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Eighty years after missing his college graduation ceremony, a 101-year-old WWII vet walked the stage and officially received his diploma on Sunday, May 14, in Mount Vernon, Iowa, Fox News reported.

"Every able-bodied man and lots of women were involved in World War II," Fred Taylor of La Mesa, California, told Fox News Digital.

"I think 16 million altogether," Taylor added. "I have no regrets about going into the service." He went on, "I really enjoyed flying. My only regret is missing my graduation ceremony, as you normally would end your senior year."

Taylor joined more than 200 graduates of the Cornell College Class of 2023 — and when he did, they embraced him as one of their own.

"Every time I mentioned his name — standing ovation," Jonathan Brand, the president of Cornell College, told Fox News Digital in a phone interview.

"It was heartwarming. It was emotional. It brought full circle his own connection with Cornell," Brand added. "He's gracious, humble, articulate, warm, loving. He is everything that one could ever hope a Cornellian would be."

Brand went on, "I think there was love for him because of his connection to Cornell, because of his military service, because of his endurance."

Taylor had completed the requirements for his music degree at Cornell College, but the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 catapulted the United States into World War II — putting the plans of many in his generation on hold.