A recognized
hero at last
By Bert Eljera
Not much has changed in the skill, valor and spirit of
the Filipino soldier fighting under the U.S. flag between
the battles of Bataan and Iraq. Heroism is still a badge
of honor for the Filipino fighting man, but between then
and now, a sea change has occurred - in terms of the respect,
gratitude and reward from the U.S. government.
While the heroes of Bataan and Corregidor are still yearning
for full recognition more than 60 years after their sacrifices,
Filipinos, yes immigrants, but still Filipinos, have gained
accolades from a grateful American nation for their contributions
to the liberation of Iraq.
No less than President Bush was present at the swearing-in
ceremony recently for a Filipino soldier who was granted
U.S. citizenship after sustaining wounds at a firefight
in Iraq. Marine Lance Corporal OJ Santa Maria, 21, of Daly
City, Calif, was granted expedited citizenship while recovering
from his war wounds at a Maryland Hospital.
He told Bush that all he really wanted was that his wounds
would heal fast enough so he can join his comrades, who
were still back in Baghdad. “I love those
guys, and I want to be with them,†Santa
Maria said.
A few dozen Filipino immigrants are serving in several
branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, many of them at the aircraft
carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which was a main base for the
air war against Iraq. At least 16 of the Filipino immigrants
in that ship were also granted U.S. citizenship.
Under U.S. laws, immigrants may serve in the U.S. Armed
Forces, a privilege that many Filipinos have availed of
over the years. After serving at least three years, immigrants
who are in the military are allowed to apply for citizenship.
In exceptional cases, as in the recent Iraq conflict, the
three-year rule is waived and the citizenship process is
fast-tracked.
But perhaps the most famous Filipino American soldier who
fought in Iraq is Joseph Hudson, an Army specialist, who
became a prisoner of war. The 23-year-old Hudson was with
the 507th Maintenance unit of the 11th Air Defense Artillery
Brigade of the U.S. Army when he was captured in Iraq and
was freed by U.S. soldiers shortly before the war ended.
His Filipina mother became a fixture of American television.
Two Filipinos - Army Ranger staff sergeant Nino Livaudais
and Joseph Menusa - died in Iraq and were conferred posthumous
U.S. citizenship. They were hailed as heroes in their hometowns
and Filipino-American community leaders expressed admiration
for their sacrifices, saying their deeds have brought about
an improved image of Filipino-Americans across the United
States.
Stark contrast indeed to the heroes of Bataan, Corregidor
and other battles of World War II who have remained pariahs
as far as the U.S. military is concerned. Although incorporated
into the U.S. Armed Forces by a decree of then President
Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Filipinos have been classified
as non-regular U.S. forces for the purpose of military pensions
and benefits.
Although certain benefits have been granted, including
U.S. citizenship for some groups of Filipino veterans, the
majority of them have yet to receive full benefits. The
Filipino Veterans Equity Bill, which sought to correct this
inequity, has languished in the U.S. Congress for a long
time, and only piecemeal benefits, such as burial assistance,
have been granted.
The veterans, now in their 70s and 80s, many of them in
San Francisco and other West Coast cities, have yet to receive
the full recognition of their heroism and for spilling their
blood for the American flag. Yes, they did also fight for
their own country, but it was in defense of freedom - as
enunciated by the Americans - that they braved the military
might of Japan.
No less than Sen. Daniel Inouye, the Democratic senator
from Hawaii, himself a highly decorated World War II veteran,
has championed the cause of the Filipino veterans, but his
efforts and others like him are falling short.
Economics and politics are in the way of full veteran recognition
for the Filipinos, and they may yet fade away, as their
general, Douglas MacArthur once said about old soldiers,
without seeing the day of their atonement, but American
sentiments seem to be changing.
The Filipino heroes of Iraq, indeed, would find it much
sweeter if their grandfathers would be accorded the same
gratitude showered on them from the American nation
