Mike Honda: “I want to thank my colleague, Mr. Foster, and on the other side, Congressman Huizenga of Michigan, for bringing this up.…”

“I want to thank my colleague, Mr. Foster, and on the other side, Congressman Huizenga of Michigan, for bringing this up. It is an issue that has been a long time in coming forward. I thank Mr. Heck of Nevada, also, for the gentleman's comments regarding the Filipino veterans' history in World War II. Prior to this, we talked about the merchant marines. I think that the merchant marines are a long time past in being recognized for their bravery and their willingness to forge through the oceans to bring materiel and artillery to fight fascism in Europe. Today we stand here in 2016 to ask for support for the bravery, patriotism, and sacrifice of nearly 250,000 Filipinos and Filipino Americans to whom our Nation owes much. I ask this Chamber to show its commitment to those who have bled for our Nation's principles at a time of great adversity by honoring these brave souls with the Congressional Gold Medal. The Congressional Gold Medal is a symbol of our recognition of their service, but it does very little to recognize the sacrifice and patience that they had to endure since World War II, when, as it was mentioned earlier, this Congress passed two rescission bills in the Appropriations in 1946 removing the Filipino veterans from veterans' benefits and the kinds of promises that President Roosevelt and MacArthur had given to the Filipino veterans.…”