With his diploma: Smiling proudly, Charles “Ron” Spamer holds the high school diploma he recently received from the State of Florida after 57 years. He left school in the 50s to join the U.S. Navy and served during the Korean War. Photo by Mel Toadvine

Charles R. Spamer of Lehigh, better known to his friends as just plain “Ron” said he quit school during the Korean War just to get into the U.S. Navy.

“My mother was against it, but my dad signed for me to join so I left home at age 17 and ended up in Korea and other ports in the Pacific,” he said.

Just recently Spamer and nine other men from Lee County received their high school diplomas from the State of Florida, not GEDs, but real authentic diplomas.

“My mom in her later life said the Navy made a man out of me though,” Spamer laughed, looking back at those early years.

He said he lived in Pasadena, Md., near Baltimore when he was younger and he was more interested in getting into the U.S. Navy than he was finishing school. He loved the water being near the Chesapeake Bay. And he loved boating.

Proud veteran: Charles “Ron” Spamer, who received his high school diploma after 57 years, throws up his U.S. Navy cap to show how proud he is to have gotten a real diploma after leaving school to join the Navy during the Korean War. Photo by Mel Toadvine

“The Navy gave me all those things, the water, the ships and I loved it,” he said.

During his stint in the Navy, he was stationed on two battle carriers as a boat’s mate, in Korean waters, describing his job as doing a lot of everything on the ships. He didn’t have direct relationship with the pilots who were flying bombers over N. Korea but he was in the capacity of supporting them.

Spammer remembers be was assigned land duty in South Korea and was near the DMZ, the so-called demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea today.

“I served more toward the end of the war and am younger than some of the vets of the Korean War. I am 75, but I went in young and I don’t regret it,” he said.

Now that he has his high school diploma he has framed it and is getting ready to find that certain spot in the house on Jackson Street to hang it to show it off.

“I am very proud to get it,” he said.

He’s a high school graduate thanks to a Florida program that now hands out degrees to veterans who never had the opportunity to finish high school because they served in World War II, the Korean War or the Vietnam War.

At the ceremony at Fort Myers Beach he was awarded his diploma from U.S. Congressman Connie Mack. Also on hand were Lee County Commissioner Ray Judah and Lee County Board of Education Superintendent Dr. James Browder.

“Throughout our nation’s history, men and women like you have answered the call of duty in times of peace and in times of conflict. Often times, these brave heroes have had to put their lives on hold to answer that call. Your efforts have helped to preserve liberty and freedom around the world, and we are truly grateful for your personal sacrifices,” Mack told the group.

Nearly 4,000 such diplomas have been awarded through the state program as of this month. Most of the diplomas before have gone to veterans from World War II. But as that group is passing away, more and more men and women from the Korean War and Vietnam War are being awarded these diplomas.

Before he moved to Lehigh a few years ago, Spamer said he lived in Chincoteague, Va., an island off the coast the Eastern Shore of Virginia. A lot of people don’t know about Chincoteague, but that is where the wild ponies are gathered in Assateague in a roundup by firemen and urged to swim across a bay during low tide, he said.

The town was made famous by the book “Misty of Chincoteague” 50 years ago and every July during the last week, a carnival is held and some of the ponies are raffled off. The fire department takes care of the ponies and feeds them during the winter.

Spamer said that while living in Chincoteague, he ran a boat out into the bay for people to watch the ponies swim across the channel.

During his life he has worked mostly in the security business and is now looking for employment in that field. He has been married for 54 years to Maxine Spamer who is president of the American Legion 323 Ladies Auxiliary in Lehigh. Spammer is also active in the American Legion as a district officer and serves as an assistant sergeant at arms for District 13 in Bonita.

Maxine couldn’t attend the diploma award ceremony because she was in Orlando for the American Legion, but their daughter Beth Helmick was there. She lives in Lehigh and is a supervisor of Storage King and said she was very proud of her dad.

Asked if he would advise young people today to follow his steps, he said he wouldn’t.

“An education is very important and that high school diploma is a must and so is some further training like college. I tell the young ones to get their diplomas and stay in school,” he said.

“But that was a different time and others left school for work or the service and it was a time of war and I wanted to become a part of the U.S. Navy and serve my country, and like my mother said when I came back, it did make a man out of me,” he said.

When he left the Navy he had worked up to the rank of E-7, quite an accomplishment in itself.

“I’ve always loved the water. And I am very proud to have this diploma after all these years,” he said.