Philippines in the United States
Filipino American WWII Veterans Memorial
On November 11, 2006 Eric Garcetti, president of the L.A. City Council, joined Filipino veterans from around the country in unveiling the first monument that memorializes the brave men of the Philippines who fought side-by-side with American soldiers during WWII, and commemorates the fight to gain recognition from the US government as war veterans in the service to the United States.
The monument stands inside the gated park in the 200 block of North Lake Street, in the heart of Los Angeles’ Historic Filipinotown. It consists of five large black granite monoliths rise from the ground and two granite benches with the words “kagitingan” and valor etched on them. Engraved onto the face of the monoliths are photographs and texts that succinctly tell the story of these Filipino veterans' many sacrifices for the United States. The narrative ends with the veterans' long fight for honor and status as American veterans.
The back of the monument reads VALOR -- one letter to a slab. It also carries a quote from octogenarian Faustino "Peping" Baclig, a survivor of the Bataan death march and longtime leader of the movement to gain financial and medical benefits for the veterans. "Bataan was not our last battlefield. We are still fighting for equity." Included in the images is a map of the Philippines denoting significant sites. Key words are etched in English and Tagalog in the memorial.
The monument was made possible by a $75,000 Community Development Block Grant, a very competitive federal grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
It was designed by Silver Lake artist Cheri Gaulke.
