Congressional Medal campaign for Filipino World War II vets gains support
SAN DIEGO, California—A team of American scholars who are experts in World War II history have joined a nationwide campaign to push the US government to award the Congressional Gold Medal to Filipino WWII veterans, retired US Army Major General Antonio Taguba announced on Aug. 10 (Sunday in Manila).
Taguba, who has been leading the campaign, said the scholars from the University of Maryland and Massachusetts Institute of Technology volunteered to help conduct solid research documenting the Filipino veterans’ wartime service.
He said the research would gather “indisputable, incontrovertible proof” to back the campaign as supporters would prepare to seek congressional support and raise funds for the effort.
The research will involve the Philippine Scouts, the Philippine Commonwealth Army, the recognized guerrillas, the New Philippine Scouts and the 1st and 2nd Philippine Regiments that were organized in California, according to Taguba, who spoke at the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (Naffaa) conference at the Town and Country Resort and Convention Center here. Naffaa is one of the key organizations behind the project.
Taguba, one of the highest ranking Filipino-Americans in the US Army, also called on the Fil-Am community to help spread the word about the campaign known as the “Filipino American World War II Soldiers Recognition Project.”
There has never been a formal declaration to recognize Filipino veterans for their sacrifice and loyal service during the global war, Taguba said.
Other groups have been recognized with a Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award given by the US Congress. They include the Japanese American Nisei soldiers, Navajo Code Talkers, Montford Marines, Tuskegee Airmen and Women Air Service Pilots (WASP).
The Filipino veterans are equally deserving of this award because they fought valiantly under the American flag, according to Taguba.
About 260,000 Filipinos fought for the United States during the war and were promised equal treatment as American veterans after the war.
But in 1946, the US Congress enacted the Rescission Act that took away full recognition of the Filipinos and stripped them of their benefits, leaving bitterness in the former colony and decades of campaigning to change US policy.
In 2009, Congress approved a stimulus package that included one-time payments of $15,000 to Filipino veterans in the United States and $9,000 to those living in the Philippines.
However, community advocates said thousands of veterans had their claims denied, usually because US authorities did not accept records from the Philippines, which were the former fighters’ sole means to prove their service.
Some aging veterans also said it was unrealistic to file their claims in time for the deadline.
In addition to the campaign for the Congressional Gold Medal Award, Taguba said they will also promote national awareness on the veterans’ wartime service and develop an educational program to preserve the legacy of the Filipino veterans.
He said they have asked the Smithsonian Institution to support this program.
Taguba is best known for carrying out a controversial military investigation concluding that Iraqi prisoners had been victims of abuses by American soldiers under the Bush administration.
He now serves as American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Community Ambassador to advocate for caregivers and their families. He is also the co-founder of the Pan Pacific American Leaders & Mentors (PPALM) organization to help mentor young Asian-American military and civilian leaders.
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