Last year I thanked a group of veterans for my freedom. This year I am thanking another group of vets, the Filipino vets who fought in World War II. Of the roughly 20,000 who are still alive, about 7,000 live in the United States and about 13,000 have stayed in the Philippines. The unfortunate circumstance for these 20,000 vets is they are still waiting for a promise made over 60 years ago to be fulfilled. I will state and reiterate the obvious, these Filipinos vets are American in every sense of the word.
When Japan invaded the Philippines, nationalism took over for many Filipinos who felt it was their duty to fight for their homeland but the United States would not allow them to fight for the U.S. military. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order to draft Filipinos into the US military with the promise of becoming citizens of the United States and full military benefits. By some accounts close to or over 200,000 Filipinos fought in World War II with American soldiers with Filipino soldiers making up the bulk of the U.S. troops who fought in the Philippines. With the Filipino troops having a hand in the end of the war, things were supposed to get better for these American citizens-to-be but it was not the case. February 18, 1946, the Congress passed and President Truman signed Public Law 70-301, known as the Rescission Act of 1946. It said that the service of Filipinos "shall not be deemed to be or to have been service in the military or national forces of the United States or any component thereof or any law of the United States conferring rights, privileges or benefits," thus reneging on FDR's promise.
Of all the different ethnic groups that fought with the U.S. in World War II, Filipinos have yet to receive full veteran benefits. Congress has been nickel and dime-ing it for over 60 years. It has been well documented in numerous media outlets ( Veterans Equity Act of 2005) the remaining vets have fought tirelessly for what they have been promised. The same vets who fought tirelessly to defeat Japan. The benefits have come in increments but it still doesn’t hide the fact a promise has yet to be delivered. With many of these Filipinos vets in their 80s and 90s, they fear the promise President Roosevelt made will be granted in full once these proud ‘Americans’ pass away. They came to America like many do to have a better life. They fought for America because they believed in it. With President Roosevelt allowing them to fight for America, they thought America believed in them. There are many that still believe in the Filipino vets and their
sacrifices. What they have done for this country is a great service. For allowing me to reap the benefits of your sacrifices, I want to say thank you!
King Kamehameha Conqueror Of The Islands by Frank Y Pak Agostinelli
Last year when I spoke about Genghis Khan's accomplishments, I stated in so many words he should be mentioned in the same breath as Alexander the Great, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Julius Caesar. There is someone else who should be mentioned in this group. He is King Kamehameha I, the Great.
King Kamehameha's birth coincided with Halley's Comet. According to mo'olelo, Kahuna said the unifier of the islands would be born around the time of this phenomenon. The ali'i in power ordered the baby Kamehameha killed but he 'disappeared' and was raised in secrecy. After conquering the island of Hawai'i, he went on to do something others have tried and failed at, he unified the Hawaiian Islands into the Kingdom Of Hawai'i by the year of 1810. The warrior became king and the king became a wise statesman known for his diplomacy. Most notable of his accomplishments, mamala-hoe kanawai, the law of the splintered paddle which is part of the state constitution of Hawai'i (Article IX Section 10). According to mo'olelo, Kamehameha was in pursuit of some fishermen. His foot got stuck in the crevice of a rock. One of the fishermen cracked Kamehameha in the head with a paddle, splintering it. Years later, the fishermen were caught and brought before Kamehameha. Instead of having the fishermen executed, he pardoned the fishermen and implemented the first law of Hawai'i. King Kamehameha passed away in 1819. His place of burial is a still a secret this day. Annually, June 11 is King Kamehameha Day in Hawai'i. Given the nickname Napoleon of the Pacific, he is a hero to the people of Hawai'i. His strength, uprightness, and compassion should be an example for all leaders to follow.
A Civil War Veteran? by Frank Y Pak Agostinelli
My college professor Lee Emery was arguably one of my favorites. He was always good for side stories and other tid-bits when he lectured about the topic in focus. Continuing his tradition here is something you may have not known about the Civil War. Researchers claim that as many as 50 Chinese fought as soldiers during the Civil War. The most notable of these soldiers was Edward Day Cohota.
In December of 1845, Silas Day, captain of the ship Cohota, departed Shanghai in route to Massachusetts. Roughly two days into the journey, Day found two little half-starving Chinese boys. The older child perished. The younger one was taken in by Day and named Edward Day Cohota (Lo Sun was his Chinese name). He traveled abroad with his parents until his father decided to retire. Raised in Gloucester, Massachusetts, he joined the 23rd Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry and fought for the Union Army during the Civil War. At one point served he under General Ulysses S. Grant. After the war, he reenlisted and served throughout various parts of the country with his final stop Fort Randall, South Dakota. With over 30 years of military service under his belt, Cohota was not a US citizen as he believed. President Lincoln was assassinated before his pledge to ‘all soldiers serving in the Civil War would automatically become citizens’ could become law. He tried to no avail to become a citizen, to receive an army pension as well as a Civil War pension, citing that his military service to the USA made him worthy. He married a Norwegian woman, Anna Dorothea Hallstenson and had six children. He passed away in 1935 at the Battle Mountain Sanitarium For Veterans in Hot Springs, South Dakota.
Angel Island: The Ellis Island of the West
by Frank Y Pak Agostinelli
We all know the founding fathers of America were the ones who put the shovel into the ground and created the foundation. Many times we forget, it was immigrants from other countries who came to America for a better life who continued to build on this foundation to make this country what it is today. The collective will agree when most people immigrate to the States, they are looking for a better way of life.
The Chinese stepped foot in California in the search of a better life and hope of finding Gam Saan. A series of discriminatory events led to the Naturalization Act of 1870 (barred Asians from U.S. citizenship) and the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 (10-year moratorium on Chinese labor immigration.). What precipitated these acts was the Chinese were willing to work for low wages. It was something American laborers were not willing to do. Hence, the Chinese were accused of taking all of the jobs. In 1910, an immigration center was opened on Angel Island. Angel Island is the largest Island in San Francisco Bay, located one mile south of the Tiburon Peninsula. For 30 years until a fire destroyed the administration center, Angel Island was the center of detaining and interrogating Chinese immigrants. Questions were posed in a manner to confuse the questioned in an effort to deport them back home. Weeks, months, and years passed for many Chinese hoping to get into America. Many of their sentiments were scrawled on the walls in the form of poetry. Angel Island is a historic landmark now. It is a strong reminder of how far America has come.
Escape From Marxism by Frank Y Pak Agostinelli
Asians, in the United States are always grouped together. There are different ethnic groups within the totality of what many believe are just Asians. Never taken into account are the differences demographically, culturally and most importantly, historically. When one looks at Cambodia, part of its history is one of genocide. When Khmer Rouge dictator Pol Pot seized control of Cambodia, millions of people had their lives radically changed.
Saloth Sar (Pol Pot's real name) received a scholarship to study in Paris, France. Instead, he studied Marxism and joined other Cambodians studying in France. They would eventually go onto to form the Khmer Rouge. A series of events fell into place allowing the Khmer Rouge to take over Cambodia (Democratic Kampuchea). On April 17, 1975, or Year One in an attempt to duplicate and eclipse Chairman Mao's Great Leap Forward, Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge forced millions out of the city of Phnom Penh by foot into the countryside where Pol Pot implemented an agrarian communist society. Families were forced to work 18 hour days. Families lived in cramped quarters and the food given was not enough for one person to survive on. Many Cambodians died of malnutrition and overwork. In addition, anyone suspected of opposing the Khmer Rouge, was a professional, an intellectual, a religious person, associated with foreign influences or were tied to the ousted government were executed in mass graves at Choeung Ek or Tual Sleng. Ethnic groups were also targeted. The Chinese, Vietnamese as well as Cham Muslims. These two places are better known as the Killing Fields. It is reported as many as 2 million people died during the 4 year reign. In 1979, Vietnam liberated the people of Cambodia. Many Cambodians fled to Thailand and Vietnam with some eventually relocating to the United States. Ironically the Khmer Rouge, the group Pol Pot led in taking over Cambodia, denounced him and placed him under house arrest. Pol Pot died on April 15, 1998. He never paid for his crimes and never acknowledged he did anything wrong.
