Nancy Pelosi: “Mr. Chairman, I will not use the full 5 minutes, but I did want to rise to associate myself with the comments of our…”

“Mr. Chairman, I will not use the full 5 minutes, but I did want to rise to associate myself with the comments of our colleagues who have spoken before on behalf of the Filner amendment to restore health care benefits to Filipino war vets, and I thank my colleague for his leadership in offering this amendment and his leadership over the years on behalf of Filipino vets. He has done more than anyone, and any of us who care about the Filipino vets and the commitment our country has made to them are deeply in his debt. As my colleagues have mentioned, for 4 years during World War II more than 100,000 Filipinos fought alongside the Allied Forces to free the Philippines from Japanese occupation. Drafted into the service in 1941 by order of President Roosevelt, these historic soldiers served under the command of Lieutenant General Douglas MacArthur, fighting valiantly to recapture the Philippines and playing a key role in the allied victory in the Pacific. Our Nation has not given these veterans the honor and respect they deserve at the hands of our country. In 1946, Congress denied benefits to these veterans and to another group of special Filipino Scouts who enlisted in the U.S. Armed Forces after October 6, 1945. Although these brave soldiers, and many of their fellow soldiers, gave up their lives for freedom, our country denied them the recognition and benefits accorded to other servicemen and women in the Armed Forces.”