Statement of Congresswoman Mazie K. Hirono of Hawai‘i
in the U.S. House of Representatives
In Support of Equity for Filipino Veterans of World War II
November 7, 2007
I rise today to join my fellow members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus to recognize our Filipino Veterans of World War II.
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 our government mad to these brave men over sixty years ago.
Our Filipino veterans are in the twilight of their lives; of the 250,000 soldiers who fought with us, only 18,000 survive today, and of that number 2,000 reside in my home state of Hawai‘i.
As we honor our veterans all across the country this Veterans Day, let us include those Filipino veterans who still await a promise fulfilled. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 760.
[ A video of Congresswoman Hirono delivering this statement on the floor of the House of Representatives can be viewed at http://hirono.house.gov/audio_video.shtml ]
