The Forgotten Filipino Soldiers Who Fought for the U.S.
Thousands of Filipino soldiers defended the U.S. in WWII, yet for decades were denied the benefits promised to them.
When most Americans think of World War II, the images that come to mind are typically of battlefields in Europe, American GIs storming the beaches of Normandy, or the raising of the flag on Iwo Jima. Yet few realize that more than a quarter-million soldiers from the Philippines wore American uniforms and fought under the U.S. flag. Their story is a complex and often overlooked chapter in the history of the United States, marked by extraordinary bravery and a controversial legacy of unfulfilled promises.
In 1941, months before the attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt called upon the people of the Philippines—then a U.S. Commonwealth—to join American forces in defense of the Pacific. Responding to this call, more than 260,000 Filipinos enlisted in the United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE). Many believed their service would be rewarded with the same rights and benefits granted to American veterans.
Filipino soldiers played a decisive role during the brutal defense of the Bataan Peninsula and Corregidor Island against Japanese invasion. They endured the infamous Bataan Death March, a 65-mile forced trek marked by severe brutality in which thousands perished. Throughout the war, Filipinos aided the United States as soldiers, scouts, and guerillas, helping to liberate the islands and contributing to Allied victory in the Pacific.
Yet, after the war ended in 1945, the U.S. Congress passed the Rescission Act of 1946, stripping most Filipino veterans of the benefits they had been promised, including pensions, healthcare, and even recognition as members of the U.S. armed forces. Citing fiscal concerns and arguing that the Philippines had become an independent nation, Congress backed away from Roosevelt’s pledge, with only a minority retaining the rights granted to other Allied veterans.
This act caused significant hardship. Many Filipino veterans spent the remainder of their lives in poverty, lobbying the U.S. government for what they saw as rightful recognition. Generations of their families carried this burden. While a handful of benefits were reinstated starting in the early 1990s, and some veterans were later granted U.S. citizenship and compensation, the process moved slowly and covered only a fraction of those affected.
In 2009, with most veterans already in their twilight years, Congress included payments in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Some living veterans and their families finally saw a measure of compensation for their service. However, by then, the number who could benefit had dwindled—only about 18,000 were eligible, out of the original hundreds of thousands.
The story of the Filipino World War II veterans remains a sober reminder of the complicated legacy of American involvement overseas. Their struggle for recognition points to the broader questions of who is remembered in national history, and whose sacrifices are acknowledged. It is a chapter not often taught or discussed widely, but one that changed lives, shaped modern U.S.-Philippine relations, and continues to inspire those who value justice and history’s unsung heroes.
###END###
