In 1941 when World War II began, President Roosevelt called to arms people of all backgrounds to fight for the country. Among the ones that heeded the call were over 250,000 Filipino soldiers (Laqua 120). They made the ultimate sacrifice. They fought as American soldiers in the U.S. Army forces during the Japanese occupation of Philippines and in the Far East. Later on, they became proud U.S. citizens. However, the American government marginalized them for many years. Both the community and the veterans advocated for compensation for the people that fought in World War II. The government was slow to respond.

It is important to note that over 57,000 Filipino soldiers died fighting alongside the United States during the war. Although after President Roosevelt did not deliver his promise of providing benefits to the veterans, President Harry Truman rescinded the promise. Using civil unrest and war, Filipino soldiers fought alongside the American army with the goal of winning World War II yet the American government marginalized them for many years.

When they decided to fight for the American government, the country promised Filipino soldiers many benefits, among them compensation and citizenship. However, after the end pf the war, the World War II veterans did not get many of the benefits that the government promised them. According to McCallus (59), they were the forgotten heroes in American history. The broken promise to the veterans as well as their families was a stain on the history of the United States. There were significantly few heroes that received the benefits that they earned. Lawmakers failed to develop a piece of legislation to ensure that the country honored the women and men that bravely fought with them in World War II. It is imperative to note that during the war, the U.S. annexed the Philippines. Therefore, many fought for their nation’s interests (Bartosz 92). They substantially contribute to the victory that America had in the war. The nation failed to recognize them. The United States under the leadership of President Roosevelt promised the soldiers a full veterans benefits for their service in the Armed Forces. However, it failed in its promise, only reviving it after President Truman took over.

During World War II when the Japanese occupied the islands, there existed a Philippine Resistance Movement that opposed Japan’s activities (Laqua 121). The primary mode of resistance that this group was using was guerrilla warfare that they adopted for many years. It also consisted of civil unrest. Two main groups from Japan fought the guerrillas. One of them was the Japanese regular forces while the other was the Bureau of Constabulary which the country formed exclusively to fight the Filipino guerillas (Laqua 121). Later on, the second group adopted the name Philippine Constabulary. Studies of postwar history reveal that over 260,000 Filipinos participated in the guerrilla groups and organized underground memberships to achieve the same goal of kicking the Japanese out of the islands (Laqua 121). The group was highly effective in the war. Following the end of the war, Filipinos managed to control 36 of the forty-eight provinces (Laqua 121).

The annexation of Philippines by the United States during the time enabled the two nations to fight alongside one another. Consequently, there were select units that the U.S. equipped and reorganized to achieve the same goal. For instance, the U.S. Air Force equipped the Philippine Constabulary and Army (Laqua 121). Additionally, it granted benefits and payments officially to the various ethnicities that fought alongside the Allies to end the war. In its recognition of the people hat fought in the war, the U.S. government excluded Filipino veterans from benefits. After many years, the nation acknowledged the role that the Filipino veterans played to ensure that the U.S. was successful in its war. Study findings by Bartosz (92) indicate that there were 277 separate guerilla units that had over 260,715 members. The U.S. officially recognized them as having fought in the resistance movement. Before that, the United States did not recognize the Filipino war heroes that fought in the war with them despite the initial promises that the country made.

During World War II, Philippines was an American protectorate, following its annexation. Therefore, when Japan ambushed it surprisingly, it was an indirect attack to the U.S. Filipino citizens began to have civil unrest, requiring the U.S to act on their defense after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor (McCallus 79). However, Filipino soldiers adopted guerilla warfare as the primary mode of resistance. It was an irregular model of warfare that small groups if combatants such as armed civilians and paramilitary personnel used. According to McCallus (87), participants in the war used military tactics like sabotage, ambushes, mobility, hit-and-run tactic, rids, and petty warfare to fight the large Japanese military. Since the U.S. Armed forces helped the Filipinos, they used the asymmetric warfare to defeat the Japanese. It magnified the mobile forces of the Asian country that weakened its enemy, the Japanese, through attrition, eventually forcing them to give up at least 36 of the provinces of which they had charge. The Filipino groups avoided confrontation with Japanese troops, but attacked them in small groups, taking their resources, and depleting their personnel.

The Filipino guerrillas succeeded in their resistance to the Japanese occupation. Out of the country’s 48 princes, they managed to take control of 36 as 12 remained under Japan’s control (McCallus 91). Notably, before the involvement of Americans, most of the provinces in Mindanao already had liberation. The major islands, Cebu and Visayas, were also in the hands of Filipinos. During the war and occupation, the United States delayed in providing the help that the Philippines needed. However, they did not lose hope. Their primary objective was not only to fight the Japanese but also to prepare for Americans’ return. According to Laqua (122), the Filipinos were instrumental in providing help for the U.S. in liberating the other parts of the islands from Japan. Following the end of the war, both the Philippine and American governments recognized the imperative role that some of the individuals and units played in getting the success. However, they did not uphold all the promises that they made. The two governments, especially the U.S. later recognized the Filipino veterans for their success and gave them full benefits as they promised.

During World War II, the Japanese committed grave atrocities to the Philippines. They wanted occupation of the islands. They also perpetrated religious establishments that only acted as ways to infringe on the rights of the Filipinos. However, the Filipinos organized into units that fought the Japanese occupation using guerilla warfare and civil unrest. Since the country was a U.S. protectorate, the Armed Forces helped them by providing tactical assistance, resources, and personnel. Together, they managed to defeat the Japanese. The then government of President Roosevelt promised significant benefits for the veterans and their families, which it did to honor. For many years, the Filipino veterans suffered. After advocating and many years of activism, through President Truman, the veterans finally began to get their benefits. It is an important period in history. It shows that the U.S. government failed in its promises, but later revisited it and recognized the grave contribution that Filipino armies and civilians had in the success of the country in World War II.

Works Cited
Bartosz Nowożycki. “Guide To The Polish Veterans Of World War II Records”.  Polish American Studies, vol 74, no. 2, 2017, p. 92.  University Of Illinois Press, doi:10.5406/poliamerstud.74.2.0092.
Laqua, Daniel. “Book Review: The Great War And Veterans’ Internationalism By Julia Eichenberg And John Paul Newman (Eds) Eichenberg Julia Newman John Paul (Eds), The Great War And Veterans’ Internationalism. Palgrave: Basingstoke And New York, 2013; Xii + 233 Pp”.  War In History, vol 24, no. 1, 2017, pp. 120-122.  SAGE Publications, doi:10.1177/0968344516679751f.
McCallus, Joseph P.  Forgotten Under A Tropical Sun. The Kent State University Press, 2017.