Political Quotes

“71 years ago today, President Roosevelt inducted over 40,000 Filipino troops into the United States Army to counter the Japanese threat. Following the occupation of the Philippines, thousands more Filipinos would join the resistance as recognized guerrilla forces working in cooperation with the U.S. Army. However, due to the Rescissions Act of 1946, the service and sacrifice of these brave Filipino veterans would go unrecognized by the U.S. Government for the next 63 years. Congress finally acknowledged the dedicated service of these veterans when it established the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation Fund in 2009. Although meager in comparison to the benefits these veterans earned, this compensation fund provided the recognition they deserved. Yet today, bureaucratic roadblocks continue to prevent nearly 4,000 of these aging World War II veterans from collecting the benefits they are due. Five of these gentlemen pictured here reside in my district. They range in age from 83 to 100 years old. Regrettably, two others recently passed away. Many more will pass without ever obtaining the recognition they deserve if this body does not act to remove the barriers preventing these veterans from receiving the benefits they have earned. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in fighting to ensure these honorable World War II veterans are appropriately recognized. ____________________”