LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Nearly six decades after leaving Fuller High School to serve in Vietnam, David Hoss finally received the diploma he once thought he would never hold.
While attending school, Hoss enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1966. Just as he signed his enlistment papers, a draft notice arrived at his family’s home. “I handed it to my mother and said, ‘Tell them I’m already in,’” Hoss recalled.
He served from 1967 to 1969, spending 27 months in Vietnam as a vehicle mechanic. During that time, he lost four classmates from Fuller who were killed in action in 1968. One of them, Richard Wells, had already been wounded twice and was just one Purple Heart away from being sent home. “But they killed him before he got the chance,” Hoss said.
When he returned home, Hoss faced a country divided over the war. Veterans were often met with protests rather than gratitude. “You didn’t wear anything military when you came back,” he said. “You didn’t tell anybody you’d been to Vietnam.” It wasn’t until the Gulf War in 1991 that he began to notice a shift in public appreciation for veterans.
Earlier this year, Hoss asked if he could receive the diploma he had never earned due to his service. With the help of fellow Fuller alumni, Jostens, and the Pulaski County Special School District, that wish came true. At the October 14, 2025, board meeting, Superintendent Jeff Senn presented Hoss with his high school diploma from Fuller High School.
"There are not many of us who can say we were fighting in the wars, so we could not get to graduation," Senn said. “This is a great day for you, but let me tell you something more — thank you for serving our country.”The moment was emotional for Hoss, who has carried both pride and pain from his service. “I’m proud of what I did. I should have went ahead and finished school, but I just couldn't do it,” he said. "I want to thank each and every person that had a hand in this."
For Hoss, the diploma represents more than a piece of paper. It is a symbol of recognition long overdue — for his service, his sacrifice, and his place in the Fuller High School legacy.
Watch Hoss’s story below or here.