[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 149 (Thursday, September 18, 2008)]
[House]
[Page H8400]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      FILIPINO VETERANS EQUITY ACT

  (Mr. HONDA asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. HONDA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge Congress to restore 
U.S. veteran status to the surviving soldiers of over 250,000 Filipinos 
who were called into military service to the United States Armed Forces 
by President Roosevelt on July 26, 1941.
  Every year, I meet with the Filipino World War II veterans who walk 
the halls of Congress seeking to undo the injustice of the 1946 
Recission Act which denied these veterans of their rightful benefits. 
Of all the Filipinos ordered into combat, only 18,000 are alive today, 
with each passing day bringing another funeral. These veterans remain 
loyal to this country. You know in your hearts that these veteran 
soldiers who fought under our flag deserve the promise we made to them 
six decades ago. We are a country of promise makers, and therefore, we 
should be a country of promise keepers.
  America's greatness is in its strength of character. Now it is our 
turn in the House to right this injustice. This is not just about the 
benefits for a few surviving heroes; it is also about our honor as a 
country and as a legislative body.
  Let's do the right thing and return to the Filipino World War II 
veterans their due--recognition of a grateful nation that their service 
to our country is just as equal as the soldiers with whom they stood 
shoulder to shoulder on the field of battle.

                          ____________________