LOYALTY AND VALOR: HAWAI'I'S FILIPINO AND
FILIPINO AMERICAN SOLDIERS
Loyalty, Honor, Duty and
Broken Promises
The Rescission Act of 1946 (38 U.S.C. § 107) passed by Congress and signed by President Harry Truman unilaterally voided the pact made between the U.S. and Philippine resistance forces by invalidating their active military service classification. The reason for leaving the Philippine veterans high and dry was simply because the promised G.I. veterans' benefits (especially burial, educational, medical and pensionary) would be too costy. Even an allocated $200 million to pay off the veterans’ sacrifices was not transmitted. On May 22, 1946, General Carlos P. Romulo, as Resident Commissioner of the Philippines, spoke on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives and denounced the U.S. Congress for its act of discrimination against Filipinos.
For many years Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, along with other champions of Filipino WWII veterans, sought to repeal the Rescission Act. Filipino American advocacy groups lobbied to have veterans benefits restored. Finally, on February 13, 2009, over six decades after WWII, President Barack Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 which included a legislative rider providing $198 million to surviving Filipino WW II veterans: $15,000 each for those who are US citizens and $9,000 each for non-US citizen. But the Rescission Act of 1946 that had deprived Filipino soldiers of more than just their veterans’ benefits—it stripped them of their honor and dignity—remains in place.
The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian honor the United States can bestow. In accordance with Public Law No: 114-265, a single gold medal was struck to honor the Filipino veterans of World War II in recognition of their dedicated service during the WWII Philippine Campaign. In recent years the Congressional Gold Medal has been awarded to groups recognizing and honoring their WWII service: Native American Code Talkers (2000, 2008), Tuskegee Airmen (2006), Women Airforce Service Pilots (2009), 100th Infantry Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team/Military Intelligence Service (2010), Montford Point Marines (2011), First Special Service Force (2013), Doolittle Tokyo Raiders (2014), Civil Air Patrol (2014), “Monuments Men” (2014), and Office of Strategic Services (2016).
The "Filipino Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2015" (H.R.2737/S.B.1555) was initially introduced in both chambers of the U.S. Congress on June 11, 2015, where the lead sponsors were Hawai'i Representative Tulsi Gabbard and Hawai'i Senator Mazie Hirono. The Senate Bill was first approved on July 13, 2016, and the House bill approved on November 30, 2016. The bill was signed into law by President Obama on December 14, 2016, and presented to veterans and the families of veterans by House Speaker Paul Ryan at the Capitol on October 27, 2017.
The medal, created by the U.S. Mint, features figures representing a Philippine Scout, a Filipino infantry regiment officer and a Philippine guerrilla soldier in period uniforms, headgear and weapons. The reverse highlights the theme “Duty to Country” and lists the four major operations of the Philippines Campaign: Bataan and Corregidor, Luzon, Leyte and Southern Philippines. The dates on the scroll memorize the 1941 Japanese attack of the Philippines, the 1945 liberation of the Philippines and defeat of Japanese Imperial Force, and the 1946 passage of the Rescission Act that denied citizenship and revoked veterans benefits and payments to Filipino soldiers.
Now we can tell our veterans with pride in our hearts that this grateful nation has, at last, granted them recognition for the selfless sacrifice they endured in war, and restored their dignity and honor in service to their nation, said Maj. Gen. Taguba, USA, Ret., chairman of the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project (FilVetREP). Let us never forget that our veterans endured a lifetime of injustice and indignation inflicted by a shameful act of Congress. It was an ugly stain in this nation’s history.
HOME |
Filipino-American
Historical Society of Hawaii
|
Help
Exhibits
| Publications
|
Collections
| Student/Teachers
Photographs
& Maps | Biographies & Oral Histories
| Community Organizations
WWI
Veterans | Centennial
Commission (2006)
Copyright © 2006 by the Filipino-American Historical Society of Hawaii. Updated 2020.