{"id":36196,"date":"2017-10-26T15:27:14","date_gmt":"2017-10-26T15:27:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2017\/10\/26\/filipino-wwii-veterans-awarded-congressional-gold-medal\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T02:57:01","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T02:57:01","slug":"filipino-wwii-veterans-awarded-congressional-gold-medal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2017\/10\/26\/filipino-wwii-veterans-awarded-congressional-gold-medal\/","title":{"rendered":"Filipino WWII veterans awarded Congressional Gold Medal"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 Celestino Almeda joined the Philippine Commonwealth Army in 1941, fought alongside U.S. soldiers during World War II and for nearly a decade has been seeking money the federal government had promised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Wednesday, the 100-year-old veteran got his recognition and finally his money, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Almeda received the Congressional Gold Medal, the nation\u2019s highest civilian honor. Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin also announced at a Capitol ceremony that Almeda was getting a check, 72 years after the war ended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shulkin\u2019s announcement drew gasps from some of the hundreds in attendance at the Gold Medal ceremony, which House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., acknowledged was \u201clong, long overdue.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Almeda, dressed in his military cap, told the crowd he was glad to be able to accept the medal, noting that \u201cmany have passed away waiting for 75 years for this time to come.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Almeda said he and other Filipino veterans have long \u201cfelt unrecognized for fighting for our country,\u201d adding, \u201cI wondered why\u201d since he and his fellow soldiers had brought \u201cvictory during a long war in the Philippines.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The gold medal signified that his service \u2014 and that of thousands of other Filipino veterans \u2014 is recognized, Almeda said, calling himself a warrior who \u201cwill never quit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Almeda was a 24-year-old teacher when he joined the Philippine Commonwealth Army in 1941. After the war, he resumed his career as a teacher and was granted U.S. citizenship in the 1990s. In 2003, he began receiving medical benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs under a law aimed at Filipino veterans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Almeda, now 100 and living outside Washington, has been fighting for nearly a decade to receive a $15,000 lump-sum payment promised to Filipino veterans under the 2009 economic stimulus law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Almeda was among more than 250,000 Filipino soldiers who served alongside U.S. soldiers in World War II, including more than 57,000 who died. After the war ended, President Harry S. Truman signed laws that stripped away promises of benefits and citizenship for Filipino veterans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Only recently have the veterans won back some concessions and acknowledgment, including the gold medal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"330\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP_17298632417155-Copy.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-67442\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP_17298632417155-Copy.jpg.jpg 512w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP_17298632417155-Copy.jpg.jpg?resize=300,193 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Speaker of the House Paul Ryan of Wisconsin congratulates Aquilino Delen and other Filipino veterans and their next of kin, Frank Francone, front left, Alicia Benitez, second from right, and Margrit Baltazar, right, during a ceremony awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to Filipino veterans of World War II at the Emancipation Hall on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2017. Standing with the recipients are, from left back row, Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif., Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, and Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif.(Manuel Balce Ceneta\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ryan said the Capitol ceremony was more than \u201ca feel-good story of delayed recognition. We are here to immortalize the legacy of great liberators, who have paved the way for generations to follow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The ceremony \u2014 and the gold medals \u2014 should \u201cserve to ensure that those who fought for freedom are never forgotten, and always remembered,\u201d Ryan said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, said Filipino veterans enlisted for World War II \u201cknowing full well that the enemy could discover who they were and retaliate against their families.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even after their service \u201cwas practically erased from American records &#8230; these veterans never gave up,\u201d Hirono said. \u201cThey organized and fought for what they had earned.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"367\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP_17298645697166-Copy.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-67445\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP_17298645697166-Copy.jpg.jpg 512w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP_17298645697166-Copy.jpg.jpg?resize=300,215 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Celestino Almeda, a Filipino World War II veteran, is congratulated by Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, during a ceremony at the Emancipation Hall on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2017, awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to Filipino veterans of World War II. (Manuel Balce Ceneta\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 1990, Congress awarded U.S. citizenship to thousands of Filipino veterans and later extended VA benefits to them. The 2009 stimulus law authorized the lump-sum payments, although in some cases missing or poor records blocked the payments from being made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAfter bravely serving our country, it is frankly shameful that these veterans had to fight so hard for what they were promised,\u201d Hirono said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today, only 18,000 Filipino veterans are still alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe are living in tumultuous times, and we have many disagreements,\u201d Hirono said, \u201cbut we agree that it is our responsibility as public servants and Americans to honor each veteran in the same way they honored our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br\/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Celestino Almeda joined the Philippine Commonwealth Army in 1941, fought alongside U.S. soldiers during World War II and for nearly a decade has been seeking money the federal government had promised.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":67439,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":21,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[14,21],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3039],"class_list":["post-36196","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-military-honor","category-veterans"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"A7DTVVJORBB7TADHTFAUO3X4EI","arc_canonical_url":"\/veterans\/2017\/10\/26\/filipino-wwii-veterans-awarded-congressional-gold-medal\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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nearly a decade has been seeking money the federal government had promised.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2017\/10\/26\/filipino-wwii-veterans-awarded-congressional-gold-medal\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Air Force TImes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-10-26T15:27:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T02:57:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Matthew Daly, The Associated Press\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Matthew Daly, The Associated Press\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": 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