Filipino World War II Veteran Celebrates 100th Birthday

The Filipino Veterans Recognition & Education Project wishes Mr. Bert Pumento a happy 100th birthday! The Veteran Centenarian celebrates his special day on July 12 with his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren at a tourist resort in Lipa, Batangas, Philippines. He has been living with one of his children in San Francisco, CA.

Pumento served with Filipino guerrillas during WWII in Leyte. He later joined the Philippine Scouts (U.S. Army). On October 25, 2017, he was among dozens of Filipino World War II veterans who were honored at the U.S. Capitol’s Emancipation Hall when Congress awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to over 250,000 Filipino and Filipino-American veterans who fought alongside American troops in World War II.

Pumento’s granddaughter, Christine Garcia Pabico (currently President of the Philippine Nurses Association of DC) was at the ceremony with her daughter, Lauren. “It was a priceless gift to hear him share his stories,” she said. “It made me realize how there is so much about his past we did not know. I am more in awe of him now, hearing what he and his comrades went through at such a young age. The Congressional Gold Medal ceremony was an enduring lesson about sacrifice, courage, resilience, triumph, and fruits of perseverance.”

Four generations of Bert Pumento’s family celebrate the Veteran Centenarian’s Birthday. [Photos courtesy of Christine Pabico]
The Veteran Centenarian’s birthday was a weeklong celebration and a family reunion of four generations, replete with dinner parties, dancing and excursions. “Grandpa Bert is still so much full of energy,” Christine says.

After the war, Pumento worked for the Veterans Administration, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Peace Corps, and at the University of Hawaii where he retired after 23 years of service. During his retirement, he was active with the Knights of Rizal and various Philippine causes and organizations.

FilVetREP Chairman Maj. Antonio Taguba (Ret) says Mr. Pumento’s heroism and service and that of his comrades inspired “Duty to Country,” https://dutytocountry.org/. This online education program tells the untold story of Filipino soldiers who fought under the American flag. “We don’t want memories of World War II to disappear from living history,” Taguba said. “Mr. Pumento is a living memory and we congratulate him for his resilience in reaching this milestone in his life. To have served his family, community and country is a fitting tribute to his heroism and selfless sacrifice.”

###

The Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project (FilVetREP), is a nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, community-based, all-volunteer national initiative whose mission is to obtain national recognition of Filipino and American WW11 soldiers across the United States and the Philippines for their wartime service to the U.S. and the Philippines from July 26, 1941 to December 31, 1946. For more information about Filipino WWII veterans and how to get involved, visit our website at www.filvetrep.org or find us on Facebook or Twitter.