Joseph Pinsky: 85-Year-Old WWII Vet Graduates From College

85-year-old Joseph Pinsky has always wanted to write on job applications that he is a college grad. Now, thanks to Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn, N.Y., he can do so.

The WWII veteran received his degree on Tuesday, almost 70 years after he returned from serving in the Philippines during World War II, according to The Huffington Post.

CBS Local reports that Pinsky retired from the U.S. Postal Service and, after retiring, the only reason he went back to school was because of his wife, who he has been with for 38 years. The college grad stated:

“I did that to waste time because she said get out of the house.”

Pinsky’s wife, Rosalind, is very excited for her husband. She stated:

“I’m very proud of him because I asked him ‘What are you going to do when you retire? You have to do something.'”

And so he did, earning a degree in liberal arts, though he stated that philosophy was definitely not his favorite. On spending class times with younger students, Joseph Pinsky stated:

“It was an experience. Let’s put it this way — with all those youngsters, I was the only one [graduating] that was an old man. I was just like one of the students. They didn’t consider me as ‘hey pop,’ you know what I mean?”

According to CBS Local, it took Pinsky 10 years to complete his degree, because of surgeries and serious illnesses for both him and his wife. Rosalind stated that:

“He wasn’t sure he wanted to go back after he was sick, I said ‘No no no, you just don’t quit…you’re able, you do. You started, you finish.'”

And so he did. Surrounded by his family on Tuesday, the grandfather proudly walked on stage to receive his diploma.