COMMUNITY
ORGANIZING
Myths
& Realities about Immigration Today
Vets Affairs
Testimony
National
Statement Supporting Human Rights by NNIR
The
Struggle to Pass the Equity Bill
Strive
Act a False Promise
Vets
Affairs Testimony 2
Written Testimony
Supporting passage of S. 57
Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Hearing
April 11, 2007
Submitted by Lillian Galedo
Filipinos for Affirmative Action
Oakland, Ca.
Honorable Akaka,
Inouye and members of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee.
Foreign-born
soldiers have served in the U.S. military as far back as
the Civil War when 500,000 fought in the Union Army. The
foreign-born have fought alongside U.S. citizens, suffered
the same wounds and deaths, and believed in the same ideals
for which these wars were fought. Once those wars are over
they deserve to be treated respectfully and equally. Just
as we would want U.S. citizen soldiers to be honored and
cared for after risking their lives, we want the foreign-born
that fought with us to receive the same honor and care.
The foreign born
served in the U.S. military during World Wars I and II,
in the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and both wars in Iraq.
As of May 2006 there were 68,711 foreign-born on active
duty in the U.S. military, representing 5% of the 1.36 million
active duty personnel in the armed forces. Forty-two percent
of today’s foreign-born are in the U.S. navy, 27%
in the army, 20% in the air force and 12% in the marines.
Filipinos have
always heeded the call to serve. In May 2006, more foreign-born
soldiers come from the Philippines than any other country
(16,628); second are Mexicans with 6,427. Even though the
Philippines is separated from the U.S. by 3,000 miles of
ocean, thousands of Filipinos still proudly serve in the
U.S. Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force!
The continued
presence of Filipinos in the U.S. military reflects the
loyalty and commitment Filipinos feel for democracy. In
World War II, thousands of Filipinos fought alongside U.S.
troops because they believed in the same ideals for which
we were fighting. They understood the worldwide threat of
fascism and dictatorship. After General MacArthur’s
retreat to other islands in the Pacific to regroup, Filipino
soldiers, working with U.S. commandos, maintained a war
of resistance until the U.S. forcers returned to liberate
the islands. Filipinos fought island to island, beach to
beach, village to village, alongside their U.S. brothers
and sisters-in arms until the Philippines were free. In
this bloody conflict, they all suffered high rates of mortality,
and thousands were wounded.
Filipinos were
loyal to the U.S. throughout World War II, in spite of U.S.
colonial occupation that they sought to end. The joint sacrifice
of U.S. and Filipino soldiers prevented the Japanese from
taking the war to the U.S. mainland.
The relationship
was not one of mutual respect. For the 250,000 Filipinos
who fought under U.S. command the end of WWII is marked
by betrayal when the infamous Recission Act of 1946 stripped
Filipinos of their U.S. veterans status. This betrayal defied
President Truman’s words of celebration on the defeat
of fascism when he said: “The heroism of our own troops
. . . was matched by that of the armed forces of the nations
that fought by our side. They absorbed the blows . . . and
they shared to the full in the ultimate destruction of the
enemy.” Admiral Chester Nimitz said, “They fought
together as brothers-in-arms. They died together and now
they sleep side by side. To them we have a solemn obligation.”
These inspiring
words did not bring Filipino soldiers in the brotherhood
of U.S. veterans. Despite their bravery and the tremendous
sacrifices they endured in Bataan, Corregidor, Manila, Luzon,
and Leyte -- Filipino WWII veterans were disenfranchised
at the war’s end.
Filipinos were
the only foreign-born soldiers to receive this mistreatment.
Some 66,000 other foreign-born soldiers were welcomed into
the ranks of U.S. veterans.
People who care
about justice have sought to correct this, to make amends
for the shameful way we turned our backs on the Filipino
people. Sixty years is too long. We now have the opportunity
to say to the 20,000 remaining Filipino WWII soldiers that
we made a mistake. You were U.S. soldiers when inducted
into the U.S. military, and are U.S. veterans today.
We must restore
justice by passing the Filipino WWII Veterans Equity Act
of 2007.
In the spirit
of the continuing commitment that the foreign-born make
to the U.S. military, let’s fix this. Let us never
again give the foreign-born in our military cause to doubt
that we value their service, or that we do not view them
as equals.
Thank you and
Mabuhay (long live) Filipino WWII veterans.
###
Note: Lillian
Galedo is the co-chair of the National Alliance for Filipino
Veterans Equity (NAFVE). Statistics in this statement about
the foreign-born in the U.S. military are from the Migration
Policy Institute.
