US Congress to present Congressional Gold Medal in honor of Filipino WWII vets

The US House and Senate will present on Wednesday a Congressional Gold Medal in honor of Filipino veterans who served during World War II.

One Congressional Gold Medal will be given collectively to the Filipino veterans, as per Public Law No.: 114-265, "in recognition of the dedicated service of the veterans during World War II."

A total of 260,000 Filipino and Filipino-American soldiers fought from July 1941 to December 1946 during World War II for the Philippines and the US.

It was US President Franklin D. Roosevelt who "called all organized military forces of the Philippines into the service of the United States," according to a press release issued by the press office of House Speaker Paul Ryan.

"Their bravery, heroism, and dedication played an integral part in leading Allied powers to victory over Nazi and fascist forces," it said.

The awarding ceremony will be attended by House Speaker Paul Ryan, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, and Senate Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.

It will be held at the Emancipation Hall of the US Capitol at 11 a.m. Washington time (11 p.m. PHL time) on Wednesday.

A live stream of the ceremony will be available on speaker.gov/live.

The Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor given by the US government, has been awarded in the past to George Washington, Ulysses S. Grant, Neil Armstrong, Tony Blair, Charles Lindbergh, Ronald Reagan, Nancy Reagan, Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, and Aung San Suu Kyi, among others. —KG, GMA News