Oneonta City School District Awards Posthumous Diplomas to Vietnam Veterans During Memorial Day Ceremony
ONEONTA, NY – May 26, 2025 — The Oneonta City School District posthumously awarded high school diplomas to two former students who were killed in action during the Vietnam War. The solemn presentation took place during the City of Oneonta’s Memorial Day Commemoration Ceremony at Neahwa Park.
Lance Corporal Robert Martin Dwyer, Class of 1966, and Lance Corporal Robert Arthur Wiedman, Class of 1967, were honored through Operation Recognition, a New York State program that allows school districts to award diplomas to veterans who left school to serve in the military and never returned home.
Assistant Superintendent Coleen Moore presented the diplomas on behalf of Superintendent Thomas Brindley, the Oneonta City School District Board of Education, and the New York State Education Department. The diplomas were accepted by Terry Harkenreader, Post Commander of American Legion Post #259.
The ceremony was especially meaningful to Gene Schmidt, an Oneonta resident and veteran who led the effort to raise funds for the Vietnam War memorial in Neahwa Park, which honors the nine Oneonta residents who died in Vietnam. Schmidt was also the driving force behind the effort to recognize Dwyer and Wiedman as graduates of Oneonta High School.
“I recently found out that two of those guys didn’t graduate from Oneonta,” Schmidt said. “They deserve to be honored.”
After learning of similar posthumous recognitions for World War II and Korean War veterans in other school districts, Schmidt spoke with Superintendent Brindley. “I said, ‘Great, now they can all be high school graduates.’ Obviously they’re not going to be here to accept it,” Schmidt said.
Doug Escher, a Vietnam War veteran and Oneonta High School alumnus, also shared heartfelt remarks about Dwyer and Wiedman, offering personal reflections and reading from their obituaries.
To make the ceremony even more special, Oneonta High School Valedictorian Bryson Huber delivered a stirring recitation of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, while Salutatorian Jack Fauth read General John A. Logan’s Memorial Day Orders, the original proclamation that established Memorial Day as a time for national remembrance.
The OHS Band, under the direction of Mr. Mike DePauw, provided moving musical performances throughout the ceremony, adding to the reverent and patriotic atmosphere of the event.
“These diplomas are more than symbolic,” Moore said. “They stand as a testament to the values of duty, honor, and sacrifice, and as a reminder that their stories are forever woven into the legacy of our schools and our community. Robert Dwyer and Robert Wiedman will always be remembered—not only as heroes of our nation, but as proud graduates of Oneonta High School.”
This moving ceremony served as a powerful reminder of the enduring gratitude owed to those who gave their lives in service to their country—and affirmed that their interrupted educational journeys are now honored and complete.
