So...I just wanted to share with everyone an article I wrote about Filipino American veterans.
This past Veteran's Day, fellow graduate student Alex Montaces and I both attended a parade/march in Los Angeles on behalf of Filipino American Veterans from World War II. This is about the 12th year that they're having the March, and they've been organizing on behalf of these veterans for over 20 year.
Unlike the American world war Veterans, who received the benefits of the GI Bill, went on to college, and bought houses and made their way up to the middle-classes, a lot of these vets are now in their 90s, US citizens, still pretty piss poor, and have been granted piecemeal benefits.
Last year, Obama's bill included a bill that would give US-based Filipino American veterans a one-time lump sum of $15,000, while those elsewhere would receive $9,000.
Filipino American Veterans were promised citizenship and benefits similar to the American soldiers in 1941. This was to help squeeze Japan. In 1946, congress decided that it would be "impractical" to pay the 250,000 Filiipino soldiers.
And so the veterans have been fighting for ever since 1946.
Thanks for sharing your article. I would have loved to attend the rally and march, but I had work that day.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing to me how these WWII veterans provide a tangible link to history. In my mind, WWII seems like it is something only in movies and history books. So to knowing that there are people who were actually there blows my mind each and every time.