needham VFW and police on Nov. 10, 2021. Dana Storrs from the Needham VFW shared, “We (Needham VFW) saw an article about a veteran who got their diploma years ago, and it later came up Lou never got his. So, we talked to Dan (Gutekanst the Superintendent)”.

Lou Picariello, 95, presents his diploma and cracks a joke in the main office of the Needham High School on Nov. 10, 2021.

Lou Picariello rests outside his home in Needham after his graduation ceremony on Nov. 10, 2021.

Lou Picariello looks over his hometown Needham, Mass. as he tours the High School after his graduation ceremony on Nov. 10, 2021.

Lou Picariello, age 96, is not your typical 2021 Needham High School graduate. In 1943, Mr. Picariello, a senior in high school at the time, enlisted to serve in the Marines during WWII. He departed three months before his expected graduation date. “I turned 18 and felt that it was my time to serve and fight in the war,” he says. “The Marines were getting all the action, so I joined in.”

Lou said goodbye to his small Massachusetts hometown and headed to North Carolina’s Marine Corps Air Station at Cherry Point for basic training. After basic training, Picariello took a troop train from Budford, North Carolina to San Diego, California, where the new soldiers were to be shipped overseas. “I was a know it all 18-year-old, and the Marines made a man out of me,” Picariello proclaimed.

Mr. Picariello served in the motor pool where he transported generals from one location to another. He later served at a bomber squadron in the Pacific, island-hopping from 1945-1955. “I was an airplane mechanic and made sure they were fueled up and hoped they came back,” he explained. “They bounced me around. I was one of the lucky ones, I didn’t get put in the line company.”

On November 10th, 2021, Needham High School principal, Aaron Sicotte, presented Lou Picariello with his high school diploma during a special graduation ceremony before Veterans Day. The room was packed with friends, family, officers from the Needham Police Department, and fellow veterans from the Needham VFW.

Mr. Picariello performed the Pledge of Allegiance and thanked Needham High School for honoring him over the loudspeaker during the morning announcements. Then, he presented his diploma to the crowd as they cheered. Afterwards, friends and family took the opportunity to pose for photos with the World War II veteran. The ceremony was concluded by the NHS chorale’s performance of “America the Beautiful.” Lou Picariello was visibly moved.

Lou Picariello walked out of the main office with his new cap, gown, and diploma in hand to see the Needham High School’s memorial of fallen Needham veterans in the main lobby. He pointed out names, remembering the veterans he knew personally. He then saluted the large crowd of people who congregated in the lobby to watch. All in attendance were clapping for the hometown hero. “Today was special,” Lou Picariello said, “and I’m glad I waited.”