REMEMBER BATAAN: Our History, Our Fight, Our Heroes Will Never Be Forgotten
Candlelight
vigils will take place in several areas across the country, including
Washington D.C., Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio and cities throughout
California, to pay tribute to the brave soldiers who endured the Bataan
Death March and to highlight the urgency for Congress to pass the
Filipino Veterans Act of 2007 -- H.R. 760 & S. 57.
(Washington
D.C., Richmond, VA, Blacksburg, VA, Virginia Beach, VA,
Charlottesville, VA, Pittsburg, PA, Oberlin, OH, San Francisco, CA,
Sacramento CA, Davis, CA, San Jose, CA, Palo Alto, CA) The Student
Action for Veterans Equity (SAVE) comprised of advocates, youth and
students from colleges and universities throughout the nation will host
candlelight vigils on April 9, 2007, marking the 65th anniversary of
the Bataan March Death, one of the most atrocious events during World
War II.
Participants from various community organizations as
well as students from Stanford University, University of Pittsburg,
Virginia Commonwealth, San Francisco State University, City College of
San Francisco, University of San Francisco, Sonoma State University,
San Jose State University, California State University Sacramento,
University of California Davis, Old Dominion University, University of
Virginia and Virginia Tech are expected to join together to honor the
soldiers who lost their lives in the infamous Bataan Death March and to
those who survived, many of whom are still waiting for their
recognition and justice.
Mr. Luciano Dimaano, a Filipino World
War II veteran who escaped the Bataan Death March recalls “bombs were
dropping on the shores of our frontlines. Boats were landing and the
Japanese soldiers were coming ashore firing at us. There were so many
of them like ants. We were out numbered." After a somber retreat, Mr.
Dimaano was ordered to Bataan. Despite courageous efforts by U.S.
forces, Bataan fell on April 9, 1942. Mr. Dimaano explains solemnly
that "It was the loneliest days of my life." U.S. forces, including
hundreds of Filipino soldiers were forced to surrender and suffer from
this harrowing experience: leaving them to go without food or supplies,
having to suffer without medicine for the wounded and sick soldiers,
stumbling from utter exhaustion, and watching comrades be killed by the
Japanese.
Fortunately, Mr. Dimaano was able to escape the
Bataan Death March but suffered from malaria and dysentery for eight
months. Despite, his suffering and courageous war efforts, he still
waits for equity and recognition. "We Filipinos have the longest
fight…until now we are fighting. Why do we veterans have to suffer? I
urge Congress and the President to give us your blessing before we
close our eyes forever."
On July 26, 1941, approximately
250,000 Filipino soldiers were inducted into the U.S. Armed Forces in
the Far East (USAFFE) by military order of President Roosevelt during
World War II. The subsequent enactment of the 1946 Rescission Act
unjustly stripped these brave soldiers of their veterans’ status and
instantly deemed their service as “inactive.” Today, only 20,000 of
these soldiers remain still waiting for their recognition and equity.
It
is important that Congress recognizes the ramifications of the
Rescission Act and the promises made to the Filipino WWII Veterans.
“Majority of these veterans live in poverty: residing in substandard
housing and struggling to survive on the little Supplemental Security
Income (SSI) that they received monthly which primarily goes to basic
necessities such as medication. The Filipino Veterans Equity Act of
2007 will restore the benefits initially promised to them,” explains
Ms. Angelica Cabande, an active member of SAVE and a community
advocate.
Many students and advocates feel that it is their
responsibility to help voice the concerns of our veterans and to carry
on the struggle for full equity. Ms. Erin Dawn Garcia Pasaporte, who
worked for several years as a Community Service Worker for the Filipino
WWII veterans at the Veterans Equity Center (VEC) and who remains a
member of SAVE, shares her personal experiences working with these
heroes. “The hardest part is seeing these veterans everyday and not
being able to tell them that we won Full Equity. The recognition that
their services matters and that we respect their sacrifices are the
most significant parts to fighting for equity.”
The Filipino
Veterans Equity Act of 2007 – H.R. 760 and S. 57 – was introduced in
the House of Representatives and Senate by Representative Bob Filner
and Senator Daniel Inouye, respectively, in the early part of the 110th
Congress. These equity bills will correct this long endured injustice
by amending Title 38 and restoring their status as veterans. The Chair
of the Senate’s Veterans Affairs Committee, Daniel Akaka, has called
for a hearing on this issue scheduled for Wednesday, April 11, 2007 at
10:00am. Through the candlelight vigils, SAVE hopes to increase
national support and to raise community awareness to remind legislators
that advocates, youth and students will keep fighting until full equity
is achieved.
As the nation begins to welcome troops back home
from Iraq, we hope that we can honor the service of the soldiers who
have fought valiantly and proudly under the U.S. Forces only decades
before. SAVE calls upon Congress to listen to the voices of
constituents nationwide and to support the passage of the Filipino
Veterans Equity Act of 2007, S. 57 and H.R. 760.
We invite the community to join us on April 9th at one of the vigil sites:
East Coast:
Bataan Death March Memorial/Rizal Monument in Cherry Hill, NJ 6:30 pm, Cooper River Park Contact Senn Fontanilla at fontanilla@saftravel.com
Oberlin College in Oberlin, OH 10:00 pm, Wilder Bowl Contact Jenny Lares at jenny.c.lares@gmail.com
West Coast:
California State University of Sacramento in Sacramento, CA 6:00 pm, Serna Plaza Contact Eden Joy Jimenez at beatzsofresh@yahoo.com
City Hall in San Francisco, CA 5:30 pm, Front Steps Contact Angelica Cabande at awake3eye@yahoo.com
San Jose State University in San Jose, CA 5:00 pm, Student Union Amphitheatre Contact Ann Reginio at kpsie.areginio@gmail.com
Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA 8:00pm, the Oval Contact Hialy Riviera Guiterrez at hialy07@standford.edu
The University of California, Davis in Davis, CA 7:00 pm, Memorial Union Patio Contact Josh Santeramo at jmsanteramo@ucdavis.edu
Also this week:
Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs Hearing on the Filipino Veterans Wednesday, April 11 9:30 am, 418 Russell Senate Building in Washington, DC Will be broadcasted online- http://veterans.senate.gov
For more information about S.tudent A.ction for V.eterans E.quity, please contact Angelica Cabande at awake3eye@yahoo.com
