For the record: Interestingly enough, you need a high school diploma or equivalent to join the Army.
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The US Armed Services have study programs for those without HS diplomas to get HS equivalency diplomas and beyond.
We had men in our company at Fort Jackson and Fort Benning who did this.
During WWII many young men quit HS to go fight and returned to complete HS after the war was over.
I know of a number of men who took that route.
Bud Garner joined the US Navy, survived a ship sunk by a Japanese sub, after the war Bud went back to HS and is active as the City Historian and writes for a local area newspaper today.
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