S‑1251.1   _____________________________________________

SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 8011

           _____________________________________________

State of Washington      57th Legislature     2001 Regular Session

By Senators Prentice, Finkbeiner, T. Sheldon, Shin, Regala, Costa, Kline, Thibaudeau, Patterson, Jacobsen, Snyder, Carlson, Constantine, Kastama, Hargrove, Benton, Haugen, Hochstatter, Rasmussen, Kohl‑Welles, Oke, Johnson, McAuliffe, McDonald, Honeyford, Gardner and Winsley

Read first time 02/02/2001.  Referred to Committee on State & Local Government.

_1      TO THE HONORABLE GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED

_2  STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE

_3  HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF

_4  REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED:

_5      We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives

_6  of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled,

_7  respectfully represent and petition as follows:

_8      WHEREAS, The Philippine Islands was a territory of the United

_9  States until July 4, 1946, and the United States had control over

10  Philippine nationals and its internal affairs.  The Philippines

11  Commonwealth had no function in matters of foreign affairs and

12  could not declare war nor surrender its forces; and

13      WHEREAS, On July 26, 1941, U.S. President Roosevelt issued a

14  Military Order and invoked his powers under Section 2(a)(12) of

15  the Philippine Independence Act (P.L. No. 77-127 Section 10(a)) to

16  "call and order into the service of the Armed Forces of the United

17  States...all of the organized military forces of the government of

18  the Commonwealth of the Philippines"; and

19      WHEREAS, World War II is remembered as The Good War that

20  President Roosevelt claimed to have defended the great human

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_1  freedoms against the encroachment and attack of the dark forces of

_2  despotism; and

_3      WHEREAS, Filipino soldiers fought during World War II under the

_4  American flag and under the direction and control of United States

_5  military leaders pursuant to President Roosevelt's July 1941

_6  Military Order; and

_7      WHEREAS, Shortly after the war in 1946, the U.S. Congress

_8  passed the Rescission Act which specifically mandates that

_9  services rendered by Filipino World War II veterans "...shall not

10  be deemed to have been active military, naval, or air service for

11  the purposes of any law of the United States conferring rights,

12  privileges or benefits..."; and

13      WHEREAS, The legislative rider appended to the 1946 Rescission

14  Act denies U.S. military status and benefits to those veterans who

15  fought under the command of officers of the U.S. Armed Forces in

16  the Philippines; and

17      WHEREAS, The significant and adverse impact of the 1946

18  Rescission Act is its unjust discrimination against Filipino

19  soldiers of World War II by denying them eligibility for equal

20  benefits administered by the department of veterans affairs; and

21      WHEREAS, Filipinos are the only national group singled out for

22  denial of full U.S. veterans status while the soldiers of more

23  than sixty-six other U.S. allied countries, who were similarly

24  inducted into the service of the armed forces of the United States

25  during World War II, were granted full U.S. veterans status; and

26      WHEREAS, The United States government has yet to fully restore

27  the rights, privileges, and benefits guaranteed, then taken away

28  from Filipino soldiers of WWII; and

29      WHEREAS, The gallantry, loyalty, and sacrifices of Filipino

30  veterans of WWII, who fought for freedom and democracy in the

31  Armed Forces of the United States, deserve recognition and their

32  honor and dignity restored; and

33      WHEREAS, There is no pending legislation in the U.S. Congress

34  that will restore full United States veterans status to Filipino

35  WWII veterans;

36      NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that the

37  President and Congress of the United States during the First

38  Session of the 106th Congress take action necessary to amend the

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_1  1946 Rescission Act and honor our country's moral obligation to

_2  restore these Filipino veterans full United States veterans status

_3  with the military benefits that they deserve;

_4      BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately

_5  transmitted to the Honorable George W. Bush, President of the

_6  United States, the President of the United States Senate, the

_7  Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of

_8  Congress from the State of Washington.

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