After initial introductions and presentations by members of the Philippine Scouts Heritage Society, the Institute will show Forgotten Soldiers from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Producer-director Donald Plata will introduce the movie and the screening is open to the public. After the film, Youth Congress participants will have lunch, additional presentations and a reception. Attendees are invited to adjourn to the US-Philippines Expo at the Pomona Fairgrounds.
Forgotten Soldiers: 10:00 a.m., Saturday, Aug 4, Art Theater Long Beach, 2025 East Fourth St., Long Beach, California–the film screening is open to the public.
At the beginning of World War II General Douglas MacArthur’s 80,000 Filipino and American troops on Bataan faced one of the worst atrocities in military history–the Bataan Death March. In Forgotten Soldiers, narrator Lou Diamond Phillips and ten Philippine Scout survivors describe the battles of Bataan and Corregidor, the Death March, and eventual liberation of the Philippines, over photographs, reenactments and actual footage of the events. The 12,000 Filipino and American soldiers of the Philippine Scouts were the backbone of the doomed Allied forces but few Americans today are even aware of this unique segment of the United States Army. They are America’s forgotten soldiers.
The Philippine Heritage Institute Youth Congress aims to develop talents and skills for leadership, and nurtures the all-important spirit of volunteerism. The Youth Congress teaches that service to humanity in need is a civic responsibility and is part and parcel of a purposeful life. The Institute is screening Forgotten Soldiers to increase awareness among participants of the proud heritage of accomplishment and sacrifice made by the Philippine Scouts during World War II.