[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 22]
[House]
[Page 30350]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       IN SUPPORT OF EQUITY FOR FILIPINO VETERANS OF WORLD WAR II

  (Ms. HIRONO asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, Filipino veterans are those who answered the 
call of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and served alongside our 
Armed Forces during World War II. They fought shoulder-to-shoulder with 
American servicemen, and we promised to provide full veterans benefits 
to them. While we have made some progress toward that goal, we have not 
yet achieved the full equity that the Filipino veterans deserve.
  I am proud to be an original cosponsor of H.R. 760, the Filipino 
Veterans Equity Act, which, in essence, makes good on the promise that 
our government made to these brave men over 60 years ago.
  Our Filipino veterans are in the twilight of their lives. Of the 
250,000 soldiers that fought with us, only 18,000 survive today. Of 
that number, 2,000 reside in my State of Hawaii.
  As we honor our veterans all across the country this Veterans Day, 
let us include those Filipino veterans who still await a promise 
unfulfilled.

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