[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 39 (Thursday, March 2, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E500]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


              FAIRNESS FOR FILIPINO WORLD WAR II VETERANS

                                 ______


                            HON. BOB FILNER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 2, 1995
  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I join today in a bipartisan effort with the 
gentleman from New York, Congressman Benjamin Gilman, chairman of the 
House Committee on International Relations, to introduce the Filipino 
Veterans Equity Act of 1995.
  Today, we recall the brave members of the Filipino Army who obeyed 
the order of the President of the United States during World War II. 
They fought side by side with U.S. forces against a common enemy. They 
served and died defending the American flag in the epic battles of 
Bataan and Corregidor and through 4 long years of enemy occupation. 
They were as much as part of our fighting forces as were soldiers 
drafted from the States.
  But, soon after World War II ended, the 79th Congress enacted the 
Rescission Act of 1946, denying Filipino Veterans not only the 
benefits, but also the recognition they so richly deserved. For far too 
many years, Filipino Veterans have been waiting for the benefits they 
earned, the benefits that go automatically to other veterans who were 
exposed to similar hardships. A grave injustice has been done--and now 
is the time for us to correct this injustice.
  Even President Harry S. Truman, who signed the Rescission Act, said 
it did not release the United States from its obligation to provide for 
the heroic Filipino Veterans who sacrificed so much during the war. He 
believed it was a moral obligation of the United States to look after 
the welfare of the Filipino Veterans--and so do I, and so do my 
colleagues who join me today in cosponsoring this legislation.
  The bullets in World War II did not ask if their target was an 
American or a Filipino soldier. In 15 years, there will no longer be 
any of these veterans left alive. Many, until their dying day, were 
asking, ``Do we deserve the 1946 Rescission Act? Didn't we suffer the 
same suffering as the American soldier fighting the same war?''
  We must act and we must act now.
  I am especially pleased that two of my colleagues from San Diego 
County are joining with me today in recognizing the contribution of the 
World War II Filipino Veterans, Congressmen Brian Bilbray and Randy 
``Duke'' Cunningham.
  I urge all my other colleagues to join me in recognizing these brave 
soldiers and in granting them the benefits they earned and deserve.


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