Sergeant Major of the Army Jack Tilley shares a laugh with Elmer Taylor, a 79-year-old World War II veteran, in Vancouver, WA, Nov. 7, 2002. Taylor, who quit school to join the Navy during in 1942, received his high school diploma after more than 60 years Nov. 7. He is the first Washington veteran to receive his diploma under a new state law. The law allows veterans whose high school completion was interrupted by military service to receive their diplomas. Tilley met with Taylor during a visit to his hometown of Vancouver last week. He also spoke to students at Fort Vancouver High School where he graduated in 1966