In April 1943, Farrington High School threw a farewell party for 18 Japanese-American seniors cutting their education short to volunteer for World War II. It was the closest thing they got to a graduation.

When the ceremony ended, someone snapped a photo of the teens — all barely men — wearing several lei apiece and carrying themselves in the carefree way kids do. A few days later, those teens went off to war, joining thousands of other Japanese-Americans to form the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.

Their unit would become one of the most decorated in U.S. fighting history.

That photo would go on to hang at the Fort DeRussy Army museum.

Sixty-five years later, few of the Farrington 18 are still alive.

Some are believed to have died in the war. Others died of old age.

But three have been tracked down.

And today, in a small ceremony in front of Farrington alumni, family and friends, those three veterans will get something the war deprived them of — a high school diploma.

"After 65 years, somebody decided, yeah, let's do it," said Robert Katayama, one of the three to be honored at the belated graduation.

NOT FORGOTTEN

The Farrington alumni association organized the gathering as a way to recognize the sacrifice of the veterans and formally welcome them as alums. The three 442nd honorees are: Katayama, Tsuneshi Maruo and Alfred Y. Arakaki.

All of them are octogenarians.

Ronald Kam also will be given his diploma.

He was forced to stop school after the attack on Pearl Harbor, when he was needed at the base. When he tried to go back to school at 19, he wasn't allowed.

Then, he was drafted into World War II.

"I should have graduated," said Kam, who went on to become a machinist.

David Jeong of the alumni association said identity with a high school is vitally important in the Islands and the veterans deserve to say they graduated from Farrington. He also said the ceremony is meant to honor a group of men who sacrificed for their country, though their country questioned their loyalty.

Catherine Payne, principal of Farrington, will hand out the diplomas.

She said the school is issuing the diplomas as part of a federal program designed to get degrees to veterans of World War II and other wars who missed out on finishing the tail end of their high school educations.

The school has issued belated diplomas to other World War II veterans, Jeong said. But never in a similar ceremony or several at one time.

"It's the least we can do to honor them," Payne said. "There aren't too many left."

Retired Lt. Col. David Carlson, senior Army instructor for the Farrington Junior ROTC program, said the stories of the veterans teach an important lesson — especially to teens — about selflessness and sacrifice.

"These young fellows were in high school and the war was out there like a big, giant elephant," Carlson said. "High school and graduation became second and third priority. Defending their country and becoming a soldier was a higher calling at that point. Here they are, 65 years later, finally getting that little piece of paper that is so significant. It's important for these stories to get out there."

Katayama, one of the Farrington honorees, insists he didn't do anything extraordinary — just what everyone else was doing. He said it was important for members of the 442nd, about two-thirds of whom were from the Islands, to prove themselves as worthy, loyal Americans to the Army and the nation.

They did.

A little more than 10,000 men served in the 442nd. And during the course of World War II, its members received 9,486 Purple Hearts. Katayama has two, along with other medals of valor.

"We had to prove our loyalty," he said.

Though Katayama wasn't able to get a high school diploma, he did earn a bachelor's degree from the University of Hawai'i and a law degree from Yale University. UH was apparently getting many students after the war who had left school early to serve, and so didn't question his lack of a diploma.

"It would be nice to get a high school diploma," said Katayama, chuckling.

MEMORABLE BATTLES

Now 83, Katayama is finally slowing down in his retirement, after a whirlwind career as an attorney for the Army and some of the biggest firms on the Mainland and in Hawai'i. Though it has been more than six decades, he has a crystal-clear memory of the war, and his experiences.

The first battle he was in, Katayama remembers, was in June 1944 — one year after he would have graduated. Katayama was wounded by shrapnel in the clash, but didn't stay long in recovery. A few months later, in France, he was hit in the arm with a bullet. After a week of recuperating, he asked to be sent back with his unit, and he was. Katayama returned to Hawai'i in December 1945.

Already, the story of the 442nd was something of a modern-day legend.

Katayama said he is looking forward to seeing old friends Arakaki and Maruo, the other honorees. Maruo, who was well-known in the Islands after the war as a professional boxer, ran into Katayama recently and the two reminisced about old times. Arakaki, who retired from the U.S. Postal Service, is also excited about going to the ceremony and seeing old faces.

But he was initially a bit confused, his wife said. After all these years, he had forgotten he missed graduation day.

Reach Mary Vorsino at mvorsino@honoluluadvertiser.com.