During World War II, the Philippines was still a commonwealth under the U.S. Around the same time that Japan attacked Pearl Harbour, the Philippines was overtaken by Japanese forces. America enlisted Filipinos to fight the Japanese under the U.S. flag, with the promise that the peasantry-turned-soldiers would be able to live in the States with their families. Following the war, however, the Philippines was the only country out of 61 others who fought under America to be written out of the veteran benefits, citizenship and family reunification they were promised. Even though at the time Filipinos were thought of as “nationals” under the U.S., and over 200,000 Filipinos served in WWII, President Truman signed the 1946 Rescission Act which stated:

“Service before July 1, 1946, in the organized military forces of the Government of the Commonwealth of the Philippines, . . . shall not be deemed to have been active military, naval, or air service for the purposes of any law of the United States conferring rights, privileges, or benefits upon any person by reason of the service of such person or the service of any other person in the Armed Forces”

This injustice impacted thousands of Filipinos and their families and deprived them of their rightful status as citizens, and as veterans. It took decades of organizing and legal action to achieve monetary reparations, a pathway to citizenship and official recognition of their service. By that point, less than half of the 200,000 who served were still alive. Even then, less than half of those who filed to claim the $15,000 one-time lump sum alotted to Filipino veterans were approved because of the requirements. The main deterrent being the need to have one’s name listed in an incomplete record of the guerilla fighters who participated in the war.